Retaining a Global Mindset in the New Normal
22/04/2021
(This article originally appeared in Ambition, the thought leadership publication by the Association of MBAs (AMBA) – in print and online – and has been republished on this website with the permission of AMBA.)
Restrictions imposed on international travel, as a result of the ongoing global pandemic, have limited individual mobility across borders – from opportunities to go to other countries for work or studies, to the exchange of goods and services that are part of our daily life. Limitations on spatial mobility have also impacted how we relate to others in the social sphere, with online platforms spreading widely to become the normal means of communication.
Equal opportunities
In the educational context, distance learning and hybrid delivery modes have become
the new normal. The spread in the adoption of virtual classrooms by higher education institutions has opened opportunities for prospective students across the globe to
seek and pursue a qualification despite their geographical location. Students have equal opportunities to interact in an international environment, by sharing their learning experience with peers from different countries and cultural backgrounds.
Perceptions and interactions
Global mobility is traditionally associated with the means for individuals to acquire international experience, which is often depicted as a key personal capability and a source of competitive advantage in the workplace. However, a global mindset is also created by how people perceive themselves and others, despite their location. Their relationships with others in the social sphere are being shaped by the context in which they interact, as well as the means they use to do so.
Changes to spatial mobility as a response to the current travel restrictions do not necessarily
provoke a negative impact on the ability to develop and practice cultural awareness. This is because the construction of a sense of identity as a member of an international community is based on a shared lifestyle and attitudes towards place, rather than on the locality where the individuals live. At the same time, the context in which individuals interact, as well as the discourses ingrained within these interactions, influence the way people make sense of their reality and relate to the culturally different ‘other’.
Nurturing the global mindset
In other words, to feel part of a multinational community, either in the same location or across the globe, requires a combination of factors, including a view of the world that is based on an understanding and respect of local differences and supported by an environment that shares the same vision and values. Studying a global academic degree, for example, continues to be an opportunity to construct professional networks across borders and to experience being international through regular interactions with others who share a similar learning experience. Business Schools can therefore help to nurture a global mindset among students and educators, as well as the employees who support them.
Being ‘global’ may be understood as having a network of experiences that reach across geopolitical borders – a view of a borderless world that is possible thanks to online communication and digital tools. Nonetheless, interactions within a virtual environment, as well as an understanding of others, remain an experience of the self, shaped by the given context and the role it has for the individual. How people perceive and relate to others, as well as the language used in a virtual classroom, differ from their equivalents in the family or friends’ context. So, despite the elimination of physical distances between people during online communications, individual differences in sociocultural backgrounds still exist. This means that awareness, understanding and acceptance of such differences continue to be part of a global mindset.
No quick fix
Education can support individuals to nurture a global mindset and acquire cultural awareness. However, the global mindset is a personal approach to the world that is based on the perception of the self in relation to others and the context where they interact. There is no ‘quick fix’ or standard list of competencies that can be followed by all those who wish to adopt a global mindset, as is sometimes claimed in popular management texts through oversimplified, and even romanticised, descriptions of international travel.
It is widely accepted that living abroad or experiencing an international environment can support personal growth and professional advancement because the competencies gained can be transferred across jobs and organisations as well as countries. However, there are also ambiguities and contradictory feelings involved in a mobile lifestyle. At the personal level, international mobility and regular interactions in a multicultural environment – within a local or virtual community – influence certain fundamental concepts in the life of an individual, such as the concept of home and the sense of belonging.
Business School education, and organisational learning in general, must consider this by engaging critically with actual accounts of those who experience the globe, to better prepare future professionals and managers to cope with the challenges and implications of adopting a global mindset as part of their lifestyle, while enjoying the benefits it can generate.
Gabriela Whitehead is Head of Digital Transformation and Process Management at GISMA Business School, Germany.
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