Globally Competent Research Articles

Expanding approaches to teaching for diversity and social justice in K-12 education: Fostering global citizenship across the content areas

Educators today must be able to respond to the needs of an increasingly diverse student body and to teach all students the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for civic participation in a globalized, pluralist society. While state departments of education and national teacher organizations have begun to adopt global awareness in their teaching standards and evaluation tools, educators need to understand what globally competent teachers actually do in classrooms across subject areas and grade levels. This qualitative, multiple case study explores the signature pedagogies (Shulman, 2005) of 10 in-service teachers in one southeastern state who teach for global competence in math, music, science, English, social studies, and language classes across elementary, middle, and high schools. We found three signature pedagogies that characterized globally competent teaching practices across participants: 1) intentional integration of global topics and multiple perspectives into and across the standard curriculum; 2) ongoing authentic engagement with global issues; and 3) connecting teachers’ global experiences, students’ global experiences, and the curriculum. These signature pedagogies provide visions of possibility for concrete practices teachers can adapt to infuse global citizenship education into their own contexts and for policies that school districts and teacher education programs can consider in preparing and supporting teachers in this work.

“You don’t have to travel the world”: accumulating experiences on the path toward globally competent teaching

As classrooms become increasingly diverse and students need more complex skills for collaboratively addressing transnational issues, we need a better understanding of the factors that contribute to globally competent teaching. Education research has highlighted the benefits of study abroad and overseas teaching, as well as local cross-cultural immersion, but these options are not always feasible. We sought to identify the various means by which teachers develop global competence. Through this qualitative case study of 10 global educators, we found that international travel, though present in some instances, was not always necessary. In fact, it was an accumulation of experiences that prompted teachers to incorporate global perspectives, lessons, and skill development throughout their careers. Thus, globally competent teaching may be better conceptualized as a path, rather than as an end goal.

From the Editors

Beginning with Volume 69, RT will be published six times a year! The change will allow for bimonthly distribution in July, September, November, January, March, and May. Overall page count for an annual subscription will remain the same; we are just packing more into fewer issues. With this frequency change, ILA and our publisher, Wiley-Blackwell, are reducing our carbon footprint with two fewer mailings each year. Also, the new bimonthly schedule provides more regular mailings—without the winter and summer breaks in delivery that are part of the current delivery schedule. We are excited to begin providing a summer issue for readers’ professional learning to support getting into the back-to-school mode! In discussing the contents in Issue 8, we realized that this final issue offers a thoughtful end to Volume 68. The pieces in this issue focus on difficult, important, and timely ideas. As you read through this issue, we think that, like us, you will find familiarity in articles offering techniques that can be readily applied in classrooms. However, for us, the articles also elicited discussions about literacy in a broader context, extending from the classroom to the world. We contemplated, for example, the meaning of college and career readiness and how teachers align their curricula to the CCSS while also preparing students for success in a global world. Shanahan's article provided the initial springboard for our discussion. He shares with readers many of the questions he has been asked about the CCSS and then offers thoughtful answers. In addressing a question about “gaps in the Standards,” he reminds us that “the Standards lay out the major goals that must be accomplished….states, school districts, and even individual teachers have to determine what it may take—what would have to be taught—to ensure students meet the Standards.” In juxtaposing this idea with the ideas of global understanding, critical literacy, and social justice raised in this issue, we considered the notion of global competence. Mansilla and Jackson (2011) explain that “global competence is the capacity and disposition to understand and act on issues of global significance” (p. xiii) and that students who are globally competent understand and successfully articulate their own worldviews while also recognizing and valuing the views of others. The importance of developing globally competent students is demonstrated in a variety of ways though the literacy practices described in this issue. For example, Martens and colleagues explore the value of using global literature to develop interculturalism. They describe an approach in which children develop their cultural identities, respect and value others’ thinking, and “take action for social change.” Similarly, Schrodt, Fain, and Hasty describe a project that integrates literacy, family, and culture with kindergarten students. The authors suggest, “As students begin to know and value their own cultures, they also begin to know and value the cultures of others.” In examining the process of meaning making of diverse texts, Leland, Ociepka, and Wackerly situate their work in a critical literacy model where literacy instruction “includes personal and cultural resources, critical social practices, and the critical stance one enacts in both the classroom and the world.” Wall and Palmer discuss an approach to literacy coaching that enacts the meaning of global competence. In valuing the perspective of others, they highlighted the importance of literacy coaches being “open to seeing another's ideas as potentially valid and well-intended. If the other person believes something to be true, why is that?… We have to be truly curious about the answer if we intend to dialogue honestly with them.” We hope that the concluding issue of Volume 68 begins important conversations about how we shape literacy instruction to promote the development of global competence with students.

