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Budge-it, Italy.

November 14, 2018 by dxf139 Leave a Comment

Image by: Elisabetta A. Villa | Getty Images

Last month, Italy’s recently elected “eurosceptic” leaders have been threatened by the European Union’s Commissioner, Pierre Moscovici, to resubmit their 2019 budget plan to the EU in three weeks – or face fines. For all its attractions and successful firms, Italy is caught in a slow economic decline, requiring bold political leadership to push needed reforms (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014). Fast forward four years later and Italy may have the bold leaders it requires to pull the country out of said economic decline.

From the date I started to write this entry, the revised budget plan was due to the EU within a week and my gut was telling me that Italian leaders were going to stand firmly behind what they believe to be the best course of action for Italy financially, and not fold under the recommendation of EU fiscal rules. If you have not come upon on this in the news, the budget plan is to increase the public deficit to 2.4 GDP, and the revisions to that initial plan were due to the EU Commissioner at midnight on November 13, 2018. The verdict: Italian leaders do not have plans to change what was submitted to the EU originally.

Why does this matter? Well, Italy is the 8^th largest economy of the world and ranked 3^rd largest in national economy in the euro zone, and with 2.3 trillion euro national debt (133% debt to GDP), a euro zone bailout fund would not be able to cope with the costs of supporting its government in a crisis (Strupczewski, 2018). Any such crisis could threaten the euro itself, seen by many as the EU’s greatest achievement (Strupczewski, 2018).

The purpose of the European Union (EU) is to both preserve traditional and shared culture and foster the exchange of ideas between nations (Pennsylvania State University, 2018). Are Italian leaders willing to turn their backs on tradition and rules governed by the European Union? As stated by Moran, et al., Italians are frequently in a state of social, economic, and political change so to deliberately put forth a plan that goes against the rules of the EU may not be all that surprising to those who closely follow the country’s economic status (2014).

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Pierre Moscovici, a European Commissioner, said: “We would like Italy to remain what it is, a major country within the euro zone, there is no future for Italy outside the euro zone, there is no future for Europe without Italy.” (Amaro, 2018). The question stands, will either side budge? I predict a constructive dialogue that in the end allows them to keep the level of respect intact for the European Union rules as well as their 3^rd largest in national economy in the euro zone, Italy. Whether Italy’s growth plan works or not, only time (and the markets response to the news) will tell.

References

Amaro, S. (2018). Italy has no future outside of the euro zone, top EU official warns. CNBC. Retrieved from https://www.cnbc.com/2018/11/08/european-commission-economic-forecasts-autumn-2018.html?recirc=taboolainternal

Economy of Italy. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 11, 2018 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Italy

Moran, R. T., Ph.D., Abramson, N. R., Ph.D., & Moran, S. V., MA. (2014). Managing cultural differences (Nineth ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Pennsylvania State University (2018). Leadership in Global Context–OLEAD 410. Differences within groups versus differences between groups. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1942644/modules/items/24935363

Strupczewski, J. (2018). Reuters. ‘Complete insanity’ of Italy debt plans may lead to huge restructuring -euro officials. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/italy-budget-eurozone/complete-insanity-of-italy-debt-plans-may-lead-to-huge-restructuring-euro-officials-idUSL8N1WK2R6

Take A Seat!

October 20, 2018 by dxf139 2 Comments

In searching for a subject on Latin America that I felt passionate enough to blog about, I ran across a headline to an article on how females in Mexico took HALF the seats in legislature this past June. I then pondered and quickly a few questions popped into my mind – so I read on, and sought the answers.

First, what are the women of Mexico doing differently than the rest of the world to overcome gender inequality in congress? Then I thought, this is HUGE! Did you know that Mexico scores above the world average for Masculinity (with its opposite pole, femininity) according to Hofstede’s six dimensions of culture (Pennsylvania State University, 2018)?

