Practitioner's Forum
Judith S. Blanton
RHR International
For this edition of Practitioner Forum, I want to focus on the growing international practices of our members. Our clients are becoming more global, and in order to serve them, I-O psychologists also have to become more global in viewpoint and practice. The Leading Edge Consortium’s topic for October 2009 was Selection and Assessment in a Global Setting, underlining the work that I-O psychologists are doing in this area. Sandra (Sandy) Shullman, William (Bill) Mobley, and John Fulkerson are just three of the growing number of SIOP practitioners who work in this challenging setting. They spoke to me about emerging needs in global companies, skills they believed were critical for success in this arena, and implications for the training of I-O psychologists who want to work globally.
Emerging Needs/Issues Faced by Global Organizations
All three practitioners described the lack of mid- and upper-level talent available as countries move toward a market economy. Bill described how the need for talent has increased because cost cutting has encouraged companies to recall their Western expats and promote local leaders before they are fully prepared. High-potential employees who have been excellent as “doers” are now being asked to become “developers” of their own teams as well as developers of clients and new business. Sandy noted that many young Chinese managers have great (often unrealistic) expectations about their careers and “don’t know what they don’t know.” The need for coaching and accelerated development in the international community is a growing opportunity for I-O psychologists. When expats are used, they too often derail. Lack of understanding of the local culture can severely hamper success. Here again, I-O psychologists can help select, develop, and provide experiences to help the expats succeed.
Innovation and creativity is increasingly on the agenda internationally. Bill reported that these qualities are often a challenge in developing economies where the emphasis in education has been on rote memory and hierarchy with little development of creative thinking. I-O psychologists can help such employees who expect to be “told” and are accustomed to hierarchical systems to develop “out of the box” thinking and to value “give and take.”
Measurement and testing in the international arena is often poor. Too often tests are home grown with insufficient attention to validation. Even instruments that were well validated in the English speaking world are often poorly translated, and simply “translating” the tool into another language does not guarantee that the instrument is valid for the new setting. This was a major theme in the Leading Edge Consortium in October 2009. (Check out the DVD that contains the presentations, available from the SIOP office.) Improving international assessment and testing is both a challenge and an opportunity for I-O psychologists.
Mergers and acquisitions are increasing evident globally and more often occurring across national borders. Bill described a merger (and subsequent restructuring project) with a global pharmaceutical corporation that affected a very diverse group of employees based in seven Asian countries and Australia. Although ambiguity and stress is typical of all M&As, the impact in China was exacerbated because of the importance of relationships in Chinese culture. Feelings of betrayal and loss of trust were particularly prevalent with a population that had little experience with a market economy, few job search skills, or ways to cope with this level of ambiguity. The ambiguity, in such cases, became debilitating to many employees, so Bill and his colleagues worked to assist these managers and executives deal with the stress and move to a problem-solving stance. Sandy reported that M&As are increasingly being initiated by non-Western companies. She spoke about the need for North American companies to adapt to ownership from abroad and to their acquirers’ (often very different) version of a market-driven economy.
Improving local compliance with corporate organizational policies is a challenge when managing a global company. In cultures where it is expected that you hire your relatives, policies regarding nepotism are often ignored. Similarly, where “incentives” (what Westerners may call “bribes”) are often used to obtain business or where intellectual property rights are ignored, merely issuing edicts forbidding such behavior is rarely effective. I-O psychologists can have a role in integrating the value structures of an organization across cultures that have different traditions.
Sandy described her personal challenge of dealing with others who have very different ideas about what is “right or fair,” how to do business, or how women should be treated. At the same time, she described how she was struck by the idealism of some of her clients and a strong sense of mission on behalf of their country. For example, she talked about South African executives whose goals went far beyond traditional Western “business” goals and involved a deep commitment to finding ways to reduce poverty and disease.
John discussed how important it is to keep abreast of local standard practices. Labor laws in Western Europe can be very strict and must be considered in offering solutions. In China, because many jobs were obtained and maintained through political or family connections, he found that it was difficult to institute changes in work rules. Breaks and naps, for example, would create issues with meeting production needs and were not regulated.
