This document discusses developing global Asian leadership talent pipelines. It argues that while Asia is growing rapidly, few companies are focusing on developing Asian leadership talent. Regional human resources (HR) departments face challenges such as a lack of quality entry-level talent in some countries, company biases against developing local talent, and Asian employees lacking certain leadership skills. The document recommends four key roles for regional HR: 1) Being a trusted advisor to ensure Asian talent development remains a priority, 2) Advocating passionately for opportunities for Asian talent, 3) Marketing global roles to Asian talent as career-advancing, and 4) Continuously helping Asian talent develop necessary global leadership skills.

1. HumanCapitalInsightsInspiringPracticesForAsia,FromAsia
Human
Capital
Insights
Inspiring Practices For Asia, From Asia
Human Capital Leadership Institute
CapitalInsightsInspiringPracticesForAsia,FromAsia
Insights
Inspiring Practices For Asia, From Asia
Human Capital Leadership Institute
HumanCapitalInsightsInspiringPracticesForAsia,FromAsia
Human
Capital
Insights
Inspiring Practices For Asia, From Asia
Human Capital Leadership Institute

2. A Global Asian Talent Pipeline

3. 52
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A GLOBAL ASIAN TALENT PIPELINE:
ROLE OF REGIONAL Human resources
by Sunil Puri,
Head of Research, Human Capital Leadership Institute
T
alent management refers to the anticipation of required
human capital for an organisation and the planning to meet
those needs.10
Broadly defined, it could include everything
done to recruit, retain, develop, reward, and make people perform,
and it is a part of strategic workforce planning. In the context of
a fast-growing and emerging Asia, talent management not only
includes recruiting-to-retention initiatives, but also focuses on
strengthening the overall pipeline of leaders coming out of Asia.
This emerging cadre of talent that we call “global Asian leaders” can
both lead businesses in Asia and—more importantly—bring an
10 Carpenter, Mason, Talya Bauer, and Berrin Erdogan. Management and Organizational Behavior.
1st ed. New York: Flatworld Knowledge, 2012. Print.

4. 53
A Global Asian Talent Pipeline
Asian perspective to global teams. However, they are in short supply.
This chapter attempts to make a business case for developing
global Asian talent, highlights key stall points that regional Human
Resources (HR) faces in this journey, and “hats” it needs to wear to
strengthen the pipeline of this critical talent.
While most businesses see Asia as a long-term prospect, and are
investing in physical infrastructure and economic assets, few are
focusing on developing the most critical lever that could make the
Asian growth dream a reality: leadership talent. According to a
2012 McKinsey survey11
, just 2% of the top 200 employees in global
companies are located in Asian emerging markets. Given that these
markets are likely to account for one-third of sales over the next
few years, this is a looming issue for Multi-National Corporations
(MNCs). The majority of regional Chief HR Officers (CHROs) are
aware of this impending problem, yet they currently face more
immediate talent issues that revolve around recruitment, retention,
development, and engagement. Forward-thinking organisations
are, however, investing disproportionate time and effort when
compared to their competition to stay ahead of the curve in the
global Asian leadership development race.
WHAT MAKES DEVELOPING GLOBAL ASIAN
LEADERS DIFFICULT?
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
(OECD) projects that Asia will grow at almost 7% over the next five
11 Dewhurst, Martin, Jonathan Harris, and Suzanne Heywood. “The global company’s challenge.”
McKinsey Quarterly. McKinsley & Company, June 2012. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.

5. Talent Management
54
years12
, and predictions that the region could become the world’s
largest economy (by gross domestic product contribution) by
203013
do not seem idle speculation. This growth is leading global
organisations to anticipate that Asia will drive the top line over
the next decade. This anticipation is pushing regional HR to not
only accelerate the maturity of talent practices in the region, but
also create a robust pipeline of global Asian talent. Regional HR,
however, is caught amidst key concerns around availability of the
“right raw material” for creating leaders (i.e., entry-level talent),
organisational biases vis-à-vis developing regional talent, and
ability and aspiration concerns in potential Asian leaders. Figure
1 highlights the three possible key areas that make it difficult for
regionalHRtodevelopglobalAsianleaders—countryenvironment,
company environment, and employee-related challenges.
Country environment concerns revolve around the stage of
economic development and the market size of countries. These two
factors limit the quality of talent joining the workforce as well as
the level of investments large Western MNCs are willing to make to
develop local talents. Beyond large Asian markets like China, India,
Indonesia, and perhaps the Philippines and Thailand, MNCs may be
reluctant to invest resources to develop managerial talents. MNCs
operating in smaller markets in Asia may find it more feasible to
adopt a build-buy-borrow strategy. Specifically, they might rotate
key talents across these markets or second expatriates from the
home office to run operations in these markets.
12 Economic Outlook for Southeast Asia, China and India 2014: Beyond the Middle-Income Trap.
OECD Publishing, 14 Nov. 2013. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.
13 Zakaria, Tabassum. “U.S. intelligence sees Asia’s global power rising by 2030.” Reuters Edition,
10 Dec. 2012. Print.

