Creating Globally Dispersed Teams That Succeed
In today’s shrinking world, more and more companies strive to go global – to break into new markets, leverage different sources of talent, and turn themselves into international brands.
But before an organization can achieve this goal, it is essential to recruit the right people to lead successful operations in new locations. If local talent is hard to find in new markets, then existing talent should be deployed to those frontiers.
An effective talent mobility program forms a crucial part of any recruiting program – especially for those organizations seeking to expand around the globe. It’s much better to hire the right people in the wrong location than vice versa! High-quality talent can always be moved to other locations where they can add greater value, but bad hires can hurt performance in the markets most crucial to a company’s growth.
Unfortunately, many aspiring worldwide organizations struggle to effectively recruit and deploy the talent they need to go global.
Recruiting the Best Talent
What can be done to build a globally successfully, globally dispersed team? The key is to hire people who not only share the company’s goals and mission, but also have what it takes to help the organization go global. The right hires should understand how to succeed in the particular industry and be more than comfortable doing what is necessary to deliver on the company’s initiatives. This means finding people who aren’t afraid to step outside their comfort zones, travel regularly, and jump on the phone at all hours of the night.
It is also critical to hire people who are excited to work around the world and willing to accept short- or long-term assignments in other countries. Given that 70 percent of millennials say their desire to travel is one of the primary reasons why they work, it shouldn’t be hard to find such hires. To attract individuals eager to gain global experience, tout the global opportunities your organization can give them during the recruiting process.
You should also seek to hire from a diverse talent pool. Recruiting individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, both professionally and culturally, will result in a team of outside-the-box thinkers who can develop new strategies to power the company’s global growth. There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to international expansion. Each location requires a unique and tailored strategy.
When building a global team, it’s inevitable that you’ll need to move people around, whether to deploy company leaders to set up operations in a new country or to move talented employees where they can be more effective. Even the most adventurous employee may face significant challenges when relocating. Moving in general is a stressful life event, and this can be exacerbated when that move is to another country with a different language and culture.
A streamlined and efficient mobility program is key to ensuring employees are set up for success in their new homes and new roles. However, there are many moving pieces involved in an international relocation – like finding employees a place to live, managing international shipping companies, navigating immigration documents, and more. This can be an obstacle for rapidly growing global companies, which need to focus on driving key initiatives and business plans rather than the minutia of international relocations.
Fortunately, new advancements in talent mobility technology can help. Rather than having to manage all of the tasks themselves, companies can automate the technical processes to create streamlined and seamless employee relocation programs. When combined with full data and reporting, companies can keep their relocating team members updated and informed throughout the process, reducing the stress they and their families may feel.
A seamless mobility program allows companies to spend less time on menial tasks and more time on integrating their new, or newly relocated, employees into the company culture and providing them with the support they need. When your team is spread across the globe, it can be difficult to keep everyone on the same page. To build alignment, hold regular meetings through video conferences or in person. These check-ins will ensure everyone is working to drive the business forward, no matter where they are located.
Taking on the World
As more organizations seek to enter the global stage or further expand their existing operations, the ability to recruit and move talent around the world will be key to business success. From identifying the go-getters who can bring the business to new markets to deploying them to the locations where their expertise is needed most, a robust talent mobility program is essential to creating a strong global team that can take the company to the next level.
Brynne Kennedy is founder and CEO of MOVE Guides.