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These days, "globalization" means more than EuroDisney or what factory in Bejing sewed the jeans you're wearing. As more companies adopt global strategies, they are also using global teams to make those strategies work. Give everybody computers, email, and a conference call number, and everything will be okay? (Life sure would be simpler if things worked that way ...)

The technologies that enable companies to form global teams can't solve the complexities that come with global teams. It still all comes down to the people; even with a common business goal, people of different countries, languages, and culture probably see different paths to that goal, and have very different ways of communicating their vision to everybody else on the team. That's the challenge that has fascinated Maarten Nijoff Asser throughout his career, and that led him to work with Trompenaars-Hampden-Turner. This management consulting group provides cross-cultural consulting services to corporations facing just those issues. In this interview, Nijoff Asser explores questions like why, even for the most sophisticated of management groups, cross-cultural issues are hard to navigate; what special challenges companies that have expanded globally through M&A rather than through organic growth face; and what are the complexities posed by virtual teams and remote management. Join us for a fascinating conversation with an expert who's lived and worked globalization for years, and hear what he has to say.

Resources

Trompenaars-Hampden-Turner Web site

GuruInterviews: An interview with Fons Trompenaars

Interview with Fons Trompenaars

Bio

Maarten Nijhoff Asser is a former intellectual property lawyer and publisher, turned management consultant. His areas of expertise include cultural intelligence and global leadership, culture change management, framing problems globally for team work, action learning and innovation across senior management levels. His special interests are global leadership and teamwork facilitation and strategic dilemma management. His engaging presentation style, professional insights, and numerous personal and business anecdotes have made him a highly regarded keynote speaker and an excellent and culturally competent facilitator to companies across the globe. His client lists include Tata & Sons, Inc. IBM BCS, Genzyme, SABMiller, Mahindra, DHL, ABNAMRO, ABB, UBS, Aegon and various small-, and medium-sized companies.

Production Credits

Dana Farver, Executive Producer, Communities Editor-in-Chief
Tom Parish, Audio Producer, Show Host
Kimberly Stone, Web Development Manager
Scott Ebner, Web Developer