Human resources professionals are torn between their preference for global policies and procedures and their loyalty to local colleagues.
A new survey by Global Integration which is being launched today at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) annual Learning, Training and Development conference makes the claim.
According to the survey findings the dilemma exists because while HR professionals work at a local level they are also required to deliver global projects.
Kevan Hall, Chairman of Global Integration said: “Pressures to globalise continue and this requires employers to make the transition from local to regional or global. It is tempting to create organisation wide structures and programmes to deal with this but in reality there are very different groups with different needs. The challenge is to be selective and focus on how to achieve the shared vision and values and to develop new ways of working rather than just repeating what worked in the past.”
Hall explains that different approaches are required to manage the different factions within the business:
“At the top level, some organisations need truly global employees who are prepared to move from country to country and help to create a genuinely global workforce. At the local level, we may prefer local loyalty and local solutions. In the matrixed middle are the people who have to manage the balance and trade-offs on a daily basis – these people need new skills and support. By adapting to these different needs, employers will speed up the pace of strategically important international projects and teams and increase motivation.”
Kevan Hall is speaking at CIPD’s annual Learning, Training and Development conference today on Building Leadership Capability for the Global Economy.
