Concept-Oriented Research and Development in Information Technology

12

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally and Thinking Locally, Acting Globally

Cathy Lasser

IBM, Southbury, Connecticut, USA

Abstract

The imperatives for business success in the twenty-first century are moving and changing at an exponential rate. As the world gets smaller, a new landscape of increasingly interconnected enterprises, economies and consumers is giving rise to vast new challenges and tremendous opportunities. Globalization is not a trend, but, in fact, a condition of future success. The ability to see the world, and the world of business, differently can spark significant change and possibility for organizations. Through these ongoing changes, a new thought has emerged that we call glocalization. This is the idea that organizations need to think globally yet act locally and think locally and act globally. Glocalizaion is one way innovative leaders are leveraging differences, celebrating them and using them for the success of their organizations.

IBM's transformation into a globally integrated enterprise and the smarter planet initiatives are good examples of how to thrive in this ever-changing world. The author will use that experience to show how global and local thinking and applying research and technologies to that thinking create value for the enterprise. The belief that we've entered a new era of global integration has shaped IBM's strategy of ongoing, aggressive reinvention over the past decade [1].

12.1 Introduction

The values of IBMers drive all the work that ...