6. 55
A Global Asian Talent Pipeline
Figure 1: Root Cause Analysis of the Global Asian Leadership
Development Issue
Source: Human Capital Leadership Institute Research 2014
Why is it hard to develop
global Asian leaders?
Country environment
concerns
Company environment
issues
State of
development*
Small
market
size**
Company’s
business
model
Company
culture
issues
Lack of
CEO’s
commitment
Lack
of skill
Lack
of will
Using
Western
lens for Asia
“Expat”
driven
mindset
Short-term
strategy
Mainly local
market
driven
Leader
may be a
“misfit”
Lack of
knowledge
Skills are
hard
to teach
Not
required in
home
country
Mobility
concerns
Lack of
confidence
Areas where Regional HR can make a difference
Notes:
* Country may be underdeveloped leading to inadequate supply of talent
** Country may have a small market size leading to inadequate interest by global organisations to develop
global leaders
Employee related
challenges

7. Talent Management
56
Company environment issues can be understood from the
perspective of the firm’s business model. Some MNCs operating
in Asia may adopt a home-market-driven strategy with Asia being
considered a pilot office or an outpost. The limited scope of business
coupled with a short-term vision for Asia could hamper the desire of
someMNCstodeveloplocalAsiantalent.Furthermore,someMNCs
may also have a biased view of Asian talent, thereby perhaps using
the “wrong lenses” to evaluate local talents; for instance, focusing
solely on English proficiency. Lastly, country leads of MNCs may
not have the “inclination” to develop local talents. Country leads
may have been parachuted into Asia to build the business or set up
a plant, so his or her focus may not be on people development.
Employee-related challenges centre around the lack of abilities of
Asian talents to develop certain skill sets necessary for leadership
positions or the lack of personal aspiration to build global career
paths.
WHAT CAN REGIONAL HUMAN RESOURCES DO?
Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI) research points at four
“hats”, or critical roles, regional HR must wear to overcome the
stall points in developing a robust global Asian leadership pipeline.
These are highlighted in Figure 2.

8. 57
A Global Asian Talent Pipeline
Figure 2
Source: Human Capital Leadership Institute Research 2014
CREATING GLOBALASIAN LEADERS
THE‘HATS’ REGIONAL HR NEEDSTOWEAR
ONE
Trusted
Advisor
Work with global
business and HR
to ensure global
Asian leadership
stays on the
agenda
TWO
PASSIONATE
ADVOCATE
Partner with
internal business
functions to cre-
ate opportunities
for emerging
Asian leaders
THREE
INNOVATIVE
MARKETER
Position overseas
roles as attrac-
tive, career-ad-
vancing moves
for high-poten-
tial Asian leaders
FOUR
ASTUTE
FACILITATOR
Evaluate and plug
global leadership
competency gaps
on an ongoing
basis

9. Talent Management
58
• Trusted Advisor—Ensure Asia’s talent agenda remains top-
of-mind for key internal stakeholders.
• Passionate Advocate—Create opportunities for Asian talent
to get the experience required to step into global leadership
roles.
• Innovative Marketer—Position global roles for Asian
leaders as both attractive and career-advancing.
• Astute Facilitator—Continuously help talent develop
the necessary skill sets such as being comfortable with
discomfort, creating internal and external networks, and
being able to adapt authentically to succeed in a global
role.
These roles are diverse, and cover multiple functions. Excelling at
them all is no easy task. Regional HR teams in Asia therefore need
to ensure that they can deliver in each aspect.
Trusted Advisor to Key Stakeholders
Although regional HR needs to drive Asia’s leadership agenda, the
mandate to create more global leaders often rests with headquarters.
So, unless the corporate business plays a big role, local business or
regional HR is likely to fail in the pursuit of building a global Asian
leadershippipeline.Whilebusinessleadersmayappreciatethelong-
term benefits of developing a global Asian leadership pipeline, they
also have to meet more immediate business targets. This is where
regional HR needs to step in. Regional HR must speak the business
language, understand metrics critical to business, be a part of the
annual planning, and tie business plans to the leadership agenda.

