Centre for Global Workforce Strategy
Director:
- D. C. Thomas
- BSc (Appalachian State), MBA (N Carolina), PhD (S Carolina)
- Tel: 778.782.6796
- Fax: 778.782.5122
- Administrator: Joanne Kim
- joanne_kim@sfu.ca
Economic integration, the increased use and sophistication of information technology, and the introduction of new players on the international stage are creating a more complex and dynamic work environment than ever before. While the direction of these changes seems clear, the rate of change is uncertain and accelerating dramatically. It is often difficult to separate the causes of this globalization from its effects, but one outcome is apparent: an increasingly tight labour market and an ageing work force combined with the reduction in boundaries to migration means a work force that is increasingly culturally diverse. Leading companies have recognized that cultural diversity is not just a problem to be overcome but also a resource to be exploited to the benefit of the bottom line. In addition, the competition for skilled people on a global scale is intense and new attitudes toward work and careers present additional challenges about work-life balance, which further complicates the strategic management of today’s workforce.
The Centre for Global Workforce Strategy will carry out multidisciplinary research on issues surrounding effective work force management strategies. It will initially consolidate the activities of three ongoing multinational research projects. The first project, The Cultural Intelligence Project, involves participants from 12 countries in defining, developing, and validating an instrument to measure Cultural Intelligence – the measure of an individual’s ability to interact effectively with the cultural aspects of an environment. It is a key competency requirement for the management of cultural diversity. The second project is Canadian participation in Cranet (the Cranfield Network on Comparative Human Resource Management). Established in 1989, Cranet is an expanding group of top business schools and academic institutions collaborating to provide unique and rigorous data on human resource management practices across the world. Researchers carry out a regular international survey of organizational policies and practices and provide benchmarks for a systematic comparative analysis of trends in HRM policies and practices. Cranet is a unique resource for researchers, management practitioners, and policy makers, seeking an up-to-date overview of HR management’s ever-changing global face. The third project involves the study of bicultural individuals in organizations. Given the changing patterns in the world’s workforce it is increasingly possible that more employees and managers will be bicultural. Bicultural individuals have a dual pattern of identification with different cultures. The ability of biculturals to operate within more than one culture as a native raises a number of interesting and important questions for global workforce management. As the Centre develops additional themes within the overall mandate of the Centre will be added.
Other Centre activities will include:
· Practitioner forums, media outreach, and academic conferences
· Publication in traditional scholarly venues
· Preparation and distribution of educational material for use by universities and professional associations
· Outreach and networking activities, such as the hosting conferences or public forums on topical subjects, and workshops to promote the activities and findings of the Centre to both academic and business audiences
· Regular offerings of professional development programs
The Centre for Global Workforce Strategy will be directed by Dr. David C. Thomas. An internationally acknowledged expert and leading scholar in the field of international management, he has published 8 books and more than 50 articles and chapters on the management of individuals in culturally diverse organizations. He received his PhD in Organizational Behaviour and International Business from the University of South Carolina. His research into the interaction of individuals from different cultures in organizational settings has led to research studies in more than a dozen countries, and he is currently directing an international research team in the development of a measure of 'Cultural Intelligence'. Dr. Thomas has a longstanding collaboration with Kerr Inkson, one of New Zealand's most eminent management scholars. Their best selling book Cultural Intelligence: People Skills for Global Business communicates best practices in global people management in manner easily accessible to practicing managers. His recent book with Sage Publications, Cross-Cultural Management: Essential Concepts was the winner of the book of the year award for 2008 by the Human Resources Development Association. In addition to his numerous research projects and teaching activities Dr Thomas is a highly sought after public speaker on the management of cultural diversity in organizations.
The collaborative and multidisciplinary research environment at Simon Fraser University will allow Dr. Thomas to build a strong team of researchers, drawing from the Faculty of Business Administration’s existing research expertise on global workforce management and from an extensive network of individuals associated with the ongoing research projects.