In countries confronting major upheavals in traditional values and family structures, Bill reported that managers and executives are now asking questions about what is important in their lives. Many have done very well economically but are now asking “Is that all there is?” Their search for values is manifest in the surge in religious affiliations in some areas. He suggests there may be a place for I-O psychologists to help these leaders clarify their values and cope with the wide number of choices they now have in their lives.
Skills and Attitudes Necessary for Success in Working Internationally
John Fulkerson made the point that although leading and managing practices may be called the same thing (e.g., giving direction), different cultures may have different mindsets about the operational or behavioral definition of that practice. A consultant must understand how the culture in which you are working views the world and what the operating mindsets are there. If you miss these, says John, you will offer wonderful, state-of-the-art solutions that have little or no chance of being put into practice.
Skills and Attitudes Needed
All three of the consultants interviewed pointed out specific attitudes and skills that they believed contribute to success when working internationally. Because our space is limited, I am able to present only a few of the important points they made.
Being able to speak the language of the country where you work is a well- documented advantage. But even when consulting with clients who speak excellent English, Sandy points out that they are not working in their mother tongue, and consultants need to be alert to subtle miscommunications and misunderstandings. Listening is a key skill with any set of clients but becomes even more critical when working across linguistic and cultural boundaries.
The meaning of a concept can also vary. John Fulkerson’s practice often focuses on the development of leaders. When working internationally, the definition of what specifically constitutes “leadership” varies with the culture. The global companies he works with generally develop a consistent model of “leadership,” but it may be differentially applied. For example, “drive for results” may be a core competency across the entire company, but it may manifest differently in different countries. “Drive for results” may be a long-term or a short-term description. John pushes his clients to consider concepts in terms of specific behaviors. What does it look like in terms of behavior? How does a local culture define “drive for results?” What does it look like here? Getting to the behavioral definition is likely to require much more dialogue in international settings.
Bill mentioned that few I-O programs emphasize the necessity of strong facilitation skills but noted that such skills are critical when working internationally. For example, he had a recent project involving vocal, active Australian and Indian leaders who were teamed with Chinese and Japanese leaders who were much more reluctant to speak up and more concerned with saving face. In order to improve team communication, Bill and his colleagues had to draw more heavily on facilitation skills than traditional I-O techniques.
There is not a clear consensus regarding how easily facilitation skills can be “taught.” Sandy suggests that they must be learned through trial and error and require a stance of openness to new learning and willingness to restructure your agenda if it is not working.
I-O psychologists are trained to be “experts,” but when working in other cultures, the challenge is to help the clients solve problems in their way, not to merely apply a North American solution. Sandy emphasized that this is not a small issue. The goal is that learning “takes place in the room,” not that the consultant be the “fount of learning” through his or her expert role. As a field, she pointed out, we strive for a relatively high level of structure and clarity. We must deal with cultures that may not want or even need as much structure in order to operate. Sandy mused about the anxiety of not being in charge. She described the temptation to jump in quickly in order to reduce uncertainty and reduce your own anxiety about the lack of clarity. It is tempting to impose a (well-intended) solution rather than take the time and handle the ambiguity necessary to come to a solution that may be a better fit. We may need to become more comfortable with longer term, more ambiguous, continually evolving situations rather than trying to impose a short-term, even elegant, solution.
John echoed these sentiments and stressed the ability to compromise. He has found it is ineffective to have a rigid conception of how to get something done and has been more effective when he “iterates” to a solution. We may be trained to provide a solution with lots of “bells and whistles” and best practices; however, in many situations, the international consultant must begin modestly. For example, although John knows very well how to put together a world-class talent management system, in his initial work with a company in the developing world he simply got the CEO to agree to the value of assessing talent. Even this was a major step. Although the initial system was unsophisticated, as it gained acceptance he was able to build on it for the next iteration. In Year 2 he was able to begin to identify high-potential employees with more depth and by Year 3 he was able to get the organization to identify specific leadership skills. John pointed out the need to be pragmatic and to understand “how far up the curve you can take them” at any point in time. Patience is a key virtue here.
