MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE
Apple founder Steven Jobs cautioned managers about timidity. “Don't be trapped by dogma – living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” This sense of independence of thought and action has guided our exploration of what global managers need to know and do. We have argued here that in today's economy all managers are global managers, and most face similar challenges regardless of where or how they work. We have explored these challenges, examined similarities and dissimilarities across managerial work, and the suggested key skills required for managers to succeed. The challenge for managers, then, is to integrate these lessons into a unified approach to global management. This is a difficult, but nonetheless necessary, task for future success. We close with a summary of our discoveries, as well as several reflective thoughts on the future of management and what global managers might consider as they go forward into uncharted waters.
Futurists and their closely watched predictions abound in these changing times, and nowhere is this trend more prominent than with regard to future economic trends and the future of global business. Some experts predict that past competitors will become future partners, while other experts predict just the opposite. Some predict increased economic integration brought on by globalisation, while others predict increased economic fragmentation and turmoil, also brought on by globalisation.
Even the opinions of great philosophers of the past apparently disagree. The eleventh-century Persian mathematician, astronomer, and poet Omar Khayyám suggested that, in order to see the future, we must study the past. Learn from history; the past is prologue. At the same time, the fifth-century bce Hindu prince and founder of Buddhism, Siddhārtha Gautama, suggested that if we want to see the future we need to step forward. Keep your eye on the ball; the future belongs to those who search it out and are prepared to capitalise on it. Two philosophers and two different opinions – again. Once more, our challenge is to learn from such contradictions, past and present.
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