Coca-Cola is one of the most well-known and profitable global corporations. Coca-Cola beverages are being sold all over the world, and the company is considered one of the most successful businesses. Such favorable outcomes and high incomes are linked to effective global cross-cultural practices and beneficial international management strategies. Since Coca-Cola is a global supplier, leaders have to take into consideration every aspect of international trade, conflicts, and possible difficulties.
It is necessary to make sure that the corporation’s leaders are proficient when it comes to avoiding and solving problems that may affect the company’s outcomes. This would build a strong foundation for mitigating and eradicating possible issues inside and outside the corporation. Therefore, the solution is implementing a program to train leaders, build trust, and handle certain conflicts for the benefit of the entire organization.
The Foundation and Key Events of the Program
The program will evaluate and provide valuable tools for the leaders that they will be able to use in their professional environments. Global leaders encounter multiple difficulties when it comes to solving and mitigating problems within the Coca-Cola corporation. It is important for them to have the knowledge and skills to objectively look at the issues and find a favorable solution that would not jeopardize the organization.
This is why implementing a specialized program aimed to assist global leaders will be necessary to improve the theoretical and practical skills leaders have in dealing with conflicts that affect the company on multiple levels. The program is divided into multiple events, and each of them has a particular purpose of helping the participants. The strategy is to have an intensive week-long program. Furthermore, it will be followed up by monthly meetings and a support line that would provide further assistance and help for the global leaders and top managers who encounter conflicts and look for ways to deal with them in an effective manner.
Week-long Training Session for the Global Leaders
The week-long training session is the beginning of the program. This intense course is designed to allow the professionals who are responsible for the program to assess the leaders’ skills and examine the situation that Coca-Cola is currently experiencing as a corporation. According to experts, the duration of the initial implementation is highly effective (Columbia University, 2021). While the program starts with a week-long training session, the intensity of the course will allow leaders to show their strong points and discover new strategies that will be useful in their professional settings.
Moreover, it will allow the managers to be fully immersed in the process of examining themselves and how they can contribute to the organization (Columbia University, 2021). The course consists of two separate parts. The first goal is to train the leaders in regards to the essential aspects of global conflict management, while the second aim is to assess the leaders’ demonstrations of the skills and experience they have already acquired (Campbell, 2018). This will benefit not only the participants but also the company as a whole.
Monthly Meetings
After the intensive one-week program where participants will be able to gain new knowledge, it is crucial to continue the progress by having monthly meetings. The follow-ups are designed to examine the knowledge and the actions leaders take in terms of dealing with emerging conflicts in a favorable way. It is also an excellent way for global leaders to share their experiences and provide their peers with objective information that has helped them mitigate global management issues in the past. The invited professionals will share helpful information, which will then be used among employees within their own departments.
During the monthly meetings, it is crucial for the invited experts to discuss common mistakes. Learning about specific strategies and ways to mitigate conflicts by listening to experts is a more promising strategy than inefficiently solving the issues and causing adverse outcomes for Coca-Cola. Moreover, such meetings will have the vital role of providing support for the leaders. Global leaders would benefit from being able to talk about issues and problems in a safe environment where they will receive much-needed guidance and support.
Support Line
As mentioned before, global leaders need support mechanisms due to the highly stressful work environments and the critical decisions they have to make. This is why a unique support line can help mitigate the problem. The Coca-Cola Company’s leaders and top managers will have a special line designed to be used during crisis moments, stressful situations, and uncertain decision-making processes. The line can be critical when the global leaders have a dilemma in regards to handling a global conflict. The experts on the line can assess the issue objectively, give advice, or reassure the leaders that their decision is favorable. Moreover, mitigating a global conflict is a stressful situation that can negatively impact the leaders and create emotional stress. A support line will be the tool they use to reassure their decisions or receive helpful advice. This will positively impact the effectiveness and minimize adverse outcomes that occur due to irrational strategies.
The Training Program’s Topics
As mentioned before, the training program aims to support, guide, and give global management leaders knowledge and skills to deal with conflicts and specific problems that may affect the Coca-Cola company. Moreover, there are several aspects that will create a favorable environment in which managers will be able to communicate, share experiences, and receive answers. To make the course effective, it is important to discuss and address several points that occur during crisis situations. It is also essential to build an effective interconnected system in which the leaders are open to have conversations and find practical solutions to global conflicts that adversely impact the organization.
Establishing Cognitive Trust
A vital topic that has to be addressed upon implementing the training program for global leaders is establishing trustworthy relationships within the organization’s environment. Leaders will not objectively share expertise and take helpful advice if the communication is not built on trust and understanding. According to researchers, the cognitive organizational trust may be defined as a sense of belief in the knowledge, skills, and functional competence that global leaders have towards their colleagues (Nielsen & Lyndgaard, 2020). Leaders who know that they are surrounded by the professionals who are well-skilled, when it comes to mitigating conflicts are more likely to apply the received advice within their own professional settings.
Moreover, viewing colleagues as reliable sources of information creates an effective environment where each professional can openly discuss issues and ask for reliable advice without having doubts regarding the efficacy of the procedure. This is why it is vital for the program to focus on this particular topic. The level of trust among the organizational leaders can be improved by proving the presence of skills, knowledge, and experience in regard to each participant. Individuals will be able to examine their colleagues as experts and realize that their advice is based on a deep understanding of the issue and the desire to help.
Establishing the Ability to Solve Relational and Task-Related Conflicts
One of the premises that the program relies on is establishing the ability to solve relational and task-related conflicts. Even the most competent and experienced leaders may find difficulties when it comes to dealing with conflicts. The issues may occur within the Coca-Cola company as rivalry between departments or different branches. Moreover, problems may occur on a task-related level in case individuals disagree on a specific goal or a strategy that can help achieve the said objective. This is why one of the program’s topics is associated with giving leaders tools and information regarding the mitigation of such conflicts. Experts will go into detail and discuss the multiple problems that may occur on the organizational level.
Furthermore, each possible conflict will be addressed, and specific instructions will be discussed regarding dealing with such issues. Leaders will examine previous situations and ways in which managers have dealt with them, discuss the conflicts that their colleagues are currently trying to minimize, and simulate situations in which they will be able to practically apply their knowledge. Such methods will improve the theoretical skills of the global leaders, which will then be used to solve practical disagreements within the organization and lead to favorable outcomes for the Coca-Cola company.
References
Campbell, A. H. (2018). Global leadership initiatives for conflict resolution and peacebuilding. IGI Global.
Columbia University. (2021). Kent global leadership program on conflict resolution. Columbia SIPA. Web.
Nielsen, R. K., & Lyndgaard, D. B. (2020). Grasping global leadership – tools for “next practice.” Confederation of Danish Industry.