Examining the General Global Competence of Students Enrolled in an International Dimension Course: An Attempt to Internationalize Undergraduate Education in a College of Agriculture

Many U.S. colleges and universities are concerned with how best to prepare students to become globally competent citizens. Therefore, the need existed to examine the general global competence of students enrolling in international dimension (ID) courses at Oklahoma State University. This investigation was a census study; the target population included all undergraduate students (N = 147) enrolled in three ID courses offered in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR) during the fall semester of the 2010–2011 academic year. General knowledge instruments were used to gather pretest and posttest data to measure differences. Although students’ post-course scores were higher than pre-course scores, their overall performance was below 60%. This difference in knowledge gain connoting general global competence was statistically significant (p < .05), but the corresponding effect size was small, which signaled little practical significance. Whether ID courses are an efficacious way of achieving substantial change in students’ general global competence remains an open question. A more appropriate method to assess change in general global competence may be writing assignments. Faculty are encouraged to improve their ID courses by infusing learning experiences that stand to enhance students’ general global competence while complementing content-specific objectives.

Global Engagement: Educating Globally Competent Citizens

Global engagement is a multi-faceted concept, and there are many components to educating globally competent citizens (Falk, Domagal-Goldman, & Hoerrner, 2014; Hartman, 2014). This second special issue of the eJournal of Public Affairs, along with the first special issue released in December 2014, reflects the breadth of activities related to internationalized engagement for fostering global competence among students, educators, and institutions. Indeed, colleges and universities, particularly those affiliated with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), are engaged in a range of such activities, drawing upon a wide variety of valuable resources.

Evaluating Global Education at a Regional University: A Focus Group Research on Faculty Perspectives

INTRODUCTIONIt is a widely held consensus among leaders in higher education institutions and policy decision makers that global education is a necessity for college students today (Hovland & Schneider, 2011; Haring-Smith, 2011; Reimer, 2009). With advancement of communication technology, expanding global trade, and intensified global conflicts and social change, it is imperative to prepare college students to become globally competent in an ever-complex global environment. According to Reimer (2009), global competency refers to the knowledge and skills that help people understand flat world in which they live, skills to integrate across disciplinary domains to comprehend global affairs and events, and intellect to create possibilities to address them...[it] also includes fostering an attitude that makes it possible to interact peacefully, respectfully, and productively with fellow human beings from diverse geographies (25). Skills and knowledge such as foreign languages and ability to understand and critically reflect on global issues are of essence in today's global education. This study reflects on question of whether or not college students today are effectively prepared to become globally competent citizens.This study assesses students' level of global competency in setting of a publicly funded, regional university. The three elements of global competency under discussion are (1) Global awareness: knowledge of global affairs and ability to discuss and reflect on issues in today's global context. (2) Global citizenship: understanding of responsible citizenship and action one takes to meet challenges in global community and (3) Global competitiveness and cooperation: professional knowledge and training to compete and work with other nationalities in global work force. The researchers invited college professors to assess and discuss level of global awareness and knowledge among college students, based on their experiences of teaching various disciplinary and general educations courses. Although a significant amount of literature on global education based their analysis on student body, mainly through use of surveys, we believe that college professors are in a unique position to evaluate level of global cultural awareness and knowledge among college students. Because of their regular classroom involvement and contact, faculty members have firsthand knowledge about their students. Additionally, faculty members possess broad perspectives on global issues and current affairs and have expertise in discipline specific knowledge. Therefore, they will be able to discuss expectations of global knowledge for undergraduate students in general and academic disciplines specifically. Faculty members can also identify and critically reflect on issues in academic curriculum and university resources; they can also provide directions and suggestions to enhance global cultural literacy education.We asked college professors, based on their years of experiences working with undergraduate students, to evaluate whether or not college graduates possess sufficient understanding and awareness of global issues to enable them to think critically of world they live in and to empower them to become active citizens in global society. Are college graduates equipped with sufficient knowledge and skills to compete and work with other internationals? If not, what factors contribute to lack of global awareness and knowledge among college students? The current paper will specifically explore cultural barriers that hinder global cultural acquisition. We focus on three aspects of barriers: cultural capital, media influence, and institutional culture.Cultural and Institutional Underpinnings of Global EducationThe acquisition of global awareness and knowledge is greatly affected by culture of higher education practices. American society's economic transformation during post WWI and WWII required professional training and expertise for trained employees and technicians, and institution of education needed to make adjustments and innovations to fulfill these needs (Frank and Meyer, 2007. …

