David R. Pearson
SVP of People & Culture
ExtensisHR
Episode 358
The Secret to Global Growth: HR as Strategic Business Partner
Current chapter: Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built By PeopleJanuary 6, 2025 · 13:46
Thesis
“HR professionals must act as strategic business partners to drive organizational growth and transformation, especially in global environments, by deeply understanding and integrating diverse cultures, labor laws, and communication nuances.”
Show notes
David Pearson opens with a reframe that sounds simple and cuts deep: "HR professionals should look at themselves as business professionals who specialize in human resources." That distinction — business professional first, HR practitioner second — shapes everything about how he approaches global expansion, cultural integration, and the kind of people work that actually moves organizations forward rather than just keeping them compliant.
David's experience navigating global team management has produced a specific set of convictions about what fails. Organizations that export their domestic HR frameworks to international teams — assuming labor law compatibility, shared communication norms, equivalent social expectations — tend to learn the hard way that they don't. His approach requires something more disciplined: meet people where they are. Learn a few words of the local language. Understand that working norms, preferred communication channels, and social expectations will differ substantially across cultures and cannot be overridden by company policy.
His parting advice for HR professionals is both simple and demanding: stay inquisitive. Ask the questions. Learn from every level of the organization. The people who get the deepest understanding of any business are the ones who never stopped being curious about how it actually works — and David argues that curiosity is the most transferable HR competency there is.
- The "business professional who specializes in HR" identity shift — why this reframe changes how HR leaders engage with every business conversation
- Global expansion without cultural arrogance — the discipline of meeting international employees where they are rather than exporting domestic frameworks
- Communication across languages and norms — practical moves (including learning basic language phrases) that signal respect and build trust with global teams
- Aligning global business goals with local employee experience — cascading objectives with cultural sensitivity rather than assuming universal applicability
- Equipping managers for intercultural leadership — the training, guidelines, and follow-through infrastructure that makes global people management work
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What you'll take away
- 1HR professionals should embrace the role of business professionals specializing in human resources to effectively solve business problems and drive growth.
- 2Building a cohesive global culture requires an understanding of local cultures, labor laws, and social norms, meeting employees where they are.
- 3Leaders managing remote and intercultural teams must prioritize understanding their staff, preferred communication channels, and cultural nuances, even learning basic language phrases.
- 4Aligning business goals with employee experience in a global environment necessitates cascading objectives and holding senior leadership accountable, with massive cultural sensitivity.
- 5HR is crucial for equipping managers with the necessary tools, training, and clear guidelines for intercultural communication and ensuring consistent follow-through on initiatives.
What most organizations get wrong
- •HR does not create culture; the staff does. HR's responsibility is to contain the culture like an 'Oreo cookie,' ensuring it doesn't spill over too much.
In David's words
“It's important for all HR professionals to really look at themselves as business professionals that specialize in human resources.”
This quote encapsulates the guest's core philosophy on the strategic role of HR.
“The biggest piece is meeting anybody in a global atmosphere where they are. And in part, that is identifying their culture. Identifying their laws, their labor laws are not necessarily going to be the same as we have on the stateside perspective.”
This highlights the foundational approach to global HR expansion and cultural integration.
“Sometimes English might be the second language. So managers really should meet that staff at the midpoint. Take it and take a couple of language courses, learn a couple of keywords.”
This provides a concrete, actionable step for fostering cultural sensitivity and effective communication in global teams.
“Our social norms are not necessarily going to be their social norms. So there has to be massive sensitivity when you do start crossing over international lines.”
Emphasizes the critical need for cultural awareness and respect in global employee experience alignment.
“You are the key to the lock.”
A concise metaphor emphasizing HR's indispensable role in navigating intercultural communication challenges.
“Be eager to learn, be inquisitive, ask those questions, because at the end of the day, there's so much you're going to learn by just the day-in-and-day-out interaction.”
This is a powerful closing advice for HR professionals to continuously adapt, grow, and remain curious.
The problems this episode addresses
- •Businesses struggle to find specialized talent domestically, necessitating global talent acquisition to fill critical roles.
- •HR departments are often perceived as administrative or regulatory (the 'no police'), rather than strategic business partners contributing to growth.
- •Managers lack the necessary skills to effectively lead and engage remote and intercultural teams, particularly during rapid shifts to remote work.
- •Organizations face challenges in building and maintaining a cohesive company culture and consistent employee experience across diverse global regions with varying social norms and labor laws.
- •HR initiatives, especially training programs for managers, often suffer from a lack of consistent follow-through due to competing organizational priorities.
In this episode
Built by People podcast features insights from world's top HR leaders
Built by People
I always love to ask you about your career journey
How to Get Out of Trap
As organizations scale and expand globally, what are key cultural challenges HR must address
Creating a cohesive culture across regions
HR professionals should look at themselves as business professionals rather than HR professionals
What is the role of HR in business growth and transformation?
David, what strategies are used to foster strong communication and cultural sensitivity for remote teams
How to Manage Remote Teams with Cultural sensitivity
HR plays an important role in helping leaders navigate intercultural communication challenges
The Role of Human Resource in Intercultural Communication
David, any parting advice you'd like to share with our audience
An HR Coach's Advice for Businesses
Topics covered
Organizations and entities mentioned
Full transcript
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