How Much Autonomy Should You Give Your Global Teams?

A global company that relies heavily on capabilities like local procurement, production, and sales should consider decentralisation.

For businesses that depend less on local assets, a higher degree of centralisation may make more sense. Some brands rely heavily on the strong, centralised brand of the parent company, making it necessary to integrate their regional teams closely with their headquarters.

Consider how much you trust your local counterparts. The more trust and the stronger your relationship, the better it is to give local teams more autonomy.

There are different ways trust can develop. Time is sometimes all that is needed. In other cases, organisations can build trust into their company culture through intentional efforts.

Figuring out how much autonomy to provide your international teams. Then create a plan to implement these different levels and types of autonomy around the world.

• Work with different departments to specify exactly where and how autonomy should be granted. Describe the categories of decisions that will likely be encountered and determine who will be responsible for making them.
• Home office managers can work with their counterparts on the ground to ensure smooth implementation of the plan.
• Ensure that information is clearly documented and communicated throughout the organization.