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Why America
Shouldn’t Fear Globalization
S
Some of my fellow Americans are
concerned about how globalization will impact the
prosperity of the United States. They are leery of
global competition for jobs and the offshoring of some
U.S. jobs to other countries.
While I can understand why some would be threatened
by this, the U.S. as a whole stands to benefit from what’s
happening. In fact, with our rich tradition of innovation
and our domestic experience with diversity, few coun-
tries are better positioned to turn globalization into an
opportunity for continued prosperity.
All throughout American history there are examples of
how diversity has helped power the country’s innovation
and our ability to continually re-invent our economy. As
a nation of immigrants and descendants of immigrants
from all backgrounds, America has brought together
waves of people whose very differences have often sparked
creativity and collaboration that have led to transfor-
mative innovations. From the diverse scientific team
who put the first man on the moon to the more recent
collaboration of Google founders Larry Page and Sergey
Brin, we have seen that amazing things can happen when
people from different backgrounds work together—
new ideas and perspectives emerge and interesting combi-
nations of talents converge with often unexpected results.
Our experience in the U.S. should teach us that
diversity is a good thing. It has been a source for our re-
siliency during changing times and the heart of the vi-
brancy that has defined American culture and ingenuity.
Globalization represents just the latest test to America’s
resiliency. Thanks to technology innovation, we now have
the ability to not only communicate across borders, but to
collaborate and collectively solve problems.
But globalization also presents a new and sometimes
uncomfortable status quo for some Americans—one that
is marked by global competition for jobs and growth.
By Gerry Murphy
President
SunGard Brokerage & Clearance
This doesn’t mean that
America should fear global-
ization. In fact, our country
has much to gain by embrac-
ing it. Globalization isn’t
just about more competition
from overseas. It also means
new opportunities for the U.S. to be competitive—new
markets for U.S. goods and services and new access to
global capital, talent and opportunities for growth.
The success of the U.S. will hinge on our ability to
adapt to the changes globalization brings, including new
innovations and greater diversity of labor from around
the world. We should expect that there will be some
resistance. Innovation, after all, disrupts the status quo
and can render some jobs and even entire industries
obsolete. For example, in 1920, 2.1 million Americans
worked for railroads. Since then, with significant ad-
vancements in transportation and communication tech-
nology, that number is down to about 200,000. Yet, it
is undeniable that the U.S. economy has prospered over
this period and that millions of jobs were either created or
shifted to new industries.
Likewise, American businesses must adapt and ap-
ply the lessons learned from the U.S. experience with
diversity to the global stage. A truly “global” U.S. com-
pany is no longer one that just has operations in other
countries. To be competitive in the era of globalization,
U.S. businesses must continue to foster respect
and understanding for individual differences and even
greater collaboration between employees around the
world. This “managed inclusion” is what transforms di-
versity from a potentially disruptive—even divisive—
element into an asset that strengthens global customer
relationships; attracts the best talent from everywhere;
encourages productive collaboration; and powers
further innovation. PDJ
Prof iles in Div er s it y Jou r na l January/February 2010 49