Case Summary

Eunice Lee struggles to adapt to her new work environment in Zurich. Cybot delivers on what it offered; a multi-cultural team, swanky new offices, opportunities to put her own stamp on things, they even prioritised an inclusive work culture offering various activities such as Lunch and Meet, the Alumni, a mentoring programme and other cultural events not to mention language classes. As a native Singaporean Eunice was used to working and living in a multinational environment, outwardly there was no reason to complain as she was not discriminated because of her different background, or gender, religion or skin colour.

As a leading cyber risk organisation, Cybot needs to be on top of its game to grow and expand the business, at present its main clients are spread across Europe, and the US and the company hope to go into the Asian market in the near future. Like most innovative companies today, Cybot`s workforce reflects its diverse customer base, primed to increase customer satisfaction and sales.

The case study serves as a discussion on the need for a global mindset, the role of inclusion and diversity, and the challenge of settling into a new work environment. Andreas, the CEO, was personally keen to establish a work environment of involvement, respect, and connection, as the old adage says - when everyone contributes the sum of the whole is greater than the individual. He had zeroed in on Eunice after she gave a powerful presentation to the cyber community in San Francisco, she impressed with her energy, her resolve and pragmatic approach to problem-solving. He interviewed her over a cup of coffee in the hotel lobby after the conference, she had no inkling she was been vetted for a job in Zurich. A few months into the assignment Eunice is not sure she has made the right choice; should she give Switzerland another go or return home.

Discussion Questions for Chapter 3 Case Study:

1. Choosing the right person in the first place is key to the success of an overseas assignment. Does Eunice have a global mindset? Use the list of leadership competencies by Bird and Osland (2004) as a basis for your answer.

2. Identify and evaluate the effectiveness of some of the diversity and inclusion tools mentioned in the case.

3. Roche CEO Severin Schwan said about diversity and inclusion, I believe that diversity of people enhances innovation. The different ways of thinking foster creativity. But just having diversity is not enough. We have to embrace and appreciate each others diversity to translate it into novel ideas thats why the inclusion of people is so important. Comment.