Page 53 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

The Effects of Globalization on Morale 33

Here’s the mind flip: 15 years ago business leaders assumed
that in the 21st century Japan would be running the show. After
all, the Japanese had perfected a business model that American

companies were trying to emulate right and left. Now, fast-for-
ward 15 years and—my, oh my, what a difference a few years
can make! Today Japanese companies are trying to imitate
their American rivals instead!

So what’s going on? It’s called the Americanization of the
world and there are lots of examples to point to. Just take a
look at all of the worldwide professional consultancy firms, like
accounting and investment banking. The strongest global fran-
chises belong to companies that have strong franchises in the

U.S., like Ernst & Young and Deloitte & Touche. And it’s no
secret that American companies like Morgan Stanley and
Goldman Sachs control the majority of the world’s transactions
when it comes to mergers and acquisitions. The message is
this: if you’re not strong in the U.S., it’s tough to be strong any-

where else.
In short, to obtain a strong presence in the global market-
place, you simply must be a strong player in America. It’s
almost impossible to have a strong presence in other parts of
the world if your company isn’t strong economically in the U.S.

This isn’t to say that managers should worry only about
strengthening business in the U.S. It just points to the fact that
what we’re partially experiencing during this globalization
process is the Americanization of the world economy. And that’s

something managers of companies large and small should be
cognizant of.

Morale at the Speed of Change

A powerful global transformation has begun. Primarily due to
the Internet, managers are discovering and inventing new ways

to share their knowledge, hope, and enthusiasm with their
employees at incredible speed. As a result, managers are get-
ting smarter faster.