But if you only have global skills, you are not sensitive to local differences. Combining the two apparently contradictory things is what makes a global company. Most corporations understand the dilemma, Christopoulou says, but don't know how to train employees to be global leaders. At Colgate, we have already processed these issues. We have seen there is no certain recipe that is successful everywhere.
Business strategies are specific to context and culture.
You cannot just implement an idea the same way around the world. Global and international leaders, Eiter notes, need different skills. The international manager only had to know the headquarters' culture and the subsidiary's economic environment. But it's a struggle to make it happen. Jeff Morgan, manager of marketing excellence at Ford Motor Company, is confident of the value his employees receive.