Designing the Global Corporation

The author of this work explains how business executives can match a company's strengths and strategies with organizational design options to operate successfully in the global market.

For years now, the ubiquitous business watchword has been "keep it simple." But as more and more businesses go global, keeping things simple for customers becomes increasingly complex. Managers must find new ways to deliver solutions—not just stand-alone products—to customers who expect seamless integration no matter where in the world they may be. This book gives readers the skills they need to master this new global complexity and retain their competitive advantage.
Written by an internationally recognized leader in organizational design, Designing the Global Corporation helps companies identify the specific "level of internationalization" they are engaged in, from simply exporting product to managing multiple units that develop and sell product worldwide. It details the methods leading companies at various levels of globalization are using to build their business worldwide. These methods address the myriad issues that confront the modern multinational—issues defined by emerging geopolitical realities, the transformation and convergence of industries, and the strategic selection of new localities. Taken together, these methods form a framework that corporate executives, global strategists, and regional managers can use to create organizational designs that will work best for them given their company's own unique position.
Based on twenty five-years of research with companies around the world, Designing the Global Corporation is the most comprehensive guide to creating organizations that can successfully compete in the global arena. It is the only book that presents solutions for both single businesses and multibusiness corporations, for both transnational and international divisions, and for beginning and experienced global managers alike.


If there's anything more challenging than designing a company, it's designing a global company. Balancing strategy and structure becomes even more daunting when geography, foreign governments, and worldwide customers and products are thrown into the mix. And no single design works for all organizations. In this book, internationally recognized expert Jay Galbraith shows companies how to match their own strengths and strategies with proven design options. Whether they're exporting their first product or already operating around the world, Galbraith gives companies the information they need to build flexible, global networks. And through real-world examples, he shows how successful international businesses are already navigating the global environment.