The late Rene Dubos was a radical optimist. The Pulitzer Prize-winning environmental philosopher believed that with our capacity for thought, humans could understand the consequences of our actions and change our behavior accordingly. Dubos was also a great sloganeer, summing it all up in just four words: “Think Globally, Act Locally.”
In 1972, when Dubos made his contribution to the bumper-sticker canon, many of the largest cities in the United States were smoldering cauldrons of smog. This influential statement has defined a popular activist strategy that politically connects our local community with those in other countries.
But what does this idea really mean? How does the challenge to think globally and act locally play out in our everyday lives?
We are fortunate in our great city of Carlsbad to have many citizens, public servants, organizations and companies who behave every day as though they understand what it means to “think globally and act locally.” Many of my friends and neighbors host visitors from other countries, they learn other languages, immerse themselves in literature and media from or about other cultures, and are frequent travelers. At the same time they are beginning to think about the impact that their lifestyles might have on others in their community, their country and the world at large.
Unlike many of those in the greatest generation, who could get by without paying heed to global issues, the generations to follow are already without choice, in order to compete in the marketplace they will need to become global citizens.
Just last month, my wife, Konny, and I were in the Czech Republic visiting our daughter, Brittany, who had spent the last six months studying in Prague. While we were in the Czech Republic, I had the honor of representing the City of Carlsbad in festivities in our sister city of Karlovy Vary. During my travels, I met several other Sister City representatives from other European countries who were interested in discussing their connections to the United States and, more specifically, to Southern California.
The Wall Street Journal recently featured a good article on companies hiring locally as they expand globally. Although the article focuses on China, I suspect that it would apply to many emerging markets these days.
Says the article:
“According to Taihe Consulting Co., of Beijing, about 70% of foreign firms' top positions today are filled by Chinese workers. In the mid-1990s, almost all such posts were filled by non-locals.
In recent years, more Chinese have studied or worked overseas, strengthening their English-language and leadership skills and making them more suitable for management positions, executives at multinationals say. 'My first choice will always be local,' says Niklas Lindholm, human resources director for Nokia Corp.'s Chinese investment unit in Beijing. 'We are an international company and we need the variety.'
And it's not as if there are hundreds of thousands Americans learning Chinese for the opportunity to work abroad.
In China, more than 200 million students study English. In the United States, just 24,000 American kids are studying Chinese.”
For the businesses of Carlsbad, there are lots of new things that a company must do to remain competitive in the global environment. People in all parts of a company must be encouraged to become more proactive, more globally oriented. Global customers must be met at their home locale, to find out specific local requirements. And the company must respond by adapting products to meet those local requirements. Because of the challenges and opportunities of the global marketplace, new ways must be found to shorten development cycles and reduce production time frames. Specific incentives must be developed for people who can generate local results to keep the company competitive. Products and systems must be developed faster, cheaper and better, utilizing superior tools, development infrastructure, alliance partnerships and vendor relationships.
Remember the adage, “Think outside the box?” Well, in a global environment, the “box” extends far beyond local perimeters. All employees must be encouraged to broaden their horizons, not blaming the company for reducing costs by eliminating jobs, but rather becoming part of the overall decision-making process. Offshore capabilities must be considered as resources that can help the company to become stronger.
Broaden your vision, yet narrow your focus. In a global environment, think globally and act locally.
In 1972, when Dubos made his contribution to the bumper-sticker canon, many of the largest cities in the United States were smoldering cauldrons of smog. This influential statement has defined a popular activist strategy that politically connects our local community with those in other countries.
But what does this idea really mean? How does the challenge to think globally and act locally play out in our everyday lives?
We are fortunate in our great city of Carlsbad to have many citizens, public servants, organizations and companies who behave every day as though they understand what it means to “think globally and act locally.” Many of my friends and neighbors host visitors from other countries, they learn other languages, immerse themselves in literature and media from or about other cultures, and are frequent travelers. At the same time they are beginning to think about the impact that their lifestyles might have on others in their community, their country and the world at large.
Unlike many of those in the greatest generation, who could get by without paying heed to global issues, the generations to follow are already without choice, in order to compete in the marketplace they will need to become global citizens.
Just last month, my wife, Konny, and I were in the Czech Republic visiting our daughter, Brittany, who had spent the last six months studying in Prague. While we were in the Czech Republic, I had the honor of representing the City of Carlsbad in festivities in our sister city of Karlovy Vary. During my travels, I met several other Sister City representatives from other European countries who were interested in discussing their connections to the United States and, more specifically, to Southern California.
The Wall Street Journal recently featured a good article on companies hiring locally as they expand globally. Although the article focuses on China, I suspect that it would apply to many emerging markets these days.
Says the article:
“According to Taihe Consulting Co., of Beijing, about 70% of foreign firms' top positions today are filled by Chinese workers. In the mid-1990s, almost all such posts were filled by non-locals.
In recent years, more Chinese have studied or worked overseas, strengthening their English-language and leadership skills and making them more suitable for management positions, executives at multinationals say. 'My first choice will always be local,' says Niklas Lindholm, human resources director for Nokia Corp.'s Chinese investment unit in Beijing. 'We are an international company and we need the variety.'
And it's not as if there are hundreds of thousands Americans learning Chinese for the opportunity to work abroad.
In China, more than 200 million students study English. In the United States, just 24,000 American kids are studying Chinese.”
For the businesses of Carlsbad, there are lots of new things that a company must do to remain competitive in the global environment. People in all parts of a company must be encouraged to become more proactive, more globally oriented. Global customers must be met at their home locale, to find out specific local requirements. And the company must respond by adapting products to meet those local requirements. Because of the challenges and opportunities of the global marketplace, new ways must be found to shorten development cycles and reduce production time frames. Specific incentives must be developed for people who can generate local results to keep the company competitive. Products and systems must be developed faster, cheaper and better, utilizing superior tools, development infrastructure, alliance partnerships and vendor relationships.
Remember the adage, “Think outside the box?” Well, in a global environment, the “box” extends far beyond local perimeters. All employees must be encouraged to broaden their horizons, not blaming the company for reducing costs by eliminating jobs, but rather becoming part of the overall decision-making process. Offshore capabilities must be considered as resources that can help the company to become stronger.
Broaden your vision, yet narrow your focus. In a global environment, think globally and act locally.