Managing Global Teams Presentation at the SHRM Conference
My five days in Atlanta, attending this year’s SHRM’s annual conference on managing global teams, was a true global experience. I am sure that the 15,000+ participants would agree. My sessions on Managing a Virtual Workforce – Bringing Reality to Your Virtual Teams ran Saturday and Sunday, and I also had the opportunity to discuss managing global teams with colleagues throughout the conference.
Although it was great to speak about a topic I am passionate about, I enjoyed hearing presentations by some outstanding speakers. Each one focused on the importance of nurturing that human connection that I believe is the core of organizational success. Here are some highlights on managing global teams.
Condolezza Rice kicked off the conference with some inspirational comments about her commitment to America’s education system, and discussed the inspiring change and challenges afoot globally for women and ways the global community must continue to unite behind the cause of women’s empowerment
Author Malcolm Gladwell is a truly original speaker and had a great deal to say about how the millennial generation differs from previous generations. In his view, we are moving from hierarchy to network, and he believes organizations should embrace both models, as Apple does. Networks are open, and flexible, Gladwell said, and can start revolutions – but it takes hierarchies to finish them. Therefore, millennials need to be reminded of the importance of both models.
Scott Milligan, from the Disney organization, shared his company’s recruitment techniques, which are inseparable from its corporate culture. He noted the importance of quality standards, and he shared four key strategies for employee selection: communicate your culture; state non-negotiables up front; treat applicants as guests and hire attitude vs aptitude. An interesting point Milligan made is that Disney is an employee-focused organization first – the customer (or guest as Disney refers to its audience) is second.
Dreamworks Animations presenter, Dan Satterthwaite, shared the company’s belief that creativity requires trust, because creating original and unique products is a risky venture. I am sure that many organizations with more conventional products or services could take that lesson to heart and embed risk-taking into their own culture.
Patrick Lencioni’s session, Healthy Organizations Win: How to Harness Your Organization’s Full Potential, was about the untapped power of organizational health in sustaining competitive advantage. He shared practical suggestions on how to be the catalyst of organizational health in your own organization.
Jim Collins, author of Good to Great and Great by Choice, reminded all of us that “It’s all about people”. According to Collins, ‘Level 5’ (great leadership) is about humility and great leaders always pick people better than themselves, and “ask people what they think rather than tell people what they should know.” Collins said leaders should spend 10 hours each week in quality conversations, which tells us how important Collins thinks relationships are! I am convinced he is on to something, especially in a complex, highly competitive business environment where one person can’t achieve results alone.
Legendary Newsman, NBC News and New York Times Best-Selling Author Tom Brokaw closed the SHRM Conference with a look at the past, present and future of managing global teams. His personal style and meaningful connections left everyone engaged and inspired as we move forward in 2012.
What a wonderful experience it was. I met many amazing people and best of all I was able to share ideas on managing global teams with other professionals, consultants and authors about the themes and ideas that will carry our profession forward.
Check out our conference photos:
