Opportunity for Whom?

“The corner offices of corporate America are increasingly being filled from every corner of the world.

“Citigroup, the world's largest bank, named Vikram S. Pandit, a native of Nagpur, India, as its chief executive on Tuesday. Mr. Pandit joins 14 other foreign-born chiefs who are running Fortune 100 companies.

“The head of the Altria Group was born in Egypt, for example. PepsiCo's is from India, the Liberty Mutual Group's is a native of Ireland and Alcoa's was born in Morocco.

“Their numbers have jumped from roughly a decade ago; there were nine foreign-born chief executives on Fortune's list of the 100 largest companies in 1996. But the size of the new group does not reflect a noteworthy change -- they come from more far-flung countries now than then, when they were more likely to hail from Canada or Europe…

“Many of these foreign-born chief executives were recruited by companies like General Electric and Procter & Gamble in the 1970s and 1980s for their overseas operations. Now they hold top positions at companies that also include Chiquita Brands International, the Eastman Kodak Company and the Kellogg Company. Chief executives at Dow Chemical, Altria and Alcoa started in foreign units of their companies.

“‘Even though they're based in the United States, companies are less and less thinking of themselves as American companies,’ said Michael Useem, a management professor at the Wharton School…

“M. Farooq Kathwari, chief executive at Ethan Allen Interiors, said he had been shaped by his experience moving on his own at age 21 from the Kashmir region of India to the United States.

“‘A foreign-born person is by nature an entrepreneur,’ Mr. Kathwari said. ‘When you leave your home, leave your family and come to a different country, you have had the instincts of an entrepreneur.’ …

“Howard M. Anderson, a professor of entrepreneurship at the Sloan School at M.I.T., said change in the executive suite has come more slowly than companies' sales growth abroad. He said that some corporate boards may still not be comfortable with foreign-born chief executives because they feel they have more in common with another American.

“‘It's prejudice, but remember, when you're picking a C.E.O., it's not an equal opportunity job,’ Mr. Anderson said.

(“Seeking Leaders, U.S. Companies Think Globally.” Louise Story. The New York Times: December 12, 2007. pg. 1)

HOW AM I ADDING VALUE? Is it distinctive, or common? Am I expanding my horizons so that I can expand the horizons of others? Am I resting on my favorite assumptions? What would be the implications of change?