Case Study II – Internationalization of HRM
Capitalizing on Complexity: Insights from the 2010 IBM Global Chief Executive Officer
Study
Introductory letter from the [IBM] Chairman (Samuel J. Palmisano): In a very shor
...
Case Study II – Internationalization of HRM
Capitalizing on Complexity: Insights from the 2010 IBM Global Chief Executive Officer
Study
Introductory letter from the [IBM] Chairman (Samuel J. Palmisano): In a very short time, we've
become aware of global climate change; of the geopolitical issues surrounding energy and
water supplies; of the vulnerabilities of supply chains for food, medicine and even talent; and
of sobering threats to global security.
The common denominator? The realities and challenges of global integration. We occupy a
world that is connected on multiple dimensions, and at a deep level-a global system of
systems. That means, among other things, that it is subject to systems-level failures, which
require systems-level thinking about the effectiveness of its physical and digital infrastructures.
It is this unprecedented level of interconnection and interdependency that underpins the most
important findings contained in this report. Inside this revealing view into the agendas of global
business and public sector leaders, three widely shared perspectives stand in relief:
- The world's private and public sector leaders believe that a rapid escalation of
"complexity" is the biggest challenge confronting them. They expect it to continue indeed, to accelerate in the coming years.
- They are equally clear that their enterprises today are not equipped to cope effectively
with this complexity in the global environment.
- Finally, they identify "creativity" as the single most important leadership competency
for enterprises seeking a path through this complexity.
What we heard through the course of these in-depth discussions is that events, threats, and
opportunities aren't just coming at us faster or with less predictability; they are converging and
influencing each other to create entirely unique situations. These first-of-their-kind
developments require unprecedented degrees of creativity-which has become a more
important leadership quality than attributes like management discipline, rigor or operational
acumen.
As always, our biennial examination of the priorities of CEOs around the world provides terrific
insight into both the world as they see it, and ultimately, what sets the highest-performing
enterprises apart. For me personally, I find one fact especially fascinating. Over the course of
more than 1,500 face-to-face interviews with CEOs and other leaders, with not a single
question containing the term "Smarter Planet" -and yet the conversations yielded primary
findings that speak directly to exactly what IBM has been saying about the challenges and
opportunities of this fundamental shift in the way the world works.
Questions:
1. How does the complexity identified by the CEOs in this study affect you?
2. How do these global complexities affect HRM?
3. What do enterprises need to do to develop the competencies to cope effectively with
the increasing level of global complexity?
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