Knowledge Resource Centre

Redefining Global Strategy: Crossing Borders in a World Where Differences Still Matter

Pankaj Ghemawat

The idea of globalisation – that the world has developed into one unified society - has been used widely for at least two decades. Now, in Redefining Global Strategy, Pankaj Ghemawat presents data supporting the view that, in reality, globalisation has not and probably never will arrive. Instead, the author argues that we are today living in a ‘semi-globalised’ society. This means that there are important business strategic lessons to be learnt from companies such as Toyota, Procter & Gamble, IBM and GE Healthcare, who have all successfully managed regional and cultural differences in their international operations.

In his book, Ghemawat presents three management tools for navigating and succeeding in today’s complex semi-globalised landscape. With these tools, Ghemawat picks apart the ‘one-size-fits-all’ strategic approach that is an intrinsic part of globalisation. He clearly presents his redefined global business landscape, and, through case study analysis, demonstrates how companies can manage differences, whilst still profiting from the international economy.

The book covers four main areas:

• Assessing cultural, administrative, geographic, and economic differences
• Tracking the implications of border-crossing moves to create value
• Creating superior performance with strategies for adaptation, aggregation and arbitrage
• Real life case studies, revealing successes and failures in well known global businesses

By providing clear, understandable examples and usable advice on complex global issues, Redefining Global Strategy distils a wealth of information through theory based, demonstrable data and case study approaches to support a new view on semi-globalisation. 

For business leaders looking to understand and, importantly, make global business work for them, this book is a real find. It navigates deftly between rigid, global, blanket strategies on one side and country-specific, multinational, bespoke approaches on the other. Ghemawat shows how companies can assess and build knowledge for astute decisions before auctioning global business strategy. This book will prove a vital resource for businesses in the midst of, or contemplating, business across borders.