In today’s global marketplace it has become common for organizations to establish employee groups around the world to access diverse skill sets, a low-cost workforce and round-the-clock business hours. However, companies are faced with the challenge of managing global teams and issues around different cultures and time zones. Best Practices®, LLC’s timely study identifies how leading organizations efficiently manage their global operations. Executives can use this study to compare their current virtual team management strategies with that of benchmarked practices and thereby enhance the performance of their global team networks.

1. Building Global Capability
Creating and Maintaining Effective Global Teams
Strategic Benchmarking Research, Analysis & Recommendations
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2. Table of Contents
Project Overview
Key Insights
Why companies establish global teams
How companies measure progress toward globalization
Tools and practices that accelerate progress
Practices that facilitate working with other cultures, time zones and workplaces
How progress of individual global teams is measured
Top improvement objectives for global teams
Key lessons learned for managing global teams
The biggest pitfalls to avoid
Detailed Findings
Appendix
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3. Project Methodology and Study Objectives
As the building blocks of global organizations, virtual teams can provide a company
access to diverse skill sets and expertise, knowledge and wisdom about emerging
markets, and round-the-clock business hours for efficiency. However, effectively
managing these dispersed teams requires overcoming difficult hurdles.
Primary research was conducted through an online survey instrument.
This benchmarking study aims to explore tools and techniques that
companies use to function effectively on a global basis and to improve
the performance of their global teams and networks.
Building a Global Organization
Tools & Techniques to Help People Work Together
Innovative Practices & Insights
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4. Participating Companies
Fifty-nine representatives from 56 companies participated in this research. Respondents
have an average of 11 years of experience in working with global teams or in helping
people work better together globally.
Amos Laycock
Consulting
Ansell Services
(Asia) Sdn Bhd
Maruti Udyog Ltd
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5. One-Third of Employees Work on a Global Team
On average, more than one-third of employees work on at least one global team. At 25
percent of companies surveyed, 60 to 100 percent of employees work on global teams.
Q5. What percentage of the total number of employees work on at least one global team?
Employees
75th Percentile 50%
Mean 34%
Median 20%
25th Percentile 10%
(n=53)
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6. Global Teams Help Achieve Operational Excellence
Nearly half of participants' goals or objectives in setting up global teams involve achieving
global operational excellence. Improving global integration and collaboration, establishing
a global customer focus, and facilitating corporate growth are additional goals of
beginning global teams initiatives.
Q7. Please describe the top three goals or objectives in setting up global teams at your company.
1. Global Operational Excellence 49%
2. Improve Global Collaboration/
25%
Integration
Other:
3. Establish Global Customer Focus 11% • Global innovation
• Response to
Facilitate Corporate Growth 10% government initiatives
• Safety
Other 6% • Sustainability
% of Responses
(n=171)
*Respondents shared up to three goals. The total n reflects number of responses.
“By establishing global teams, we can ensure the 'voice' of the geographic region is
“By establishing global teams, we can ensure the 'voice' of the geographic region is
accounted for. We depend on this global resource to help us understand the implications of
accounted for. We depend on this global resource to help us understand the implications of
change from a global perspective.”
change from a global perspective.” -- Manager, Organizational Development
Manager, Organizational Development
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7. Lack of Common Processes Sets Back Effort
No dominant front-runner emerges for practices or tools that impede progress toward
becoming global, suggesting there are many places to misstep. Processes, cultural
training, and leadership are key areas to monitor for issues that set back efforts.
Q12. What are three practices, tools, or techniques, if any, that did not work to accelerate your
progress or that set back the effort toward becoming a global organization?
“We talked about being a global
“We talked about being a global
1. Complicated, Disparate organization and did not act it for way
organization and did not act it for way
29%
Processes too long. As a result, there is a lot of
too long. As a result, there is a lot of
pessimism and distrust that hold global
pessimism and distrust that hold global
2. Poor Leadership/Buy-in 23% teams back from operating more
teams back from operating more
effectively.”
effectively.”
3. Lack of Cultural
22% -- Manager, Organizational Development
Manager, Organizational Development
Orientation/Training
Organizational Other:
22%
Design/Accountability/Alignment • Country P&L
• Explore the opportunity
• FDA audits
Other 5%
• Financial constraints
% of Responses • Internal company information
(n=110)
*Respondents shared up to three tools. The total n reflects number of responses.
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8. Global Teams Achieving Successes in Many Areas
In addition to productivity, communication and alignment successes, participants
celebrate achievements in building competencies through development and increasing
engagement through talent management and team building.
Q24. Given your progress in achieving your improvement objectives, where have you had the
greatest success?
• Entire global teams following same process
• Engaging staff and entry
• Genuinely implementing a global best practice
level positions
• Improved quality levels in the manufacturing organization
• Joining teams together Increased
behind common goal
Increased • Meeting goals and objectives on time, on budget
• Talent management breaking Productivity
Productivity • Service delivery and service capability expansion
• Understanding customer and speed of response
down traditional barriers
• Fostering relationships with global
More
More Better Comm./
Better Comm./ execution unit employees
Engagement/
Engagement/ Knowledge
Knowledge • Global teams using same language
Motivation
Motivation Greatest Sharing
Sharing • Integrated schedule
• One system of operation
Success • Tools implemented globally to
ensure sharing, collaboration
Goals/
Goals/
Building
Building Objectives
Objectives • Establishing solid objectives tied to
Competencies
Competencies business performance goals
Alignment
Alignment • Formation of cross-functional
• Development, delivery of training programs leadership team of the VPs responsible
• Recognition by international professional association for global SG&A functions
• Sharing practices within similar industries
*Summary of verbatim responses 8
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9. About Best Practices, LLC
Best Practices, LLC is a research and consulting firm that conducts work based on the
simple yet profound principle that organizations can chart a course to superior economic
performance by studying the best business practices, operating tactics, and winning
strategies of world-class companies.
Best Practices, LLC
6350 Quadrangle Drive, Suite 200
Chapel Hill, NC 27517
www.best-in-class.com
For more information contact:
Best Practices, LLC
919-403-0251
bestpractices@best-in-class.com
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Copyright © Best Practices®, LLC BEST PRACTICES,
®
LLC