Research Highlights Approaches For Developing Global Leaders

New York — June 29

Despite the unprecedented scale and intensity of the globalization of organizations, few are well prepared for the talent demands required to successfully lead the business objectives behind globalization strategies. According to new research from Mercer, a consulting, outsourcing and investment services company, titled "New Insights on Global Leadership Development," organizations need to:

• Acknowledge that global leaders require different skills and capabilities.
• Develop global leaders earlier in their careers and in different ways.
• Approach global leadership with the same intensity as a global business model.

In collaboration with Jay Conger, professor of leadership studies at Claremont McKenna College, Mercer’s research explores global leadership issues, competencies and best practices by drawing from research, interviews and firsthand experience.

The report provides a global leadership capability framework — 12 competencies that define a global leader — to help organizations identify the skills, mindset and personal attributes that characterize those individuals who are more likely to succeed in global leadership roles. It describes how to cultivate these competencies and at what point in employees’ career they can and should be developed to be a successful leader between countries and cultures.

“Global leadership in many organizations today is often a capstone assignment to a long and distinguished ‘domestic career,’” said Colleen O’Neill, Mercer’s global talent management leader for the Americas. “Our research shows that this approach is flawed. Global leadership is not always the next level of leadership – it’s far more effective to cultivate the capabilities necessary to be a successful leader earlier in an employee’s career.”

Mercer’s research examines the types of experiences and capabilities that are most helpful to developing global leaders, including expatriate assignments and mentoring. Additionally, it describes common organizational barriers, such as insufficient value placed on international assignments and modest repatriation programs which can hinder the development of global leadership talent.