(Image retrieved from thealphaparent.com)

What does this mean exactly? Well, in countries scored high in masculinity, there are clear-cut gender roles for men and women and one would expect to see leadership in organizations to be primarily males, whereas you would only see women in roles such as administration if you saw them in the workplace at all (Pennsylvania State University, 2018).

And my last thought was this: What can their neighboring nations and cultures learn from these women who have not only paved the way for equal seats in congress, but who also get to sit down at the table?

The first question can be answered by this fact, Mexico started with a mandatory 30 percent quota for female candidates in the 2003 elections and raised the threshold to 40 percent for the 2009 elections (Hinojosa and Piscopo, 2018). However, parties found many workarounds forging deals that forced women to resign until 2009 when prominent female politicians pushed back, forming a cross-party coalition and pressing officials of the National Electoral Institute to rewrite the quota rules (Hinojosa and Piscopo, 2018). They took the parties to court in 2011, and the women won a landmark case requiring parties to respect the quota at all costs (Hinojosa and Piscopo, 2018).

(Image retrieved from fastlead.com)

Second, with Mexico rated high compared to the average in masculinity, research shows that women in the Mexican congress not only care more than men about rights, equality and social issues, they are just as effective as men at passing legislation (Hinojosa and Piscopo, 2018). To not have gender quota laws that capitalize on the strengths of the educated female population could be a disservice to the voting indigenous. As the newly elected president of Mexico, AMLO looks to demilitarize the drug war and to confront widespread poverty and inequality, these qualities of women will lead the change and yield positive results for the country.

Lastly, the fact that the women of Mexico broke old stereotypes in a masculinity dominant society is an amazing accomplishment and should inspire more females across the globe to break similar glass ceilings. Perhaps women who are looking to gain more seats in their own legislature need to learn from the great work that has already been done by the cross-party coalition in Mexico and present the case to establish a quota rule. The benefit for other countries to make a similar transition seems quite compelling. According to Hinojosa and Piscopo (2018), research shows that women elected under quotas have the same credentials as men or are better qualified and once in congress, they are as productive as men and have fewer absences. What’s there to lose?!

References

Hinojosa, M., Piscopo, J.M. (2018). Women won big in Mexico’s elections — taking nearly half the legislature’s seats. Here’s why. The Washington Post. Retrieved at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2018/07/11/women-won-big-in-mexicos-elections-taking-nearly-half-the-legislatures-seats-heres-why/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4765f8149eec

Moran, R. T., Ph.D., Abramson, N. R., Ph.D., & Moran, S. V., MA. (2014). Managing cultural differences (Nineth ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Keys to the Kingdom

October 7, 2018 by dxf139 3 Comments

(Image retrieved from BBC NEWS)

On June 24, 2018, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman ended its countries status as the last on earth to prohibit women from taking to the wheel (Fattah, 2018). I live in the U.S. and shamefully was not even aware this was such a thing in a faraway country. Then, I found myself internalizing the celebration! I have read Sheryl Sandberg’s book titled Lean In, and as a result view women in the workforce through a completely different (and wiser) lens. The so-called invisible women of Saudi are said to control as much as 40 percent of private wealth now, and despite the bans they have had to deal with, cosmopolitan female Saudis slowly forge ahead (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014). Let’s just say, I was overjoyed for the women (and men) behind Saudi’s women’s rights activist groups, and social media supporters all over the world for having slowly but surely conquered this big movement in history for females in Saudi Arabia.

To my dismay, I then stumbled upon further details that depicted the “why” behind this lifted ban – to help boost PR and overall economy for their country. Over the years, diminishing oil prices have left Saudi Arabia in an economic downward spiral. Oil, as many know is the main source of income for the country and by not expanding further away from the reliance on oil, they could be in serious economic trouble which always leads to even more disaster.

So, while I am still happy for the women of Saudi to have earned the right to drive and the additional benefits yet to come from this, lifting the driving ban is a strategic component of Crown Prince’s “Saudi Arabia Vision 2030” plan, not because woman leaned in.

