Introduction

Citation

Pereira, P. (2019), "Introduction", Journal of Management Development, Vol. 38 No. 9, pp. 697-698. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-10-2019-0424

The end of the second decade of the twenty-first century seems to increasingly resemble the beginning of the second decade of the last century. The ten decades in between seem to have changed the world in unfathomable ways. We live in a globally connected world based on the principles of international goods and services exchanges through trade across open and increasingly not so open borders.

Over the last few decades, this open world has “created” the increasingly global minded, Business educated technologically savvy and culturally aware, non-discriminating Manager, whose role is constantly evolving. If yesterday’s manager seems to have been necessarily aware and striving towards maximising profitability in a simpler world, today’s manager has to maneuver through a minefield of challengers, regulations ranging from hiring and HR policies to ethical principles regarding the environment and competitive regulations. The Author Anthony K. Tjan, in his 2017 HBR article says that to be successful, today’s new manager has to focus on five strategies: Establish a Leadership philosophy, focus on the day to day of management and leadership, establish clarity in one’s communication and priorities, set common values and standards, accept one’s vulnerability as a manager.

This journal compilation of articles seems to be the ideal mix in responding to these new managerial challenges. There are a wide range of Managerial issues that are addressed in articles from different parts of the globe.

The entry level manager and identification of acquiring “global skills” for the Russian enterprises and managers is identified in the article on education-job mismatch. This article focusses on the international graduate job market, especially identifying a “gap” in global operating skills’ of “graduates” from Russian educational institutions. The stakeholder theory used in this article and the usage of a qualitative analysis using focus groups, interviews and an interactive seminar seem to have led to a practical result, for, the authors claim that a pilot programme is currently being designed to increase graduate employability in international organisations.

Another human resource focus paper in this publication is the one by Hamiot, which focusses on “Career Lengthening” in the French workplace. This paper, written as a result of interviews of mid and high level managers over the age of 45 is primarily focussed on the Media agencies, which are currently going through a challenging phase. It also identifies the challenges faced by aging managers who have to adapt to a changing workplace by learning new skills and being able to function across various departments in the Media sector. The research done by Hamiot was based on Grounded theory. Hamiot, whose work focusses on inductive reasoning, has collected data in iterative phases starting April to September 2013 with subsequent research done in 2013 and 2014. The work done seems to have been re-reviewed and the codes were grouped into concepts, to finally, reach a conclusion. Hamiot recommends the implementation of a Human resources strategy inspired by research on agile organisations.

Vandangeon-Derumez, Djedidi and Szendy-El Kurdy have focussed on Change Management issues in a world that has organisations that are increasingly globalised. The authors identify technological transformations in organisations due to digital technologies and using “Big Data” based decision-making tools. They state that technology usage and other external factors could lead to “uncertainty about the future” because of the nature of organisational change.

“Change” and “change management” are indeed challenges that an organisation faces at every step. Ed Foreman, the US Representative and famed motivational speaker says “If you always do what you have done, you will always get what you have always got”. Well, that may be a challenge for dynamic organisations in a changing world. Vandangeon-Derumez, Djedidi and Szendy-El Kurdy discuss about new challenges involved in change management. They cite pertinent authors on Change Management, including Lewin (1947), Van de Ven and Poole (1995). The authors also consider the pace of change and its importance in a dynamic and uncertain environment. They indicate that the standard tools for change management as designed by the top management in an organisation seems to be “dated” and alternative approaches that deal with appropriate methodologies and a preparedness for change are required. Interestingly, resistance to change, the paper says, should not always be perceived negatively, but it can have a constructive effect (citing Maurer, 2010), if the arguments are clearly known. The researchers argue that Experiential Learning Theory (ELT), initially based on the work of Rogers (1969), is an in-depth learning process that can impact behaviours and attitudes of individuals and contribute to the learning process. The findings, through three situations of experiential learning, seem to suggest that experiential learning can help managers face “change” and situations leading to change better. This process can also help organisations be better prepared in implementing processes of change.

It is important for social scientists to look at the impact of culture’s role in business organisations. It is common to refer to culture in terms of “organisational culture” which impacts behaviour patterns within a certain field. For example, Silicon valley startups and established companies alike offer attractive workplaces to young IT graduates (often Millennials) that include interestingly designed workplaces that include places to play indoor games, exchange ideas and socialise. This culture may not be common in most manufacturing industry sites with older workers. However, the global manager needs to also look at “national cultures” and their impact on employees.

B. Vindry, has worked on comparing the influence of National culture on negotiation. By choosing to work on cultural differences between India and France, the author seems to have focussed on objectives of identifying values that are important for each culture while negotiating. Classical theoretical bases from research done by Hofstede and Trompenaars has been used in this paper. The findings by Vindry seem to be focussed on bringing about a “blueprint solution” for the French Manager dealing with his counterparts from India. Indeed, notions of differences in the appreciation of time and speeds of negotiation are highlighted in this paper. The importance of relationship building (for the French Manager) not only with the negotiator, but also with the company’s senior executives has been highlighted. Indeed, this seems to be a paper focussed on a very practical approach towards negotiation for aspiring managers from two national cultures.

It is a certainty that the papers published herein will contribute largely to furthering knowledge. The international and cultural differences that are mentioned are the very essence of what makes the young managers of today prepare for a global workplace with the essential skills sets in management, negotiation and adaptation to change as one can read through the different publications herein.