International Management Development in the 1990s

Some firms are shifting towards a transnational approach to international business. Their success will depend on the firm′s ability to foster “networks of opportunity” in the organisation, and on developing a new mind‐set among managers that encourages them to think outside the constraints of where they have been before and to look beyond conventional boundaries. In the transnational firm, management development and organisation development go hand‐in‐hand. The firm′s international management development policy will not be effective unless it has created the right environment. Developing international managers calls for a multifaceted approach that builds on both on‐the‐job development and off‐the‐job education.