Global Mobility: Adapting For Future Change

Global mobility is undoubtedly an important feature of today’s workforce. Amidst fast-paced change and uncertainty, global mobility leaders must be more agile than ever. What does this mean for the future?

Annual research for The RES Forum involves its 1,500+ members from over 750 multinational organisations in more than 40 countries. Recent research shows that, in order to meet the demands of dynamic global organisations, a strategic advisor role is key within global mobility teams.

Achieving Operational Impact

The fast-changing world we are operating in means that global mobility must ensure that it has the operational impact it requires. Personnel Today reports that:

“Mobility leaders need to develop agility to align and support their business and HR strategies, to develop value and to adapt quickly to changing organisational needs.

“Technological advances, and the need for new skill sets and dynamic operating models, are all expressions of the rapid changes in the business environment. This makes it necessary to find feasible ways to adapt to them and to harness the opportunities for the organisation.

“Constantly changing requirements, which are already varying among different stakeholders, make it necessary to provide flexibility for international assignments.

“The data indicates that almost all mobility leaders feel that they need to be highly strategic and agile (94%). However, many thought there was still a substantial gap to achieving their vision – while the data for 2015 and 2018 shows that while many mobility leaders have worked towards becoming more strategic and agile, many are not there yet.”

Aligning HR and Global Mobility

Key to becoming more agile and creating better value is closer alignment with HR and business objectives. This means that global mobility professionals can assist with skills such as cultural integration, knowledge creation and transfer of work activities, for example. In this way, global mobility can underpin organisation-wide strategies and build mobility practices for the future that meet business requirements. This includes planning for crisis responses – to natural disasters, for example.

Personnel Today states: “Multi-nationals are embedded in massive change and are undertaking substantial internal transformations. Mobility departments and professionals need to understand and help shape these changes. Focusing on the purpose and experience of someone working abroad needs sensitive, sophisticated and agile treatment if both parties are to benefit.”