INTERLOCKING PARTS
Abstract
Global organizations view the development of global executives as a strategic business concern and priority. Research and experience has shown that every organization has specific needs across business processes and cultural considerations. Selection, training, experiential procedures and environmental factors (internally and externally) impact the choice of leaders for global positions. Global environmental demands are uniquely influenced by cultural diversities and some have commonalities while others have organizational specific needs. Wills & Barham (1994) developed a model that included three areas that interlock together in organizations. His model shows thinking, feeling and being willing for a global leadership position, as interconnected yet seperational, one that is simple to grasp yet deeply intricate to sustain the myriad of possible areas present now or for future global kaleidoscopes.
Keywords: global leadership, cognitive complexity, emotional energy, intellectual maturity.
Interlocking Parts
The model in Kirkbride &Ward (2001) exhibits three major components: cognitive complexity (thinking), emotional energy (feeling), and psychological maturity (willing). One of the main reasons for such models is to produce leaders that are highly proficient in the global business environment. Training is an important part of this process combined with human resources and cultural environments. The focus of this model was designed to give an organization a sustainable competitive edge (Wills & Barham, 1994).
Today’s global leaders are needed to be proficient in various areas simultaneously. Behavioral proficiency continues to be necessary and has been defined by a Harvard professor as characteristics that are deeply ingrained, either by natural means or the transcending of learning from doing into being (Sloman, 1999) this results in effective to superior performance. Beyond observable characteristics was something that could not always be measured or classified but was more of an observation than scientific fact. This model depicts an organization as a living organism (Wills, 2000) evolving, growing, and always dynamic.
Wide spread use and popularity of this model has provided global organizations with more appropriate characteristics that align recruitment and training needs for type-specific organizational leadership development. Global business is big business and this requires leaders who can acclimate to such a large scope of information coming at them fast and furious. Leaders with global experience are in a position to truly understand the machinations of global organizations and their internal and external cultural environments (Kirkbride & Ward, 2001) This model emphasizes the importance of strong communication skills in every organizations, but especially in global situations when time constraints require fast digestion of meaning in verbal and non verbal communications with a culturally specific appropriate response (Kirkbride & Ward, 2001). The means to get to this place is by traveling down the same roads and only experience and similar situations can be applicable. This requires each leader to achieve their own inner harmony and purpose that enables them to be comfortable with conflicting values, cultures, people, and requires deep levels of understanding of issues involving balance and harmony (McWhinney, 1992). These global leaders will need a strong awareness and understanding for ongoing home/work dilemmas and this empathy can create a strong cultural bond that can enable staff members to optimize performance.
Cognitive Complexity
Organizations are viewed in every way imaginable as Bolman & Deal (1997) and Morgan (1986) have suggested in prior research. Multiple perspectives are needed by leaders within organizations to accurately determine their position and purpose with a holistic view for global environments. Cognitive proficiency needs the movement from doing to being competencies that will assist global leaders to see multiple, multileveled dimensions in an elemental approach, yet also see the interwoven relationships between these same dimensions (Wills & Barham, 1993). Intellectual ability allows global leaders to recognize that what one sees is not necessarily what is really happening (Bolman & Deal, 1997). Emotions come in a variety of forms that can be underneath the surface or displayed out in the open. This is the very area that change processes can either make it or become bogged down for unknown reason. The fear of change, which can consist of: fear of the unknown, fear of failure, even fear of success. Fear is the number one reason organizational change fails (Kirkbride & Ward, 2001). The universality of emotions is non-existent across cultures and can easily be the source of internal damage as well as external environments that go cold suddenly. This opens up a perspective that recognizes the constancy of the what and the variability of the how (Wills, 2007). Cognitive ability is a new pair of glasses for identification of organizational phenomena to be seen as they really are: truly complex, changing and changing back again, vague then deceptive, shocking, and ambiguous (Bolman & Deal, 1997).
Emotional Energy
Emotional energy is the heart of a leader or organization, this is where the flow of new ideas, new excitement for projects takes place. Past models and leadership development program have been unevenly balanced with rational-objective models and deeply ingrained perspectives that ignored or negated emotional well being as a valid asset (Kirkbride & Ward, 2001). Physical energy is required with each of the three interlocking areas to maintain high performance levels, but energy that emanates from an emotional source requires a whole new way of being from leaders. Skill proficiencies do not serve well in this area. Leaders that are proficient in this area believe in their ability to make changes and to truly make a difference and this serves as an impetus for organizational rejuvenation (Tichy & Ricci, 1999). The ability to tap into one’s emotional energy source enables one to adapt and embrace new situations and changes quickly (Cremer, 2009).
Psychological Maturity
Psychological maturity does not always come with chronological years, but more with a soulful willingness to shift perspectives in time and space (Fernandez, 2003). This capacity in global development is vitally important to be able to quickly ascertain the decision-making procedures to switch from here and now to a viewing the big holistic picture (Wills, 2004). The essence of everything that global leaders possess within themselves on an individual personal level: purpose, vision, morals, values, core competencies, balance and harmony within oneself and family, work and universal happiness to be in perfect alignment with self and others (Kirkbride & Ward, 2001). The shift in the paradigm to the organizational global picture takes the elementals parts head, heart and soul and interlocks them in something much greater than the sum of its parts. The here and now melds perfectly into the there and then (Shahar, 2009).Global leaders that possess high intellectual maturation are able to reach a state of being unbiased in judging one’s own and other people’s ideas and beliefs (Shahar, 2009).
Mind, Body & Soul
Global markets demand global leaders with diverse skills in the areas of strategy, leadership, culturally diverse teams, politics, motivation, influencing, and politics. Communicative skills on an empathetic level, with sincere compassion and concern for self and others to attain self-actualized positions personally and professionally on a global platform has been given depth and character by the model presented in Kirkbride and Ward (2001). The wholeness and balance of the leaders, affects recruitment, training and placement of the right people, in the right organization, doing the right job is crucial for sustainable global organizations to compete with confidence they possess a valuable commodity that cannot be replicated (Kirkbride & Ward, 2001). This model showed core values as intricately a part of each and every person, as well as woven into the core organizational values and purpose. The effect when the balance and harmony is in perfect alignment is win-win for everyone. This model designed by Wills and Barham (1994) broke through an invisible barrier that had been holding organizations back from optimum growth and sense of purpose. This area has room for future studies to expand the intricately detailed areas brought out by this model and will surely continue to have a positive impact for people as well as organizations with head, heart, and soul (Wills, 2007).
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