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A Global Asian Talent Pipeline
Practitioners suggest that regional CHRO may need to play the role
of a “myth-buster” for the global leadership to dispel the myth of
a capability gap in Asian talent, which may be attributed to widely
held misconceptions—particularly in the West.
Passionate Advocate of Asian Talent
Regional HR needs to passionately pursue an Asian leadership
agenda. Regional CHROs may use their one-on-one check-ins with
global leaders to highlight the emerging talent in their country or
region. In a way, the regional CHRO needs to put his or her talent
on the global business and HR radar screen. The creation of talent
committees of Asian business and HR leaders may therefore help
overcome the lack of awareness over today’s pressing need to create
Asian leaders.
To get around the problem of relocation, regional HR needs to
aggressively push the option of certain global roles being based in
Asia. However, if an organisation decides to run global roles out
of Asia, regional HR needs to guard against instances of such roles
being filled by expatriates. This is where the CHRO needs to act as
a passionate advocate, by advancing the advantages of employing
Asian talent in Asia-based global roles.
Innovative Marketer of Global Opportunities
If there is one thing that can derail the development of global Asian
leaders, it is concerns that Asian senior executives—especially in
Singapore and China—have about relocating overseas. Successful

11. Talent Management
60
globalleadersneedtohaveoverseasexperience,butitishardtourge
leaders out of their home country. They may not be comfortable
with moving overseas. Common concerns that senior executives
have centre around missed opportunities in their home country;
potential local roles after their global stint; anxiety at being away
from the extended family; and adjusting to the new country’s
lifestyle. Executives’ concerns are not always just limited to the
physical relocation. There could also be genuine compensation
adjustment issues. For instance, Singapore executives moving
abroad would have to adjust to higher tax rates.
So what can HR do to “market” global roles more creatively? The
options include subtle interventions, such as positioning global
roles as career advancements, to more practical approaches, such as
creating a clearly defined “path” for leaders to return home after a
global rotation, or practically assessing compensation and benefits
offered. Regional HR can also leverage the power of storytelling to
motivate their in-country leaders to pursue global career paths.
Perhaps the biggest concern amongst senior executives is ensuring
that they will eventually be posted back to their home country after
their global rotations. To address this, regional HR needs to work
jointly with their organisation’s leadership to realistically project
future business scenarios in the country or region and evaluate
what leadership opportunities may open up.
Regional HR also needs to get creative around relocation options for
a global role. Rather than just offering a three- to five-year relocation,
ideally there should be multiple options on the table. These options
could include an “extended business trip option”, where a leader

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A Global Asian Talent Pipeline
would remain in his or her current location and manage the region
through frequent business trips; or a short-term expatriate option,
which entails a brief relocation, often without moving the family.
Astute Facilitator of Global Skills Development
According to HCLI research, there are three qualities that separate
a great global leader from a successful in-country leader:14
Comfort with Discomfort—Successful global leaders seem to
not just tolerate discomfort, but embrace it. They do not let
ambiguity cripple them. Instead, they recognise the need to
act decisively even without processing complete knowledge of
the situation. They realise that learning from a poor decision
is still better than not making any decision at all.
Judicious Relationship Building—Relationship building is
importanttodrivebusinessgrowth.Butitismoreimportantto
discern the right partners. It is necessary to build relationships
with internal partners on both sides of the headquarters-local
affiliate divide, in order to holistically champion the global
organisation’s goal.
Authentic Adaptation—While cross-border leaders should
learn to adapt their behaviours, they should stay authentic
to their cultural roots. Completely assimilating into another
culture robs global leaders of their unique differentiators and
value to their organisations.
14 “Building Global Leaders in Asia: A Focus on Singaporean Talent.” HCLI Insights. February
(2014): 5. Print.

13. Talent Management
62
Regional HR can either make these attributes a prerequisite and
build them into the selection process, or take steps to plug these
gaps in an Asian leader’s experience or skill set.
CONCLUSION
Owing to Asia’s anticipated contribution to global companies’
top line, regional HR functions suddenly find themselves in the
spotlight. While regional HR teams ramp up talent practices in
Asia to match global standards, business heads are increasingly
expecting HR to create leadership talent that can both lead in Asia
and represent the region in the global arena.
To deliver results, regional HR may have to overcome constraints
due to uneven economic development, organisational biases, and
individual ability and aspiration. In this journey, heads of regional
HR may have to wear multiple hats—trusted advisor, passionate
advocate, innovative marketer, and astute facilitator.
A word of caution, however—regional HR needs to tread a fine line
between “pushing” Asian talent into the global leadership pipeline
and infringing upon the important value of meritocracy within an
organisation. It may want to guard against elevating Asian leaders
even though they may not be ready, thereby setting them up for
failure.