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The Context: What’s Not Changing

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Successful Global Leadership

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Abstract

Despite the upheavals that are impacting companies globally, some fundamental organizational and human behavior basics have endured over the years: all organizations are made up of the building blocks of structure, rewards, and processes; and certain human behaviors seem hard-wired (e.g., relying on emotion or instinct as the first screen, feeling more self-confident than reality justifies). Henson asserts that there are a small number of universal people management principles that good managers use: treating employees fairly and with respect, creating a positive and motivating environment, building self-confidence, setting high standards and expectations, and building collaboration and teamwork. However, the practices associated with implementing these principles invariably differ by culture.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See http://www.statista.com/statistics/273744/number-of-full-time-google-employees/

  2. 2.

    Taylor wrote his book The Principles of Scientific Management based on his experiments in steel plants in Pennsylvania.

  3. 3.

    Microsoft announced a restructuring prior to Steve Ballmer’s retirement from the company. Google has restructured the company to create a new name called Alphabet.

  4. 4.

    Michael Hammer was one of the first management gurus to coin the term “re-engineering” and his personality and charisma went a long way to popularize this concept. He was constantly giving seminars and consulting to organizations and governments before he passed away prematurely.

  5. 5.

    “Thain’s Overhaul Said to Cost $1.2 Million, January 22, 2009 from the Deal Book of the New York Times: http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/thains-office-overhaul-said-to-cost-12-million/?_r=0

  6. 6.

    Rachel EmmaSilverman, “At Zappos, Banishing the Bosses Brings Confusion,” Wall Street Journal, May 21, sec. Business. http://www.wsj.com/articles/at-zappos-banishing-the-bosses-brings-confusion-1432175402.

  7. 7.

    http://www.greatplacetowork.com/best-companies/100-best-companies-to-work-for

  8. 8.

    GLOBE is an acronym for Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness, a 62-nation study involving many researchers over a period of 11 years.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rutgers Business School, Newark, NJ, USA

    Ramon Henson

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  1. Ramon Henson
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Henson, R. (2016). The Context: What’s Not Changing. In: Successful Global Leadership. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58990-3_3

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