How to Navigate Globalization Backlash

The latest issue of IESE Insight is packed with practical advice and wisdom, which comes as welcome relief as we are bombarded daily with sensational news, heightened threats, too-good-to-be-true promises and audacious predictions about what can, will and must happen in business or in the world in 2018. It’s time to stop, take a deep breath and let IESE experts inject some common sense into the debate on globalization.

Pankaj Ghemawat‘s clear-eyed examination of the facts about globalization is a must-read. Before even thinking about reworking your company’s international strategy, make sure you have an accurate picture of the state and trajectory of globalization.

Mike Rosenberg finds that management teams generally don’t pay sufficient attention to geopolitical threats. He suggests some actions to take to reduce your supply chain’s exposure to geopolitical shocks.

B. Sebastian Reiche recommends how to hire, promote, develop and nurture the kind of global leadership talent needed to thrive in the coming age. Brexit is only the latest excuse for mobility and talent management to be at the top of the CEO agenda.

Business is booming across borders, no matter what is being said out of Washington, D.C., these days. “Stay the course,” says Romaine Seguin, President of the Americas Region for UPS. As she tells Prof. Marta Elvira, Puig Chair of Global Leadership Development at IESE, in our interview, global trade is as healthy as it ever has been. “I don’t think anyone in the world can stop trade right now, because of technology.”

The Power of the Humble Leader

Romaine Seguin also shares essential lessons for leadership, which include leading by example, empathizing with others and being humble. Humility is an increasingly important trait to have in a leader, says Darden’s Edward D. Hess, especially in the Smart Machine Age. When managers can’t possibly know and do everything that a machine can, it will be our ability to listen and learn from others that will distinguish us.

High-flying executive turned author Dennis Heijn shares his own humble journey. In aspiring to be “a king” at work, he says you may sometimes find yourself more like “a monkey.” But at least be a fearless one! This IESE alumnus invites readers to reflect deeply on past formative experiences, getting in touch with who you are as a person and as a leader, your values and priorities, in order to check where you are on your own life journey. And once enlightened, consider how you interact with your surroundings and others you encounter on your path: that is the next, not-so-easy challenge. Well worth reading before you make your New Year’s resolutions!

Tech Trends to Anticipate

As we wind down another year and look toward the year ahead, IESE Insight shares IESE professors’ annual roundup of Megatrends, which are largely being driven by new technologies.

Sebastien Brion notes the greater use of data analytics to drive organizational decision-making, particularly in the area of HR. “But if HR managers hope to make genuine organizational change using data,” he writes, “they need to learn how to avoid the pitfalls that have plagued social science research.”

Meanwhile, Jorge Soley looks at how the much-touted blockchain technology could have a disruptive effect on traditional means of payment, and what impact this could have on the banking industry.

Each magazine features a real-life business case in which executives are invited to share what they would do in that situation. The current issue discusses a case by Thomas Klueter on using a crowd equity platform versus business angels and VCs to fund a new startup called Wave. The next case is on YouTube. Readers can post comments in the IESE Insight Case Forum. All cases can be purchased through IESE Publishing.

Members of the Alumni Association and subscribers to IESE Insight a quarterly research-based magazine, published in separate English and Spanish editions can read all these articles using their membership credentials.

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Read the latest IESE Insightmagazine here.