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What is Global Leadership?

Last Updated March 25, 2020

Overhead view of a group of people with their hands in the circle on top of each other as a representation of teamwork and globalization of HR leadership.

As organizations continue to expand their reach around the world, human resource professionals must learn to lead people in a diverse set of work cultures. It’s become the norm, not the exception.

For those pursuing a career in human resources, global leadership has become a critical component in their education.

For HR managers, there is another essential element in addition to understanding global leadership. They must also understand how to recruit, retain, train, develop and compensate employees within a globalized marketplace.

Villanova University’s HR graduate certificate program offers globally-focused courses such as Strategic and Global HR Leadership and Diversity in a Global Economy.

These courses are designed to help leaders address the complexities of doing business worldwide, as well as methods to develop a global mindset.

Fundamentals of Global Leadership

The term globalization describes how different countries and organizations within those countries operate in a global marketplace. Political borders do not hinder the growth of business. Individual companies conduct business across borders, wherever their business is welcome, and when they see an advantage to entering the marketplace.

In today’s world, HR leaders need to develop a specific group of skills to handle the international nature of business.

Some of the issues that HR professionals may face include:

  • Diverse cultures
  • Labor markets in emerging economies
  • Talent shortages in global markets
  • Handling a 24/7 global operation
  • Leveraging technology to maximize the use of talent worldwide

To manage this, HR professionals need expertise in managing a workforce from different countries, understanding the laws and regulations of different countries (including tax and labor laws) and understanding the nuances of distinct cultures.

The Growth of Globalization

The trend toward globalization has continued for decades. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) released an in-depth study on success for HR managers in a global market which included information from separate studies of 1,500 CEOs and more than 15,000 HR professionals.

The SHRM study found that concerns about leadership are pervasive among organizations around the world. This is particularly true when global leadership is considered.

The report lists many needed competencies for global leadership. They include:

  • Tolerance for ambiguity
  • Behavioral flexibility
  • Goal orientation
  • Sociability
  • Empathy
  • Nonjudgmentalness
  • Meta-communication skills

These skills are in addition to the usual skills associated with leadership, such as being strategic and future-focused.

Interested in advancing your career potential? Villanova’s Master’s in HR Development may help.

Cultivating a Global Mindset

Open-mindedness to other cultures and an ability to integrate workers from diverse backgrounds into a goal-oriented team are vitally important for those who wish to be global leaders.

The SHRM report focused on three major areas that improve global leadership abilities: developing a global network, driving performance and building team effectiveness. Each can lead to the development of the global competencies needed for success.

The importance of adapting a global mindset is also clear. Globalization ranked in the Top 10 of the most pressing issues facing human resources, according to a survey from SHRM. This makes global competency critically important now for HR and business leaders.

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