Reaching Global Competence

In recent months, there has been heightened attention to global education on the part of government, education, and industry. These sectors of our society recognize that global education is not a question of need in U.S. schools; we are far beyond the point of urgency in preparation of students who are well equipped to live and thrive in our 21st-century global society. The question is: What are we going to do about it?While it is certainly heartening for world language pro- fessionals to witness the increased interest in changing the education experience for students in PK-16 so that all students in U.S. schools have the opportunity to become globally prepared citizens, this goal has long been a part of our belief system. We value global education and hold firm to the belief that languages are the core of global preparation; the study of languages makes global competence possible. Therefore, how can we ensure as a profession that our students have access to experiences that will enable them to reach global competence?Several collaborative projects and initiatives are underway that will have a significant impact on ACTFL's work to raise public awareness of the major role of PK-16 language study in the development of a globally competent citizenry.The Languages for All? conference held September 30, 2013, on the campus of the University of Maryland convened more than 150 educators, policy makers, researchers, and experts in national intelligence to discuss the question of how the United States can make languages a reality for all students in PK-16. Participants at this forum, organized by the University of Maryland Center for Advanced Study in partnership with ACTFL, responded to the white paper written by experts in our field that cites evidence of the increased demand for languages other than English in the past 10 years and the failure of schools to prepare students with these critical skills (Brecht et al., 2013).U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan raised similar concerns at the opening event of International Education Week on November 18, 2013, saying,Today, a nation's prosperity depends on its people's ability to thrive in the global marketplace. This is true for the U.S. and for our neighbors across the globe. What's more, in a nation as diverse as ours, the ability to interact comfortably and confidently with people of all backgrounds and points of view is critical. And that makes it more important than ever to provide all students with a well-rounded, world-class education-including opportunities to gain global competencies and world language skills; to understand other cultures; and to study abroad. (U.S. Department of Education, 2013, n.p, italics in original)Secretary Duncan's introductory remarks launched Mapping the Nation: Making the Case for Global Competency, an interactive map predicated on North Carolina's Center for International Understanding's work and produced by the Asia Society, the Longview Foundation, and SAS. This online resource shows the nation's global competitiveness based on data on economics, demographics, and education in each state and county (Asia Society; 2013; see http://mappingthenation. …

EXPLORING GLOBAL COMPETENCE OF AMERICAN AND MEXICAN MANAGERS WORKING IN A MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT

ABSTRACT Companies need managers who have the ability to deal with the complexity that comes from having a global business and transacting business activities all over the world. Thus, universities should prepare students with global competencies: (Knowledge-- understanding global business; Skills--ability to work with other cultures; Attitudes--openness and flexibility; and Experiences--interaction abroad). These competencies are essential for conducting business in a multicultural international environment. Educating globally competent students capable of thriving in the twenty-first century workforce is an undeniable thrust of international education. This research seeks to determine if American and Mexican managers conducting business in a multicultural environment in the Southwestern USA have global competence (knowledge, skills, attitudes and experiences) to be globally competitive. The results show that there is a very low level of these global competences among both Mexican and American entrepreneurs. Although the Mexican managers located in the USA have higher levels of global competences than American managers, both groups could benefit from additional international training. Consequently, American universities must implement strategies to improve international education in this area. Keywords Global Competence, Mexican & American Managers, Multicultural, Business Education

