Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/62210
a way that executives from many different countries can work together, without one culture dominating the others. A learning capability. Global leaders can effectively learn in an effectively with partners through international joint ven- tures, global strategic alliances, and cross-border acquisi- tions. In this arena, cross-cultural sensitivities are particular- ly critical. A staffing capability. Global leaders can develop teams in such international context and know that it is particularly impor- tant not to be blindfolded by one's own home country bias- es. Learning is a matter of picking up the best from all over the world, not trying to force international experiences to fit one's own local frame of reference. An organizational capability. Global leaders know how to organize the firm internationally in ways that facilitate and capitalize on leadership, not through host country dominance but by developing a global network of executives. We need only look at multinational companies to see these capabilities at work on a large scale. Nestlé, for exam- ple, follows no home-base bias. By embracing the perspec- tives of all the countries in which it operates and sells prod- ucts, Nestlé is able to create a culture in which its employees see the world as a truly global market. As it is so aptly put by Roger Schmenner, a professor at Indiana University- Bloomington and a visiting professor at IMD, global leader- ship has "no dominant culture," but takes a broad perspec- tive of all cultures. The Changing Landscape As companies become more multinational in the next few years, business schools everywhere will see the international makeup of their cohorts continue to grow. For example, IMD's open enrollment from U.S. corporations increased by 67 percent in 2002. Furthermore, nearly half of IMD's overall enrollment comprises students from outside Europe, including 22 percent from Asia, 20 percent from the Americas, and 6 percent from Africa and Australia. Like other business schools, we only expect this percentage to increase. To serve this growing demand for international leadership skills, IMD bases its mission on two important premises. First, we call IMD "the global meeting place" for its students and faculty; second, we promise to deliver "real life—real learn- ing" to our students. We believe these premises also drive the challenges that face management education today and are at the heart of global leadership. With the right approach to management education in a global context, business schools can create that crucial "glob- al meeting place" in which executives can hone their interna- tional skills. Only in such a context can executives develop their understanding of international business and multicultur- al interaction and practice real life—and real learning. ■ z Peter Lorange is the Nestlé Professor and president of IMD International in Lausanne, Switzerland. BizEd SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2003 27