Ghemawat Pankaj
Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.
Harv Bus Rev. 2005 Dec;83(12):98-108, 153.
The leaders of such global powerhouses as GE, Wal-Mart, and Toyota seem to have grasped two crucial truths: First, far from becoming submerged by the rising tide of globalization, geographic and other regional distinctions may in fact be increasing in importance. Second, regionally focused strategies, used in conjunction with local and global initiatives, can significantly boost a company's performance. The business and economic data reveal a highly regionalized world. For example, trade within regions, rather than across them, drove the surge of international commerce in the second half of the twentieth century. Regionalization is also apparent in foreign direct investment, companies' international sales, and competition among the world's largest multinationals. Harvard Business School Professor Pankaj Ghemawat says that the most successful companies employ five types of regional strategies in addition to--or even instead of--global ones: home base, portfolio, hub, platform, and mandate. Some companies adopt the strategies in sequence, but the most nimble switch from one to another and combine approaches as their markets and businesses evolve. At Toyota, for example, exports from the home base continue to be substantial even as the company builds up an international manufacturing presence. And as Toyota achieves economies of scale and scope with a strong network of hubs, the company also pursues economies of specialization through interregional mandates. Embracing regional strategies requires flexibility and creativity. A company must decide what constitutes a region, choose the most appropriate strategies, and mesh those strategies with the organization's existing structures. In a world that is neither truly global nor truly local, finding ways of coordinating within and across regions can deliver a powerful competitive advantage.
通用电气、沃尔玛和丰田等全球巨头的领导者似乎已经领悟了两个关键事实：其一，地理及其他区域差异远非被全球化的浪潮所淹没，实际上其重要性可能正在增加。其二，结合本地和全球举措运用的区域聚焦战略，能够显著提升公司业绩。商业和经济数据揭示了一个高度区域化的世界。例如，20世纪下半叶，区域内而非区域间的贸易推动了国际贸易的激增。区域化在外国直接投资、公司的国际销售以及全球最大跨国公司之间的竞争中也很明显。哈佛商学院教授潘卡基·格玛沃特表示，除了全球战略（甚至有时取而代之），最成功的公司还采用五种区域战略：本土基地、投资组合、枢纽、平台和任务型。一些公司按顺序采用这些战略，但最灵活的公司会随着市场和业务的发展从一种战略迅速转向另一种战略，并将多种方法结合起来。例如，在丰田公司，即使在建立国际制造业务的同时，其本土基地的出口仍然可观。随着丰田通过强大的枢纽网络实现规模经济和范围经济，该公司还通过区域间任务追求专业化经济。采用区域战略需要灵活性和创造力。公司必须决定什么构成一个区域，选择最合适的战略，并使这些战略与组织现有的结构相契合。在一个既非真正全球化也非真正本地化的世界里，找到在区域内和区域间进行协调的方法可以带来强大的竞争优势。
