Leadership development - networked, international, intercultural
For projects to run smoothly at an interdisciplinary level whilst taking cultural differences into account, it is becoming more and more necessary to have a shared understanding of how best to work together. It is important to know what makes another person 'tick' in the framework of global projects because how goals are set and how feedback is carried out can represent a cultural hurdle that managers need to clear. For HR work, this scenario means that leadership competence has to be developed both interculturally and at an international level and ensure that there is a good network of managers.
A shared leadership culture is essential for multinational business
With this in mind, three years ago one of our clients in logistics decided to take a closer look at their human resource development. The background to this was provided by the current organisational development activity and the goal of creating one global unit out of three regional organisations. There was an urgent need to strengthen and enhance leadership competence at a global level. What was needed was both a global leadership program to ensure the long-term development of top talents in the organisation at an international level and the removal of hurdles between intercultural teams. Experienced leaders from the APAC region, Europe, North and South America were approached, some of whom already had global responsibility or who had been chosen as potential candidates. Top management nominated the candidates – globally and regionally. Internally, the program is the responsibility of the HR Board member and his team. Both the Chairman of the Board and the regional boards are involved in the content of the program. Against this background, Movendo Consulting was asked to develop a General Leadership Training Program. The client wanted a programme with multi-layered interconnected objectives:
- To develop a shared understanding of leadership
- To enhance sensitivity to leadership responsibility – particularly in how it is distinct from management responsibility
- To establish a global network of top leaders
- To increase the visibility of talents to top management
We created added value by working closely together with the client – from the very beginning
Because of this complex scenario, we used the first phase of the program development to thoroughly explore the context of the project. It was ideal that we were able to fully discuss the assignment and possible outlines of solutions with various contact partners from the client’s side. We were therefore able to carry out a multiple-perspective analysis of client specifics where two dimensions played a special part:
- What exactly are the challenges facing our client’s leaders operating at a global level?
- What long-term attitudes and expectations do Board Members have on the subject of leadership?
The results of the assignment scoping showed that, above all, the special nature of the business – an extremely fast-moving project-based business taking place within the context of intercultural virtual teams – created challenges for leaders. Therefore, from a higher-level and long-term point of view, the program should help promote informal global cooperation. As a result, the program design was built on solid foundations that had a clear connection to the participants:
- Key questions of leadership in an international context
- Getting to know different theoretical approaches
- ‘Looking over the shoulder’ of colleagues
- Reflecting on day-to-day challenges
At Movendo, we use a systemic approach to design development programmes with a learning loop: Experience – Reflect – Deepen – Transfer
When we create a development design, it is important for us that we take into account the individual context of the participants – we want the training to actively include their everyday work and we want to integrate their personal experience of leadership topics and strategies for success. Each module has a central theme and focuses on the transfer of personal insights gained in training into the participant’s daily life. We use simulation to incorporate participants’ topical challenges in the training. It makes the topics come alive and serve as a reference for all the participants. We have found this experience to be both intensive and unsettling in a positive sense – something we believe to be a basic requirement for learning and development.
Movendo training interventions deliberately move away from normal training patterns to enable learning
Right from the start, we encourage participants to get to know one another and invest in the building of trust by means of explicit management of expectations, clarification of roles and many open questions. Our didactic focus is embedded in our training design in such a way that everyone quickly gets into interaction with each other. By using real cases and methods such as peer counselling and peer coaching, we can maintain the balance between the training context and the participants’ dynamic reality. The experience highlights the common ground and differences between the simulation and the participants’ individual reality. Reflection on this is further encouraged using practical models based on systems theory that we develop together with the participants. For this we use the traditional flip chart instead of prepared presentations. The language and examples from the participants can thus be integrated, creating an active learning atmosphere.
Individual transfer by the participants is crucial for the success of development
Involving the direct line manager during the preparation of the individual modules and the transfer phases is effective in the transfer of learning to daily working life. Line managers enable participants to put programme content into practice in their working environment. Each module entails participants setting concrete objectives and transfer commitments, the achievement of which is reflected on in the evaluation with their managers and then shared with other participants in the following module. As an aide-memoire during the transfer phase, all participant results produced during the modules are made available in the form of a photo documentation. Practical Movendo handouts help explain the theoretical models using examples of leadership challenges and help create a practical link to the participant’s own situation. Each module encompasses a fireside chat with top management. Board members and regional board members openly discuss training content and the current challenges of individual markets. The three modules of the training program take place in different venues - one module each in Europe, Asia and the USA. This intensifies team-building and creates short channels of communication by the creation of networks. Global contacts become easy and useable.
Ensuring sustainable transfer independent of time and place using myMovendo
Movendo’s own specially developed mobile learning platform myMovendo for transfer in the workplace provides ideal support for program participants across the world. This tool that has been optimized for mobile devices allows us to combine the content elements (preparatory tasks, photo documentation, handouts, reflections and objectives) with the process elements (coaching, peer counselling) in a form the participants then have at their fingertips both during the training and afterwards. A further benefit of this platform is that it supports the building of trust between participants when they are working in their peer coaching groups. Participant feedback on this tool covers many aspects. Participants use myMovendo both as a central storage point and as an active support in transfer by keeping a personal learning journal containing tasks and a record of exchange with colleagues.
The systemic structure of the programme makes it so effective and cutting edge in international talent management
The program has been running successfully for three years and internal client evaluation has shown that participants in this program develop more successfully than other leaders in the company in spite of several restructuring programs. The program has also acted as the springboard for international careers. Global projects are now mainly being managed by former participants of our training. And the success goes on. Regional and cross-generational follow-ups are being planned for the future to encourage networking between the age groups. Regional leadership development programs continue to be requested to create a shared understanding of leadership at all levels of the organisation. In the meantime, Movendo consultants are now working with the training in North America and Europe.
