Current Global Mind-Set, Global Knowledge and Global Work Skills
The analysis of global mind-set, global knowledge and global work skills has revealed that my perception of the global environment is insufficient, particularly when it comes to my own attitudes. However, having the highest score (4) on the global work skills increases my chances to advance background knowledge and reconsider my outlook on the global problems.
The lowest score (3) received on the global knowledge indicates I have superficial knowledge on different cultures and values, but it does not mean that I am not aware of the current issues within an international context. The importance of the global mind is closely associated with “…the ability to see and understand the world differently than one has been conditioned to see and understand it” (Lane et al., 2012, p 14). Sufficient knowledge and attitudes allow an individual to feel comfortably in a new environment and act effectively in unknown situations.
Influence of Attitudes, Emotional Intelligence, and Perceptions on the Scores
Mindset, knowledge and skills of an individual are composed of perceptions, emotional intelligence, and attitudes. They shape the basis of person’s outlook on the surrounding world. Each person is surrounded by specific cultural and physical aspects that have a significant impact on cultural awareness and social sensitivity. Hence, the patterns observed within a specific cultural environment are closely associated with the global readiness of a person to react to the global changes.
Because emotional intelligence defines the extent to which an individual can control and evaluate emotions, its connection to global readiness is revealed through person’s ability to recognize and accept perceptions and attitudes of people from different cultures. According to Mendenhall (2008), the concept of global emotional intelligence embraces such features as self-awareness, cross-cultural understanding, and cultural adjustment.
Judging from the above, the emotional intelligence, along with the intellectual one, forms an inherent component of a global mindset (Ungson & Wong, 2008, p. 431). In addition, emotional intelligence is also associated individual’s cultural acumen that involves understanding different cultures and adapting personal perceptions to a global environment.
Recommendations on Improving the Scores
The Global Readiness Index reveals relatively low results which indicates difficulty in adjusting to unknown situation and other cultures. In order to fill in cultural gap in a global context, specific attention should be given to such issues as background knowledge, cultural awareness, social environment, and political situation. All these factors are incorporated within external and internal aspects shaping our global mindset, knowledge, and work skills.
The external environment has a potent impact on developing perceptions and outlooks on different cultures whereas internal factors measure the degree to which a person is ready to acquire knowledge and adjust to socio-cultural settings. As a result, gaining much knowledge about geographic, political, and cultural issues in other countries, as well as increasing cultural awareness through understanding of different traditions and customs, is the key to enhancing a global emotional and intellectual intelligence.
To become more aware of international issues, it is necessary to learn more about existing international organizations that take part in solving the problems of cultural diversity, as well as other urgent issues, such as climate change, global warming, nuclear power, etc. These topics are most frequently presented within a global context and, therefore, they should be taken into consideration for promoting our understanding of a global environment.
References
Lane, H. W., Maznevsky, M., Deetz, J., & DiStefano, J. (2012). International Management Behavior. US: John Wiley and Sons.
Mendenhall, M. E. (2008). Global Leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. US: Taylor & Francis.
Ungson, G. R., & Wong, Y.-Y. (2008). Global Strategic Management. US: M.E. Sharpe.