As part of every SAP Radio show wrap-up, the panelists predict how things will change five years into the future. For us, Bonnie asked, “What will the state of globalization be in business?” One of my predictions was that more young employees will have global exposure, through programs where they build schools in India, found clinics in Africa, or teach English in Japan or China. Companies will need to foster that global perspective instead of putting entry-level employees in a totally local bubble.

During the SAP Radio show, we talked about why strategic initiatives fail when being implemented, especially globally. Do cultural differences cause failure, or is it bad change management?

As I was completing my MBA earlier this year, I was shocked that so many of the manager-level jobs I interviewed for had no global perspective as part of the job description. In fact, at least one company (a very global one) told me that I wasn’t the right candidate because I was too focused on the global positioning of the company. It wasn’t relevant to the role.