Employers should try to uncover the benefits and skills of their well-travelled employees, who may be able to offer a substantial competitive advantage that can be deployed. The knowledge.insead.edu website demonstrates this using the example of Meena, a woman who earned her degree in the US, then started working for the World Bank. She was born in Nepal. What did she learn during her travels and life abroad? She had to manage relationships with her family from afar; she needed always to have her documents in order; she also needed to earn enough to repay all the money she had previously borrowed.
Uncertainties and complexities form great workers
Meena learned how to manage complex and demanding problems. She had to consider many aspects of her life and make very difficult personal decisions. People similar to Meena, global cosmopolitans, often develop the following qualities, which their lifestyle fosters in them.
1) Constant change is nothing new for them.
2) They are able to experiment with their new identities and reinvent themselves.
3) Being unfamiliar with local cultural norms, they rely on their creative thinking.
4) They can quickly learn and use new things and ways of thinking; they also understand emotional aspects of transitions.
Managers need to understand what a unique resource these workers are
Managers who have a global cosmopolitan in their teams must realise that well-travelled workers are often willing to use their capabilities but a meaningful dialogue is necessary in order to find out what truly motivates them. These workers will not always start themselves to talk about their experiences; nor do they consider their ability to adapt to change and deal with complex issues as something unique. Yet it is. They can help any company with building bridges between cultures and managing complexity.
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