This vision is built around three main themes which set out specific objectives that are to be achieved by the year of 2030 (Saudi Vision 20130, n.d.).

A vibrant society: urbanism, culture and entertainment, sports, Umrah, UNESCO heritage sites, life expectancy (Saudi Vision 2030, n.d.).
A thriving economy: Employment, women in the workforce, international competitiveness, Public Investment Fund, Foreign direct investment, private sector, non-oil exports (Saudi Vision 2030, n.d.).
An ambitious nation: Non-oil revenues, government effectiveness, and e-government, household savings and income, non-profits and volunteering (Saudi Vision 20130, n.d.).

With advanced education, Saudi women have begun to enter the business world, and though women today make up over half of university enrollment, they number only a fraction of the workforce (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014). It’s time for the country to leverage these great women for the skills learned and help drive their country’s economy forward. “Lifting the ban on driving is likely to increase the number of women seeking jobs, boosting the size of the workforce and lifting overall incomes and output,” according to Ziad Daoud, Dubai-based chief Middle East economist for Bloomberg Economics (Fattah, 2018). Whether it’s the keys to the kingdom via fighting for equal rights or not, significant changes are looking up for the girls and women in a country seeking to make change for the good of all its people. “But it’ll take time before these gains are realized as the economy adapts to absorbing the growing number of women seeking work.” (Fattah, 2018).

References

Fattah, Z. (2018). Saudi Arabia’s $90 Billion reason to allow women to drive. Bloomberg. Retrieved from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-24/saudi-women-driving-is-seen-better-for-economy-than-aramco-ipo

Moran, R. T., Ph.D., Abramson, N. R., Ph.D., & Moran, S. V., MA. (2014). Managing cultural differences (Nineth ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Saudi Vision 2030. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved October 6, 2018, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Vision_2030

Yaakoubi, A.E. (2018). Reuters. Retrieved from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-arrests/saudi-arabia-arrests-two-more-womens-rights-activists-rights-group-idUSKBN1KM564

Nothing is broke – why is change coming?

September 23, 2018 by dxf139 Leave a Comment

(Image retrieved from boldomatic.com)

It was 2007, and the sales executives on my team had years and years invested in their professional role at a Fortune 500 company, making six figures with salary plus monthly commission checks, and winning quarterly and monthly trips to exotic and relaxing destinations for their stellar sales performance.

One would say they were at the top of their game – or were they?

The team sold telecommunication products and services to an existing base of mid-sized business customers. The customers relied on their account executives to offer the right product (voice, data, telecom equipment) to help connect their multi-site enterprise (read: business) in order to communicate effectively across locations. Most proposals we delivered to our clients consisted of inter-state connectivity solutions for locations within the United States. Each account executive manages several customers who also have a global presence, and the Fortune 500 company they work for provides the world’s largest and reliable global network and product portfolio – in the world.

So to re-cap, we have a global company, with global solutions and capabilities, paying top sales executives six figures, and sending them on extravagant award trips, not to mention other amazing perks and benefits.

In 2008, the VP announced a new Director, responsible for over 250 front-line sales and sales leaders across 6 states in the US. This Director had an exciting vision with a plan of execution in hand. The very first time he met the entire group, he explained where he believed we were as an organization and pointed out that if we wanted to maintain our competitive edge, we all must begin to have “different conversations” with our customers. He went on to explain how much they needed us to deliver, and how much we needed them in this fast paced and technology driven world.

Did he just say we must change in order to survive? Did he have a change model to use? Or strategy that would get this many people to jump on board and overtime, create the transformation he so desired?

Had I known what I know now about Kurt Lewin’s 3-Stage Model of Change: Unfreezing, Changing & Refreezing back in 2008, I would say this is the model our new Director was most familiar with and maybe even executed on in his prior roles. At the end of the day – okay, at least one full year (and a half), the organization and its people were transformed, or as Lewin defines it Refreezed, to symbolize the act of reinforcing, stabilizing and solidifying the new state after the change (Hartzell, n.d.).

