Global Management Skills and Attributes for International Business

With the continuing growth of globalization, companies need to pay particular attention when selecting, and subsequently managing those who may become their “Global Managers”. The need for developing a cadre of global managers, who are capable of working in key international positions wherever the companies require them, has been on the rise but widely debated and documented. The most advantageous way to achieve this is by coming up with a clear and concise concept as to what constitutes such a manager. Therefore, using a qualitative methodology with 13 global managers, this study provides an examination of a wide set of possible characteristics that are used by successful global managers.The qualitative study of expatriates concludes with significant findings and characteristics that are common to all successful international managers. At a minimum, we find that global managers should possess the desire for continuous learning and the ability to effectively deal with whatever obstacles may arise within the organization, while functioning with intense competition in order to attain the common goals of the firm. The findings, suggestions, limitations of the study, and recommendations for effective international management are provided