All the international consultants talked about the need for ongoing learning and openness. The best international consultants are those who are open to learning from their clients rather than just playing the role of “expert.” Sandy talked about the need to learn “on the fly.” There is increasing interest in finding executives who have “learning agility,” and this also seems to be a valuable skill for consultants who need to adapt their approach to local situations.
Self-awareness is not typically listed as a criterion for consulting success, but the consultants who were interviewed believed in its importance. If you are unaware of your own strengths and weaknesses or your own biases, this can severely inhibit your learning and ability to work effectively with others.
It can be dangerous to “assume” things. John stressed the importance of testing assumptions and the willingness and ability to ask questions. “Help me understand” is a useful request. He reported an example where he was offered a cold drink but because he was not thirsty, he graciously declined. A local colleague explained that the man who offered the drink was proffering a gift, not just a beverage. The offer and the refusal had very different meanings for the one who offered the cold drink than it did for John.
Sandy stressed the importance of humility and “trying.” For example, when she was called on to work with a French-Canadian group, she made a concerted effort to find cartoons that were culturally relevant, to have her slides translated so that they were bilingual, and to get special tutoring to upgrade her high school French. Although her presentation was mainly in English, participants appreciated that she “tried” some French. She felt that acknowledging her linguistic and cultural limits, and her sincere respect for the French-Canadian culture, were major contributors to the success of the assignment. Although this was not international in the classic sense, in a project with the Navajo nation, Sandy made an effort to search for research norms of Native American tribes. She was not able to find Navajo norms on the instrument she used; however, the fact that she had made the attempt and had been able to find norms of other tribes invigorated the discussion and built trust. Sandy also believes strongly in the value of self-effacing humor in consulting, particularly when working internationally.
John emphasizes the importance of showing respect for the local culture. He suggests looking for things that local managers do particularly well, better than North Americans do. The technique of positive inquiry can be very useful.
The ability to work as part of a team is also critical to working in international settings. There is often the need to partner with a local person. Consultants who succeed learn how to use local people to fill in areas where they lack knowledge and point out things that they are missing.
Implications for Training I-O Psychologists
All three practitioners pointed out that most MBA programs now involve an international experience. They suggested that I-O programs should consider international internships or other kinds of extended intercultural experiences for their students. Exchanges with international I-O programs and cross-cultural research and increased funding for international research and projects should be encouraged.
Sandy pointed out that The Center for Creative Leadership found that the most developmental experience for senior leaders was an international assignment in a non-English speaking country. She believes that this might also be the case for consultants who want to work globally. The point is that it must be a genuine immersion that seriously challenges one’s existing world view and forces one to dig deep and solve problems in situations of uncertainty and ambiguity.
John mentioned the value in becoming grounded in another culture and understanding the importance of culture. He recommends the work of Fons Tromenaars to understand the dimensions of culture. Bill reported that he has found the work of fellow SIOP member, Morgan McCall as well as that of Robert House et al. (GLOBE Project) very useful.
Bill urged international practitioners to maintain their North American contacts while abroad for an extended period. He warned that one danger of becoming enamored and involved with the new international setting is to neglect their old networks. Another challenge is to maintain your professional standards. Although some compromises may be necessary, the international practitioner must not just accept poor instrumentation or go along with ethical practices that would be unthinkable at home.
Bill also reported that issues of licensure and regulation of practice have moved beyond North America. Europe, Asia, and Australia are beginning to discuss the regulation of professions including psychology. An international congress on this topic will be held in July 2010 in Sydney, Australia.
These experienced international consultants challenged those training I-O psychologists to give greater attention to such skills as the ability to work with (and as part of) a virtual team; how to lead and influence across time, distance, and culture; and facilitation skills with diverse groups. Further, those in charge of training programs may want to help those who wish to go into international consulting understand their own strengths and weaknesses in terms of the personal qualities important to working in this area.