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Display
Technologies
Building a Global Engineering Team
Vincent W. HowellProject Portfolio Manager
Institute of Industrial Engineers
2008 Annual Conference & Expo
Vancouver, BC, Canada
May 17-21, 2008
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Why is this topic important?
“The global work team is an emerging type of internal alliance. As the workforce isgoing global, such a team concept is quickly following suit. And with good reason:They can have a dramatic impact on an organization’s bottom line because theycapitalize on the expertise from a variety of people and offer companies a betterunderstanding of the needs of international customers.”
- Larraine Segil, Lared Group
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Abstract
As globalization becomes a reality, more and more companies are setting upinternational operations in which new divisions are built and staffed by localnationals. Whereas the norm in the past may have been to rely on a high number ofexpats, some studies show a reduction in that trend. Today, local engineeringgroups (industrial and manufacturing engineering) are being formed and trained for
the long-term operation of global manufacturing plants.
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Key questions arise as a company utilizes local talentto run international operations
• What must we understand about the local culture?
• How do we best recruit at local engineering colleges?
• How do we integrate diverse cultures?
• What are appropriate leadership strategies?
This presentation will address such questions from the perspective of anexpat who built an engineering team at Corning’s LCD glass substrateplants in Taiwan
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Agenda
• Corning Incorporated overview
• Strategy for building a global engineering organization
• How we built our global team
• Key lessons learned
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• Headquartered in Corning,New York
• 157 year old innovation leader in thearea of glass and ceramics
• 2007 Revenues: $5.86 billion
• Employees: approximately 25,000worldwide
• Research facilities inNorth America, Europe, and Asia
Corning Incorporated
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Electric lightbulb
Pyrex ® Glass
Telescope mirror
T.V. bulb
CorningWare ®
Housewares
Spacecraft windows
Optical Fiber
AMLCD glass substrate
A history of life-changing innovations
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Displays have been central to communicationsover the last 100 years
1 9 2 0 s
I n c r e a
s i n g C o m p l e x i t y
o f I n f o r m a t i o n
C o r n i n g
I n n o v a t i o n s
1 9 4 0 s
2 0 0 0 s
1 8 7 9
1 9 8 0 s
1 9 6 0 s
CRT Funnels Optical Fiber
Radio Black andWhite TV
High-DefinitionTV
AdvancedWireless Devices
Railroad Signals
AMLCD SubstratesHigh Temp Glass
Color TV
Vacuum Tube
Envelopes
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Corning Display Technologies is a global business,with manufacturing located close to our customers
Harrodsburg, KY, USACDT
Corning, NY, USACorning Incorporated
Corporate Headquarters
Gumi & Cheonan, KoreaSamsung Corning Precision
Shizuoka, JapanCorning Japan KK
Tainan & Taichung, TaiwanCDTT
Beijing, ChinaCDTC
Sakai City, Japan (Opening 2010)Corning Japan KK
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Background
• LCD panel / glass substrate market growth
• LCD substrate plant producing in Japan
• Growth in 1990s resulted in Samsung-Corning joint equity for LCD glass
– World-class plants now in Gumi and Cheonan, South Korea
• Market expansion in Taiwan in late 1990s and early 2000
– First LCD glass manufacturing plant set up in Tainan in 2000
– Market continues to grow, justifying expansion in Taichung
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Agenda
• Corning Incorporated overview
• Strategy for building a global engineering organization
• How we built our global team
• Key lessons learned
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Strategy for Expanding the Global Team
• Organization Mission:
– Deliver LCD glass finishing technology and processes
• Strategy:
– Expand the Division Engineering team into Taiwan
Result: A global team of engineers in US, Japan, and Taiwan
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CDT Engineering Organization Concept
Project ManagersMaintenance
ProjectIndustrial
Subject MatterExperts
ProcessProcess
EquipmentEquipment
Division Engineeringdisciplines
(Global Focus)
Plant Engineeringdisciplines
(Single plant focus)
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Agenda
• Corning Incorporated overview
• Strategy for building a global engineering organization
• How we built our global team
• Key lessons learned
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How we started
1. Understanding the culture
• Began to learn the language
• Learned how engineers are trained in the culture
• Gained insight into what engineers expect when they work for a global company
• Began to build the team in the context of a global culture
2. Kept an open mind
• There is no right or wrong, only differences
3. Defined the engineering requirements in the context of the broader organization,and in the context of local engineering perspectives
4. Worked with local HR groups and associates to understand “local” engineeringculture and how it compares to our company values
5. Worked with local HR leaders and consultants to define talent sources
• What methods work best in Taiwan?
• Agencies, recruiting fairs, universities, informal networks
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Understanding culture
• This starts on Day 1, and continues every day!
• Local / city / country culture
• Language
– Fluency is not the prerequisite; trying to learn, embracing is important
• Understand needs and expectations of the local engineering community
• Understand the educational system
– How engineering curriculums work and similarities to parent country location
• Within country companies leadership style?
– How are teams formed and what sustains them?
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Starting to build the team – the interview process
• Help future team members understand the company
– Global company may be different than local companies or other globaloperations where they previously worked
• Communicate the organization’s design. In our case, the division engineeringconcept was a new paradigm
• Look beyond skills and assess fit within the overall organization• Assess adaptability to a diverse work force
• Take your time – multi-lingual communication takes time and good listening skills
• Draw out dialogue and questions
• Look for non-verbal insights; intangibles
• Think long-term – “is this a future leader when the expats go home?”
• Assess fit within corporate values(this aids in understanding their new work environment)
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At Corning, our values are the historic strength of our company. They guide ourevery move, and continue to set us apart from other companies.
Build a solid foundation based on corporate values
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Building the team after the hiring process
• Plant / Business HR systems are critical
– Orientation plan, training plans, policies
• Emphasize face-to-face communication
– E-mail is OK, but understand you are dealing with a 2nd language
– If English is your primary language, understand “all English is not the same.”
• Provide communication that links the new team members to broader corporation• Hold regular team meetings
• Conduct hands-on, class room training for company “tool box”
• Adapt your listening to the new environment
– “You are not in Kansas anymore!”
– Listen, listen, listen!
• Mentor your new hires
• Organize team-building events
– My colleagues told me in Taiwan that eating together builds relationships
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Team building in the global context;Research says…
• In some cultures, strong alliances are not agreements. They are built on trust andunderstanding first. Without this, success is at risk.
• You must select the optimal cross-cultural team members. Success has beenunderpinned when the engineer chooses to join a cross cultural team.
• Willingness to learn about other cultures can be as important as the engineeringskill that is brought to the table.
From: Global Work Teams: A Cultural Perspective, Larraine Segil,PM Network, March 1999.
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Build a long-term talent pool through localengineering colleges and universities
• Global talent pool is tight in Taiwan, just as in many parts of the world
– Realize that some specific skills may be scarce
– Be open to developing skills in-house
• Understand in-country engineering curriculums (vs. home country location)
• Many new global operations look for experience, but for the long term, there isbenefit to establishing relationships with feeder organizations, like colleges
– Participate in career days
– Recruit at university career fairs
– Use these events to build your brand in-country
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What are the appropriate leadership strategies?
Results-oriented
Team oriented
Flexible, willing to listen, open
Adaptable to local culture
Leadership Strategies
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Agenda
• Corning Incorporated overview
• Strategy for building a global engineering organization
• What we did to build our global team
• Key lessons learned
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Summary: Lessons Learned
• Start with a strategy for the purpose of your global engineering organization
• Learn and understand the culture of your location
• Learn how engineers are educated and perform work in other regions
• Adapt your leadership style
• Build a solid foundation based on your corporate values
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