Blending global and regional planning in multinationals

摘要

"Glocal" is a word which language purists perhaps might argue should never have entered our parlance. Whilst we may disagree about the word itself, however, there can be little disagreement about the importance of the concept in the world we live in. Arguably, any firm with an internet presence is now a global one and most certainly the footprints of the huge multinational corporations can be found in every corner of the globe. Having a presence in the key countries which represent your market has obvious benefits - not only the cost savings that accrue from having staff and resources on territory but also all the intelligence about local conditions which go with it. Intelligence which can make for much more effective relationships with customers and suppliers in the region. With this comes a challenge though. How does the organization ensure a consistent approach and a coherent strategy when localized subsidiaries may well start to pull in different directions. Like a good football manager, of course, the firm has to create a situation where creativity and responsiveness are encouraged whilst ensuring that the team pulls together with the same overarching game plan. Sounds simple but in many cases this is not achieved. Why not?