Global Fitness for Global People: How to Manage and Leverage Cultural Diversity at Work

Global Fitness for Global People is for all those wanting to thrive in today’s global workplaces and to flourish in culturally diverse contexts. For this you need Global Fitness. Such competence does not develop by chance; individuals and organisations each need to foster it deliberately. This book explains why and how. Global Fitness results from tackling three key areas – establishing your Global Fitness goals, mastering your Global Fitness toolkit, and moulding the Global Fitness environment.

The approach of Global Fitness for Global People is in line with the Chinese saying “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” In today’s rapidly changing and uncertain environment, people need sound insights and guiding principles to shape their actions – whatever the situation and whenever or wherever it occurs. Global Fitness for Global People prepares you for this challenge, providing you with a set of core principles and tools that you can apply flexibly and dynamically to meet your own and your organisation’s needs – now and in a changing future.

Each of Global Fitness for Global People’s 15 chapters uses thought-provoking authentic examples from a wide variety of situations to illustrate important learning points. It draws on state-of-the-art research and practice to explain the key issues and offers you reflective guidelines and activities for professional development purposes. Part 3, which focuses on the Global Fitness environment, goes a step further by providing a strategic perspective. It is especially interesting and useful to senior management and Learning & Development decision-makers who have the task of promoting Global Fitness in their organisation.

The book is essential reading if you are leading, managing, or working in culturally diverse situations and hence need Global Fitness in order to achieve effective collaboration. Whatever your sector – international business, not-for-profit, third-sector, education, healthcare, research, politics, government, diplomacy and more – this book will help you and your organisation to perform more successfully.

Introduction

1. Becoming Global: Mapping your Development Journey

Part 1: Understanding your goals: Global Fitness in Practice

2. Global Personal Qualities: Growing in Self-awareness

3. Global Knowledge & Understanding: Establishing Common Ground

4. Global Communication Skills: Enhancing Mutual Understanding

5. Global Rapport Management Skills: Developing Strong Relationships

Part 2: Mastering your development toolkit: Global Fitness Engagement

6. How to Embrace the Unfamiliar, Reflect and Adapt

7. How to Build Global Relations and Enhance Rapport

8. How to Collaborate and Succeed in Global Teams

9. How to Exercise Global Leadership and Handle the Context

10. How to Manage Ethical Challenges and Maintain Integrity

Part 3: Moulding the context: Global Fitness Environment

11. Ensuring Well-being: How to Establish the Essentials

12. Promoting Learning and Innovation: How to Leverage Cultural Diversity

13. Identifying Development Priorities: How to Monitor and Benchmark Performance and Satisfaction

14. Managing Development Initiatives: How to Plan and Implement Programmes

Concluding Reflections

15. Becoming Global: A Continuing Need