Suchergebnisse

AbstractThere are those who join our earthly pilgrimage. James Grier Miller and Jessie Louise Miller were such people. As a close colleague and friend during their last 20 years, I focus here on just two aspects of their gifts to us—namely, as role models and innovators. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

For the European Union to continue to succeed leaders in all 25 member countries have to devote more attention to the factors of culture and business. However, the key to successful business enterprise across Europe is not only understanding the impact of culture on human behavior and organizations, but for managers and other professionals to develop skills in coping with multiculturalism and diversity within the EU populations.

This paper explains the concept of cultural synergy and provides a contrast of societies that could be characterized as having high or low synergy, as well as organizational culture that reflects high and low synergy. Within organizations, the research insights reported here center on behaviors and practices that contribute to synergy and success among teams, particularly in terms of international projects. The concluding section describes people who are truly "professionals" in their attitude toward their career and work, and how they can mutually benefit from the practice of synergy. Real European leaders actively create a better future through synergistic efforts with fellow professionals. The knowledge work culture favors cooperation, alliances, and partnership, not excessive individualist actions and competition. This trend is evident, as well as necessary, in corporations and industries, in government and academic institutions, in non‐profit agencies and unions, in trade and professional associations of all types. In an information or knowledge society, collaboration in sharing ideas and insights is the key to survival, problem solving, and growth. But high synergy behavior must be cultivated in personnel, so we need to use research findings, such as those outlined in this paper, to facilitate teamwork and ensure professional synergy. In addition to fostering such learning in our formal education and training systems, we also should take advantage of the increasing capabilities offered to us for both personal and electronic networking. Contemporary global leaders, then, seek to be effective bridge builders between the cultural realities or worlds of both past and future. Cultivating a synergistic mind‐set accelerates this process.

In the twenty‐first century more European organizations will have to go global in scope and operations. Increasing globalization is forcing such a transformation of corporations, associations, and agencies. If business expects to be competitive in the global marketplace, their use of information technology is not only a force in this trend, but a powerful tool to achieve this goal. This article examines the impact of globalization on institutions, the challenges and issues in globalization, and how to transform an organization into a global enterprise. The latter occurs, the author suggests, when such change is well planned, so that a new work culture is created which embraces new technologies, such as in the fields of communications and information.