Looking back, and assessing my direct reports behaviors during this time, the stage in Lewin’s Model that seemed to be most problematic for them was the changing stage. As mentioned above, they were very successful experts (or so they thought), and as our new Director explained his vision, we were leaving so much more on the table (customers total telcom spend). We had several other products in our toolkit and the network to make a much wider reach (globally) to enabled our business customers to enhance their very own productivity, customer experience, and revenue goals. But we as an organization were not comfortable talking about these great assets. At this time, we lacked the education.

Unfortunately for multinational enterprises (MSEs), their competitive business environments are constantly changing and MNEs have to learn to adapt (Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014). This is where “different conversations” comes into play – learning about our customer’s challenges, business goals, and budget, and aligning our solutions that best fit those needs.

What? Talk business acumen with our clients and not about what we are expert in (our products)?

What I immediately recognized was that my team members were creatures of habit and I had my job cut out for me. Let the stress levels increase. As their leader, I must motivate my people in the organization to want change (by overcoming the perception of threat and pain), help them unlearn old behaviors, help them learn new behaviors, as well as make sure that there is a support system (infrastructure, training, people, etc.) to make sure the change actually goes beyond lip service (Pennsylvania State University, 2018). The change stage is when the change becomes real. It’s also, consequently, the time that most people struggle with the new reality. It is a time marked with uncertainty and fear, making it the hardest step to overcome (Hartzell, n.d.).

My goal was to constantly communicate and provide the training necessary to increase the comfort levels my team needed in order to continue to succeed in their roles and that is exactly what I did from that day forward. After all, the more educated they are for this step, the easier it is to complete. Throughout this process, employees should be reminded of the reasons for the change and how it will “benefit” them once fully implemented (Hartzell, n.d.).

Speaking of benefit, after a year or more of getting comfortable with the big organizational change and having “different conversations” with our customer base, the sales team remained intact and were spinning quickly and better, like that of the flywheel principle (Kruger, 2017). Each top account executive was winning proposals that were in the millions, and global size in nature. My team members went from selling $2K proposals to $12K plus and as a result were also bringing home at least $20,000 annually than in years past. What’s more, our business customers were making more money, reassigning CapEx dollars to OpEx and trusting us as their experts who assisted them in meeting and exceeding their operational business goals.

Now that’s what I call “What’s coming, is better than what’s gone.

References

Hartzell, S. (n.d.). Study.com. Retrieved at https://study.com/academy/lesson/lewins-3-stage-model-of-change-unfreezing-changing-refreezing.html

Kruger, E. (2017). The flywheel principle for success. Retrieved at http://bettermanblueprint.com/flywheel-principle-success/

Moran, R. T., Ph.D., Abramson, N. R., Ph.D., & Moran, S. V., MA. (2014). Managing cultural differences (Nineth ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.

Introduction: Dominique Mina

August 20, 2018 by dxf139 2 Comments

Hello Classmates!

My name is Dominique. I am a resident of a town outside of Philadelphia, Pa and work in Philly for a large cable corporation in the customer loyalty channel. I was recently promoted within my role to Director and look forward to the challenge and taking on more responsibilities. With that said, I’m content with where I am professionally and will continue to work hard to drive initiatives that will help the business succeed it’s long term goals to reduce customer churn. Prior to this role, I was working for a large telecom company and grew up in the customer account management space where I helped businesses with networking solutions across the globe and locally. I ran sales teams between 2004 – 2012.

Lou Holtz has so many quotes that resonate with me and one of my favorites is this: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.”

On a personal note, I have a super supportive husband and two fun loving daughters ages 3 and 7. I enjoy spending time with my large family, heading to a beach and playing backyard games – I’m one of 8 children and very competitive! I also love to expand and share with others my knowledge in parenting, leadership and the science of emotional intelligence. I find myself reading articles once a week to keep me abreast of what’s new in these topics.

I look forward to learning more about you all and the subject of cultural differences. To a great semester!

Dominique