Range of Coordination Methods
In the previous section, you have seen all the 3 approaches. It is imperative not to underestimate all of them. However, it is also a requirement where management needs to consider extra coordination methods. There are 50 – 50 chances of them not to be a suitable addition or to be perfect for beneficial corporate yields.
Evangelisation
After few hesitating aspects, this did suggestion crop up. This terminology elucidates a winning procedure where businesses accept similar purposes and missions. Attaining satisfaction from consumers is the mission and vision of every company. And this a usual management thinking that companies have been doing for years. But when the grounds change to international ones, a number of hindrances do come to light.
These mainly comprise of:
- Parochial self-interest
- National boundaries
- Culture
- Language
Only a management team having expertise over the years can take the risk of opening a new business on a global platform and leaving the established establishment behind.
The hesitativeness related to this procedure is basically because of it being religion’s language. The prospect of using this process under this name makes heretical in some cases. However, I cannot be neglected that this procedure has certain useful methodologies that help in coordination. As the suggestion of various hindrances has already been stated, confrontation of all those can be done by evangelization for business operating in theg lobal level.
An excellent example can be taken in the form of the famous company ‘Matsushita.’ This company was founded in 1932, but the company had already created a development keeping a huge period of 250 years in mind. On a regular basis, the employees attended both spiritual and cultural training. This plan was something out of the reach of a majority of company’s managers, nonetheless the guaranteed monetary benefit made them accept this aspect in no time.
As a development approach, the famous MNC, IBM, did change its practices. It gave up the market leadership and adopted the evangelistic features. Because of such change did one French analyst team explain this concept to be called ‘la nouvelleeglise.’
Shared Belief
The above aspect and coordination with its help can be only achieved with the help of shared belief. This can influence variation in behavioural approach as well as interpret the beliefs in other ways. Nevertheless, the simple doctrines are publicised so that it can provide ‘energy’ to the corporation. There will be most readers who will have been understanding the concept referred in this book with the help of simple explanations. But everything related to corporate world cannot be explained by following the process of Gettysburg Address.
Vitafoam, a British company,was established in 1970. The owner wanted the company’s almanac policy statement copied thrice by senior executives of his company and give to him.
Parables
It is with parables too that the process of evangelization operates. A majority of people around the world love to listen to stories. And events in religion can be used as parables to relate the messages stated by heroes. In 1985, Ed Schein stated that cultural expression and reinforcement in a company could be easily flourished with the help of legends and stories.
When considering about the analogies related to religion and used in the companies, most multinational corporations have a book of rules and regulations named as ‘Company Bible.’ A house magazine that is published by the firm circulates excellent deeds by the existing employees and important business news. This is basically distributing the required details within company network. It is seen as a better aspect than oral info exchange and sharing of individual experience.
In case there are employees who return to their ex-company, chances are there of them being exploited. The employees who return to their previous company had to narrate their experiences to his or her colleagues and senior management.This may be seen as huge issues but can be easily overcome by briefing about their overseas experiences.
One of the instances relates about a lady who on returning to her previous company shared her experiences on flight. In addition, she also presented certain business related images. In fact, one of her colleagues who also returned to the company brought vital details in the form of pictures. Those were related to production processes, operational equipment, warehouse layout, and machine parts.This became elements to be useful, giving managers briefing on all of these aspects.
Apostles
This term is used for describing those ambassadors who are on their way of imparting faith amongst people. In business, apostles are usually those role holders in the management level who are on the move for the benefit of the company. As they have to travel a lot and have to interact with different companies and their units, they have to make sure that all of the components are well explained to the employees. These may comprise of counteracting parochial thinking or elucidating company policies.
To enhance the working of discrete networks, they also distribute various corporate ideas. There are times, especially during a crisis when these management officials have to find out all sort of counteracting solutions to provide strength to resolution for every type of corporate misconceptions.
Standards and norms
When norms and standards are circulated, enhancement can be seen in the areas of development and coordination. British Standard for quality or BS 5750 is the accreditation that a majority of British firms have always asked for themselves. If you see at the global level, you will find originations of corporations, who for better operations want to have set standards. In the year 1994, Cynthia Haddock explains about the development of standards and its maintenance by Shell with the concern of drugs and alcohol abuse.
When companies across the globe accept such standards, they actually form to be a coordinated group. Now, these are no necessity that the standards have to be developed with a single organisation. With the help of decentralisation and certain formulated standards, the same process can be on a global level. This procedure can be called one of the best integration methods that are adopted universally.
If taken from the prospects of HR management, there are a certain number of companies who apply all these standards in their business. Lower labour costs are one of the advantageous factors that are enjoyed mostly by Asian countries. Chances are extremely less in case of Japanese, American and British companies to go for development on manufacturing pay rates, that too for wider standards for the companies.
Now if the standards are set as per the given details by the expatriate employees’, the conditions and terms will be more practical.
Systems
Via systems, it becomes easier to coordinate. Working on a global level, there are a number of companies which follow a single system. A fine example to explain this is the booking and ticketing system in an international airport where the entire operation is based on thousands of links linked to the computer terminals.
Usefulness of this system can be seen and enjoyed if the reinforcement of all those links (internationally) isin interrelations with the airline operations on a global level.
Concentration of capability
Development can be encouraged by any corporate approach with the help of capability concentration. This can be based on any form apart from group-wide exploitation and application. This developmental application can be used in any of the locations. In the year 1989 Goshal and Bartlett did explain this aspect in entirety in the form of a fascinating example. The instance was related to British Philips subsidiary. Initially, they had issues regarding sales,but after 10 years with this approach, they established world’s leading items.
Summary propositions
General discussion topics
Further reading
References