Letter from the Editorial Board

With the recent emphasis on equipping students with 21st century skills, the notion of global competence is receiving greater attention (e.g., Council of Chief State School Officers, 2010; Longview Foundation, 2008; Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2011). When speaking with teachers, however, we have observed that many are not sure what global competence means much less how to ensure their students are globally competent. Terms like global awareness, global competence, and global citizenship lack clear definitions and are often used interchangeably. In addition, some teachers have indicated that they have trouble figuring out just how to develop global competence in their students, or even evaluating their own knowledge and proficiency in this area. There seems to be much talk about the need for globally competent students but little articulation of how teachers are to facilitate this capacity (Zhao, 2010). At The High School Journal, we have noticed that the discourses around globalization, broadly speaking, tend to focus on economic competitiveness rather than social justice worldwide. One of the four stated aims of Race to the Top, for instance, is Adopting standards and assessments that prepare students to succeed in college and the workplace and to compete in the global economy (U.S. Department of Education, 2012). Competition is highlighted over the aim of fostering students' sense of responsibility to advance peace and equity within and across all nations. As teacher educators who believe the purpose of education is not only to prepare students for college and the workplace but also to nurture their capacity for an informed and participatory citizenship, we are concerned that schools may teach global competence as a means for students to compete with peers in China or India rather than develop affection, respect, care, curiosity, and concern for the well-being of a]l living beings (McIntosh, 2005, p. 385). Another, more immediate need for students to be globally competent is the increasing diversity of U.S. classrooms. As globalization allows the freer movement of people across boundaries, almost one-quarter of our students are now immigrants or children of immigrants (Haskins & Tienda, 2011). Part of the aim of education, then, should be to foster an appreciation of multicultural communities and to prepare students for our increasingly interdependent world. The first step, in our view, would be global awareness, or the understanding of how and why globalization is occurring and what these changes will mean for the future, as well as awareness of global world conditions and current events. For example, students should know that differences exist in norms and patterns of communication across cultures and that some are privileged over others. They should continual]y reflect on their own perspectives and biases and understand how these influence their perceptions of world events and cultures. Thus teachers need not only to maintain this awareness themselves but also have the ability to advance it in their students. As students develop global awareness, the next step toward global competence is a sense of global citizenship. Should we not ask students, who associate citizenship with the rights and responsibilities they have as residents of the U.S., to consider the rights of citizens of other nations and responsibilities that cross national boundaries? Ecological challenges are one example of how individuals and corporations are now expected to preserve the well-being of citizens of other nations, in this case through abiding by environmental regulations. Equally important for the next generation is an understanding of the influence U.S. policies have on other nations. For instance, students should not only understand the U.S.'s rationale behind military and humanitarian interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also the various interpretations of these actions, including those of Iraqis and Afghans as well as residents of other nations. …

Preparing the professoriate to prepare globally competent leaders

AbstractRapidly increasing globalization, the expanding use of technology, and intercultural competency have been discussed in the leadership literature for more than three decades. Simultaneously, the urgency to academically prepare globally competent organizational leaders has acclerated exponentially. Recommendations for global leadership competencies have been developed and undoubtedly have provided useful guidance in academic program and curricula development. In contrast, the preparedness of the leadership professoriate to prepare globally competent leaders has received little attention through research or discourse. The ongoing professional development of the leadership professoriate in terms of a global mindset and intercultural competencies are questioned and discussed. Recommendations are made for institutional and programmatic initiatives to increase the global learning and capital of faculty. Questions and recommendations are offered for personal and collective reflection and critical discourse on the need to expand and develop the international currency of faculty so that we can ensure the professoriate is prepared to educate students to be global leaders.

Developing global competencies in graduates

This perspective identifies the necessary attributes to enable graduates to be equipped and ready to work in a globally competent manner. It is argued that knowledge and understanding are not sufficient to facilitate this, and that consideration of the fostering of appropriate values and attitudes and skills are also required. Therefore curricula need to encompass these personal development aspects within the delivery of study programmes.

Intercultural Research in Teacher Education: An Essential Intersection in the Preparation of Globally Competent Teachers

The author argues that a focus solely on social justice in teacher education may be insufficient in bringing about the changes needed in the preparation of teacher candidates to understand and address critically important social issues and to build global competence. Research from the related fields of intercultural research and education suggest that the majority of teachers and teacher education students do not possess the prerequisite attitudes and behaviors required to effect such a change. Contributions from intercultural research in such areas as the formation and reduction of prejudice, acculturation and intergroup interaction, what we know about intercultural sensitivity, the development of intercultural competence, and the process of culture learning are reviewed, suggesting the facilitation of intercultural sensitivity and competence may be an essential precursor to one's understanding that other perspectives, experiences, and histories can and do exist.

