Transforming executives into corporate diplomats: The power of global pro bono service

This article makes a case for the use of diplomacy in corporate management and examines how a growing number of companies are developing their leaders’ diplomatic skills through global pro bono service. The environment today confronts executives with complex economic, political, social, and environm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inOrganizational dynamics Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 235 - 245
Main Authors Mirvis, Philip H., Hurley, Stephen T., MacArthur, Amanda
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Elsevier Inc 01.07.2014
Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects
Corporate management
Diplomacy
Diplomatic & consular services
Diplomats
Environmental issues
Executives
Governance
Intelligence
Management theory
Management training
Markets
NGOs
Nongovernmental organizations
Power
Pro bono services
Skill development
Small business
Studies
Teams
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Summary:This article makes a case for the use of diplomacy in corporate management and examines how a growing number of companies are developing their leaders’ diplomatic skills through global pro bono service. The environment today confronts executives with complex economic, political, social, and environmental issues involving multiple and competing interests. These issues call for diplomatic solutions which sometime take the form of multi-stakeholder and multi-sector governance. To develop the requisite diplomatic know-how, companies are sending teams of executives to emerging markets to work with NGOs (non-governmental organizations) or small businesses to address complex problems. The authors, all contributors to various global service programs, provide an inside look at how these programs operate and document how they can expand an executive's cultural intelligence and capacities to operate diplomatically in the global business environment.
ISSN:0090-2616
1873-3530
DOI:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2014.08.010