Abstract
The case study analysis is focused on selecting the best career option for Alan Wilson. The purpose is to choose the option that is most beneficial to make a difference. Although accepting the offer to work for Grepter in Zurich Alan acts rationally, this choice is most efficient to develop his potential for performing as a global leader in the future.
Introduction
The desire to make a difference is characteristic of good leaders who are oriented to applying their value systems and visions in the workplace to promote the organizational development (Wibbeke, 2013). Alan Wilson is described as a passionate leader committed to making a difference, but he is rather conservative and accurate in evaluating outcomes and making decisions (Stevenson, 2008). In spite of the fact that Alan aims to make an influential difference and affect the community through his activities, as it was also claimed by his mother, the man should choose a traditional but challenging path of moving to Zurich to work for Grepter in the new environment.
The Career to Choose to Make the Difference
The reason for staying with Grepter is based on the close analysis of proposed alternatives in terms of their perspectives for Alan to realize his potential as a leader having the active social position and vision. On the one hand, Shiori’s proposition to work together to help the populations of the Third World countries is directly linked to Alan’s desire to realize his social potential and make something meaningful while following his mother’s words about the difference (Stevenson, 2008). In this case, the expected social outcomes are the biggest ones. Alan’s cultural background can also be applied to choosing this option as providing more benefits to affect the situation in the world (By, Burnes, & Oswick, 2012, p. 2). On the other hand, the working process in such company includes problematic tasks of creating the network, finding partners, attracting investors, and conducting business negotiations. Leaders are expected to be motivated only by their vision and goals to achieve concrete results. The work with Karl in the hedge fund is also a bad choice because the actual goal of this fund is to make profits even while proclaiming significant values.
From this point, the work for Grepter in Zurich provides Alan with opportunities to realize his leadership potential and address different cultures and people. Learning how to work in two different countries and taking higher positions in Grepter, Alan will receive more impact on the community while promoting social responsibility programs in Zurich and the US company’s departments (Caligiuri & Tarique, 2009). Thus, Alan can use his cultural background and experience to promote the difference globally while taking slow, reasoned steps. In this case, he will not compromise his friends’ visions, and his impact on the followers will be high.
References to Experts’ Arguments
The experts’ opinions on the career choice support the idea that staying with Grepter can provide Alan with many opportunities to realize his potential and address both monetary and social goals. Laura Scher states that the choice of the right option depends on the evaluation of all alternatives in terms of their correlation with Alan’s vision and social goals. In Zurich, Alan can demonstrate his power in relation to promoting social visions (Stevenson, 2008). Daniel Vasella actively supports accepting the offer to continue working in Grepter. The author’s arguments regarding future possibilities for creating partnerships with Grepter to produce drugs for the poor are important to demonstrate the variety of social options in this position. Christina Jones also openly supports the choice of Grepter, and her argument regarding accumulating efforts while working for the company to create a social enterprise is one more perspective from which the option advantages can be discussed (Stevenson, 2008). Barbara Franklin is the only expert who supports Shiori’s proposition, but the expert also views it as an opportunity to realize Alan’s social ambitions in the future.
The arguments formulated by Vasella are most in line with the discussed choice for Alan because Vasella explains how Grepter’s offer can be beneficial for Alan to address his professional goals and social visions in simple and logical terms. According to Vasella, Alan should not reject his ideas regarding the social mission and making a difference. In other words, Alan should adapt the opportunities provided by his position in Zurich to his needs and aspirations (Groves & LaRocca, 2011). Alan can work with diverse people, initiate social projects, and develop the social responsibility strategy in the company to produce high-quality goods. In global leadership, the idea of making a difference is important because global leaders are those persons who can apply the advantages of various strategies to the diverse context and achieve high results (Caligiuri & Tarique, 2012, p. 613). It is expected that global leaders are high-class administrators and motivators who can stimulate the diverse people to implement and accept the change.
Conclusion
In order to respond to the personal desire to make a difference and realize the social potential, Alan should start from the new position in the organization because he knows its principles of work and can adapt them to his goals. In Grepter, Alan has more opportunities to become an influential leader. Therefore, Alan can start his social path while developing the experience of working in the new and diverse environment of Zurich.
References
By, R. T., Burnes, B., & Oswick, C. (2012). Change management: Leadership, values and ethics. Journal of Change Management, 12(1), 1-5.
Caligiuri, P., & Tarique, I. (2009). Predicting effectiveness in global leadership activities. Journal of World Business, 44(3), 336-346.
Caligiuri, P., & Tarique, I. (2012). Dynamic cross-cultural competencies and global leadership effectiveness. Journal of World Business, 47(4), 612-622.
Groves, K. S., & LaRocca, M. A. (2011). An empirical study of leader ethical values, transformational and transactional leadership, and follower attitudes toward corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 103(4), 511-528.
Stevenson, H. (2008). How to change the world. Harvard Business Review, 86(1), 29–39.
Wibbeke, E. (2013). Global business leadership. Oxford, UK: Elsevier.