Global Mindset—Find out the Diversity Bug

You may hear or see the term of Global Mindset on campus or website of Thunderbird a bit. You probably know what it is about. The concept of Global Mindset actually is based on the research led by Dr. Mansour Javidan, the Director of the Garvin Center for Cultures and Languages of International Management. Eight Thunderbird faculty members, including Dr. Javidan, Dr. Angel Cabrera, Dr. Mary Teagarden, Dr. Olufemi Babarinde, Dr. Karen Walch, Dr. Chris Pearson, Dr. Debbie Himsel, Dr. Jutta Ulrich, Dr. David Bowen and Dr. Nandani Lynton, worked together and concluded the differences between T-birds and other MBA students, which is the global mindset.

“Global Mindset is a confluence of attributes that enables an individual to influence individuals, groups, and or organizations in different social/cultural systems.” Dr. Javidan said. There was a two-day conference co-chaired by Dr. Javidan and Dr. Teagarden on campus on November 10-12. The best professors and researchers in this field came together to share and to discuss the concept. One presentation made by professors of Columbia University was the literature review of the related topics. They commented that there was no paper addressing the emotional attribute, such as passion, about the Global Mindset, which is very interesting to learn from Thunderbird’s global mindset report.

Dr. Javidan is very interested in the fact that some executives have the difficulty to deal with people from different cultures or backgrounds. Thus, he and other seven faculty members in Thunderbird conducted a series of the literature review and in-depth interviews among T-bird alumni and faculties across 20 cities of the world. After the project GLOBE, this is another milestone of cross cultural study. It sounds to me that GLOBE is a hard drive containing various information while Global Mindset plays a role as the microprocessor.

“Diversity Bug” (DB) is another interesting finding from this research. “The excitement and the thirst to work with diversified people, a great deal of the emotion, is something we found for our grounded theory.” Dr. Javidan said that we T-bird have this bug inserted in our head. That’s why we are so different from other MBA students. “Many T-birds have DBs but may not be aware of it. They may not be passionate yet curious about it. Through their experience in Thunderbird, the bugs are developed.” At the first stage, the implementation of the global mindset can start from the marketing. “It can do a better job to help us connect to the right prospective students. We shouldn’t market our MBA program like others do.” Dr. Javidan told me.

“We need to spread the word out.” So far, the school introduces the global mindset during the hospitality weekend, foundation week, and cross-cultural communication course. “The global mindset is to excite those people with DB and to make those without DB understand.” It will also create a stage for them to improve the content of the program. “For current students, the global mindset is shaping piece by piece. At the end, it will be in place.” As a ready-to-be alumnus, I am interested in what global mindset may help me. Dr. Javidan told me that the global mindset is a powerful tool for alumni to connect to the right people and to provide consistent and supportive information to communicate with our colleagues, employers, and prospective students. Each of us is an ambassador to Thunderbird. The global mindset is easier for us to elaborate what T-bird is all about. “You need to continue feeding and nurturing your DB.”

The next step of the global mindset is to identify those non T-birds whether have DBs or not. Are they successful because of the global mindset or else? Dr. Javidan plans to invite international HR executives for a HR summit and interview them to have stronger grounded theory in late April or early May. “How can Thunderbird help them? We want to propose to them to join us.” Dr. Javidan emphasized.

“To those with the DB, Thunderbird is your natural home!” Dr. Javidan said.

To read more about the global mindset, please see: http://www.thunderbird.edu/about_us/thunderbird_news/front-page-news/global-mindset.htm