Leadership takes on many dimensions in the current business climate. Globalization through technology is a constantly changing tool that the strategic leader must adapt to or be left behind.
One aspect of technology that is intriguing to me, and I see on a daily basis, is how well virtual teams work together in the health system in which I work. Within an organization such as healthcare there is plethora of information in which the leader needs to decide what is relevant and what isn’t. On a daily basis our organizational leaders communicate and make decisions by email, skyping, conference calling, cell phones, web conferencing, and face-to-face meetings, which are becoming less and less. With decision makers spread throughout a large geographical area, the use of technology is not only convenient, but necessary.
Recently, I was involved in a conference call with a German company that created a computer program that would allow us to streamline information from one source, instead of the several sources currently being used. We are tasked with the decision as to whether this tool is worth the investment. Being connected to this company in Germany via a web conference, they made their presentation while we were sitting in our conference room in Pennsylvania is exciting. In the past, prior to the advancements in technology, a meeting such as this would have been expensive and time consuming. It would have required either us to travel to Germany for the demonstration or for them to travel to Pennsylvania, However, with a few web conferences with the leaders of the company in Germany, we were able to make the decision to move forward with the purchase of the progam they offered.
Even with the great advancements in technology, the leader is still tasked with embracing diversity, ensuring employee work/ life balance, and directing the activities that will assist the organization in achieving their goals.
References:
http://www.ukessays.com/essays/business/will-the-new-technologies-affect-leadership-and-leaders-business-essay.php#ixzz43TRoEPQ2
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt1ch3.html
Matthew says
When I read the title of this blog, I had to check it out because of my curiosity of why our world is shrinking. It was clear to me from paragraph one why our world is shrinking: technology. I agree with you when you say, “technology is not only convenient, but necessary” – as this applies to multiple fields including the health system which you mentioned. The understanding I have from your blog is that our world is shrinking not in a negative way, but in means that compared to the past, technology gives us the illusion that we live in a small world because of the ability to visually communicate with people from half way across the world.
Your blog relates to a topic within the #PSYCH485 course commentary that focuses on geographically dispersed teams. “With globalization and the changing nature of work, virtual teams are being used in many organizations.” (Lesson 9, p. 9). It is exciting to hear your experience with being a part of a geographically dispersed team, as I have not yet been involved in such a team where I had the opportunity to be engaged in a web conference with employees in another country.
I found through research that in order to have a successful geographically dispersed team, there should be a great amount of professional self-motivation, communication, results-driven behavior, and the ability to be open and honest. These four key factors make sense to me, because when you are not able to travel back and forth between organizations in different countries every day, you have to have a solid foundation to base your company off of.
References:
Mind Tools Editorial Team. Managing a Geographically Dispersed Team. Retrieved on March 20, 2016 from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMM_40.htm/.
Pennsylvania State University (2016). Leadership in Work Settings—PSYCH 485. Online course lesson. Penn State World Campus. The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved March 20, 2016 from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp16/psych485/002/content/09_lesson/09_page.html.