Global by Birth or Necessity

Born in Frankfurt of Iranian parents, Navid received his high school education in Germany. After studies in London, he started to work for a UK-based global company, where he mainly served clients in Southern Europe. While he was very successful, he knew that in his job he was not expressing his full potential.

Navid's story illustrates what is called the Third Culture Kid (TCK) concept: as a child he spent his formative years outside his parental culture, and then moved to England for his higher education, and picked up elements of a third culture, which turned him into a global cosmopolitan. The identity horizon of cosmopolitans transcends conventional local boundaries. By constantly commuting between countries they lead truly transnational lives.

Alongside global cosmopolitans, we can observe an increasing number of people who identify as 'biculturals'. Biculturals are individuals who have deeply socialized in more than one culture. Within this category there are immigrants, children of immigrants, and individuals whose parents are from two different cultural heritages. According to a OECD study, around 20% of fifteen-year-olds have at least one parent born abroad (2009 data covering its 34 member countries). Which means that one in five people in the globalized world is currently developing a non-conventional cultural identity – that is, a bicultural or multicultural one.

In an era where global vision and cross-cultural skills are critical for business success, people with multicultural upbringings can make the difference. Since they are multilingual and internationally experienced, they have unique abilities that enable them to function more effectively in a global business environment. They are innately culturally intelligent. Due to their familiarity with multiple cultural frameworks, they are able to switch frames of mind across various cultural contexts more easily. They are aware of what's distinctively, but are able see beyond the local interes. Cosmopolitans move ideas from country to country, and are capable of integrating global activities. The capacity to adapt to change and complexity comes naturally to them.

The question whether this skills and competencies can also be learned by monoculturals. Managers for instance can become multiculturals through expatriate assignments, as they immerse in the local hosting cultures. But the experience of just "being there" is not enough: they have to internalize the values and norms of other cultures, and become able to exhibit authentic, i.e. culturally relevant, behavior. This comes through a process of true reflection and adaptation of one's own attitudes and values at a deeper level, something which Hyun-Jung Lee calls "identity negotiation".

However global work is not limited to those who traverse geographical boundaries. Today there are growing numbers of managers exposed to foreign clients, colleagues and cultures, through virtual projects or global team collaboration. Rather than physically, they have to relocate psychologically, to be able to cross mental boundaries.

In whatever forms of global work managers might be involved, they are increasingly likely to have to go through identity negotiation, which means questioning their own identity systems and experimenting with new ones. This is a continuous process of observing and reflecting on the meaning of new experiences, and eventually incorporating new ways of doing and being into one's life.

We know that cosmopolitan managers can make a huge, positive difference to the success of global innovation processes, and they can give rise to new global corporate cultures. But do organizations really identify these distinctive skills? Do they leverage the full potential of cosmopolitan individuals? Do they understand the needs of employees with multiple cultural identities? Global cosmopolitans want the opportunity to use their capabilities and knowledge to create meaningful careers, they want to leave their mark. If they feel cut off from their deeper dreams, abilities and global experiences, they will simply leave the job.

This is what Navid did. He decided to quit his well-paid job in London to follow his aspirations and global vision. He now works as the managing director of a social enterprise in South Africa.