Designing effective global competence development opportunities

While business schools are recognising the need to graduate globally competent students, and are laying claim to doing so, questions are raised as to the effectiveness of their efforts as well as their ability to show evidence of having done so (Hunter et al., 2006). Many will point to the percentage of students who take advantage of study abroad and second language opportunities as evidence, but arguments are made that this is not enough (Hunter, 2004). The missing piece is self-reflection. Based on the premise that students need both conceptual and practical support in understanding themselves within the context of otherness in order to gain the most from an international experience, this paper presents a model for international education programmes that includes pre-departure preparation, on-site structures for interaction, and post-experience debriefing, all focused on learning about self and other.

The effects of HR policies and repatriate self-adjustment on global competency transfer

A growing body of literature has emphasized the important role of international assignments in helping create a more globally competent management cadre. Indeed, the competencies acquired through international assignments can often be a significant source of competitive advantage for firms. However, for employers to derive benefits from a repatriate's newly acquired global competencies, they must work to ensure the successful transfer of those competencies to subsequent job assignments. This study specifically examined the degree to which a firm's HR policies and practices influence the transfer of global competencies acquired through an overseas assignment. In addition, we examined the impact on competency transfer of the repatriate's capacity and desire to adjust to the repatriation job assignment, which has been a largely neglected element in this stream of research. The relative predictive effects on competency transfer of both the firm's HR policies and the employee's self-adjustment were determined via hierarchical regression. Results showed a large incremental change in predicted variance when firm's HR policies were entered after employee self-adjustment. Conversely, employee self-adjustment showed only minimal incremental change in predicted variance when entered after HR policies. A deliberate and proactive consideration of a firm's HR policies and practices, therefore, seems of primary importance in deriving benefits from an employee's overseas assignment, while the employee's self-adjustment experiences are also important but relatively less so.

What Does It Mean to Be Globally Competent?

To contribute to the valuable and ongoing debate regarding the definition of global citizenship and global competency, this study proposes a definition developed through the use of a Delphi Technique involving human resource managers at top transnational corporations, senior international educators, United Nations officials, inter-cultural trainers, and foreign government officers. This definition is used as the foundation for the development of a survey to determine the knowledge, skills, and attitudes and experiences necessary to be considered globally competent. The survey was sent to 133 representatives from universities that self-nominated for recognition in the “Profiles of Success at Colleges and Universities—Internationalizing the Campus 2003” (NAFSA: Association of International Educators publication) and the transnational corporation human resource officials serving as members of the National Foreign Trade Council’s Expatriate Management Committee and Global Mobility Roundtable. Results are reported and discussed, and a proposed curricular plan is presented based on the findings.

The Globally Competent Engineer: Working Effectively with People Who Define Problems Differently

This paper offers and tests an approach to conceptualizing the global competency of engineers. It begins by showing that the often-stated goal of working effectively with different cultures is fundamentally about learning to work effectively with people who define problems differently. The paper offers a minimum learning criterion for global competency and three learning outcomes whose achievement can help engineering students fulfill that criterion. It uses the criterion to establish a typology of established methods to support global learning for engineering students. It introduces the course, Engineering Cultures, as an example of an integrated classroom experience designed to enable larger numbers of engineering students to take the critical first step toward global competency, and it offers a test application of the learning criterion and outcomes by using them to organize summative assessments of student learning in the course.

Assessing professionalism: theory and practice

Professional attitudes and behaviours have only recently been explicitly recognized by medical educators as legitimate and necessary components of global competence, although the idea of Fitness to Practice has always presupposed acceptable professional behaviour. Medical schools have recently begun to introduce teaching and assessment of professionalism, including attitudes and behaviours. Partly as a result of the difficulty of assessment in this area, selection of students is receiving greater attention, in the pursuit of globally competent graduates. However, selection processes may be overrated for this purpose. Assessing actual attitudes and behaviour during the course is arguably a better way of ensuring that medical graduates are competent in these areas. I argue that judgments about attitudinal and behavioural competence are legitimate, and need be no more arbitrary than those made about scientific or clinical knowledge and skills, but also that these judgments should be restricted to what is agreed to be unacceptable behaviour, rather than attempting to rate attitudes and behaviour positively. This model introduces students to the way in which their behaviours will be judged in their professional lives by registration authorities. These theoretical positions are illustrated by a recent case of academic failure based on inadequate attitudes and behaviours.

