A Global Leadership Agenda and Theory

In The New Competition for Global Resources, a special report prepared by the Boston Consulting Group and Wharton, the Triple E threat driving new understandings about the global future, leadership, and competition was defined as "the need to compete with everyone, from everywhere, for everything" (p.18). Using the case study PepsiCo India: On the Road to Sustainable Development, define how the shaping and driving forces PepsiCo experienced in India impacted the leadership agenda. In particular, address whether the impact of the forces merely created leadership recognition that situations needed to be fixed or contained in order for the firm to penetrate further into the Indian consumer market, or whether the impact of the forces created a reorientation of the leadership agenda as the PepsiCo mindset changed because of learning about and exploring a complex set of concerns for the future.

 

PepsiCo has gone through a lot of changes over the last few years. It has been found that there have been many shaping and driving forces influencing PepsiCo in India in this period. These various forces a reorientation of the leadership agenda as the PepsiCo mindset changed because of learning about and exploring a complex set of concerns for the future.

One of the key influencing factors in this case has been PepsiCo’s changed focus on non beverage business too which was not their earlier. This really helped the company in improving its performance in the market. This helped the company improve its hold in the Indian market as well as in the international market too. If observed closely, one can easily say that the impact of the forces did merely created leadership recognition that situations needed to be fixed or contained in order for the firm to penetrate further into the Indian consumer market. The impact of all these forces was much deeper.  

Going through the challenges in the Indian market made the management team realize a lot of changes in the way things were looked at and handled. Leadership certainly was not untouched of it and the impact of the forces changed the PepsiCo mindset because of learning about and exploring a complex set of concerns for the future. This approach actually created a reorientation of the leadership agenda in the company.

These changes in and about leadership brought major changes in PepsiCo as a company and the way it does its business. The overall business performance of the company saw shift and there was recognition of the progress it had made on sustainable development.  PepsiCo was named the top food and beverage company in the DJSI Food and Beverage Super sector and was also included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes in 2011. Moreover, the company was named leader in the beverage sector for the third consecutive year.

 

 

In this discussion you will gain experience in evaluating Gardner's Five Minds as guides to addressing future agendas held by today's global leaders. In the world of global talent and leadership, define which one or two minds are crucial to the solution of Pepsico's dilemma in India. Defend your choice with information in the case study, in Gardner's text, or in more current articles you are able to find about Pepsico's Asian presence.

Gardner's Five Minds is a concept which is loved by today’s leaders and it is quite important in today’s context. This part of we often used as guides to address future agendas that may be faced by global leaders. Also, looking at yourself it is also very important to understand these concepts.

In his new book, Five Minds for the Future, HGSE professor Howard Gardner describes five kinds of minds or five ways of thinking and acting. Out of these five, three are related to intellect which is: the disciplined, synthesizing and creative minds. Secondly the emphasis is now on character: the respectful and ethical minds. In a recent Burton and Inglis lecture at HGSE, Gardner describes what it means for citizens and workers to exhibit these types of minds.

Now looking at PepsiCo’s dilemma in India, one can explore which one or two minds are crucial to the solution for this company. In my opinion the two minds which are very important for PepsiCo in the given situation. In this context the company has two type of minds which are important to solve the dilemma in India. These are the creative mind as well as the ethical mind.

The information available about this company verify the questions you were asking. Is there anything else you would like to share and consider this case in detail? The reason that this company is functioning from the right point. So we need to be more receptive and open to these changes as it will help drive their presence. Thus it makes it important to realize this change.

This approach of five minds for the future is a very effective concept and it can really help us understand our own functioning and adapt accordingly.