A World Transformed: How other Countries are Preparing Students for the Interconnected World of the 21st Century

Whether by incorporating the study of other nations and cultures into the school curriculum or requiring students to learn foreign languages or encouraging cross-cultural exchanges, countries around the are preparing their students for life in the era. Ms. Stewart describes efforts on several continents and assesses how the U.S. is doing in comparison. GLOBALIZATION is the central feature of our time. As networks expand, countries in every corner of the Earth are affected. Major forces are driving change at an accelerated pace, creating new challenges for education systems worldwide. The globalization of economies has meant that an increasing proportion of jobs is tied to international trade. New discoveries in science and the rapid spread of new technologies are flattening the world and organizing work in virtual, not just physical, communities. (1) Demographic movements are increasing student diversity in schools in many nations worldwide. Changing opportunities--such as increasing access to education and health services for all--and changing threats to human security--ranging from environmental degradation and climate change to diseases, terrorism, and weapons proliferation--are driving international cooperation across a wider range of occupations than ever before. Do American students have the knowledge and skills to function effectively and be leaders in this increasingly interconnected world? Last year, Harvard University released the report of its first major review of the undergraduate curriculum in almost 30 years. The study concluded that, in a fast-changing world, students urgently need a deeper understanding of the principles of science and a far greater grasp of international affairs. It recommended significant reforms of the undergraduate curriculum to ensure more substantial international knowledge and experience and stronger foreign language skills for graduates, who will need to be globally competent. (2) However, while U.S. higher education is moving to internationalize its curriculum, K-12 education trails far behind. Studies by the Asia Society and the National Geographic Society have identified a huge gap in most American students' knowledge about Asia and other regions of the that are vital to our nation's economic prosperity and national security. When compared to students in eight other industrial countries, young Americans are next to last in their knowledge of geography and current affairs. (3) And the U.S. has very little capacity in Asian languages. How are other countries addressing the need for global competence and citizenship? Of the many approaches to teaching about the world, geography, history, foreign languages, citizenship education, and or development education are the most common. However, science, literature, and the arts can all incorporate international content and perspectives. Unlike other, more traditional areas of educational discourse--literacy, math, and science, for example--there is very little systematic research on this emerging issue. No comprehensive account of what other countries are doing exists, nor is there even agreement on definitions. However, I will highlight here some trends and innovative efforts from around the and the different forces that are driving them. EUROPE According to a recent study by the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement), rapid economic and political change in Europe--the transition to market economies and democratic structures in Eastern Europe and the creation of a new supranational structure, the European Union--is focusing educators' attention on preparing students for changing political and economic realities. (4) At the same time, there are efforts to align education with the economic development and international relations goals of governments--goals which have grown increasingly global. …

Developing Globally-Competent University Teachers

What is global competence in university teaching? And, assuming we can provide some sort of reasonable answer to that first question, how might it be developed? What is argued within this paper is that the traditional university assumption that subject experts (with no – or scarcely any – pedagogic training) make fit teachers is even less justifiable when these teachers travel abroad to teach overseas students than when they operate in their home university with students who, for the most part, share many of their own socio-cultural values and beliefs. Given that higher education teachers in the UK will soon be expected (though not required) to seek membership of the Institute of Learning and Teaching (ILT) based either on their completion of an accredited training programme or on their submission of a portfolio evidencing their practical competence in teaching there is therefore a national, systemic, move towards pedagogic training. However it is argued further that, though necessary and desirable for all university teachers wherever they are teaching, academic subject knowledge and accredited pedagogic skills are still insufficient for those wishing to be regarded internationally as globally competent teachers. Two further requirements are both necessary and desirable for global competence in teaching: the adoption of a transformatory and democratic approach to education and the development of what may be termed an ethnographic stance to teaching abroad.

Managing globally competent people

Executive Overview Transnational firms need transnational human resource management systems. This article recommends global human resource changes at two levels: individual and systemic. First, it presents a set of skills needed by individual managers to be globally competent, highlighting those which transcend the historic competencies required of expatriate managers. Second, it suggests a framework for assessing the global competence of firms' human resource systems. Based on a survey of fifty major North American firms, the authors find today's human resource strategies to be significantly less global than firms' business strategies. To overcome this gap, they identify a series of illusions preventing firms from creating human resource systems which are sufficiently global to support transnational business strategies.