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The concept of high‐potential career management programmes needs to be re‐examined in the new era of organizational flexibility, given the prevalence of such practices as downsizing and re‐engineering. New types of psychological contracts are emerging, in which promotions cannot be guaranteed or expected as a reward, even for the most promising managers. Organizations need to retain the best people and motivate them to stay and lead organizations. Different approaches are called for. Former methods for selection and assessment of high potentials are likely to become redundant or obsolete as the status of the high‐potential employee fades away altogether. This trend is part of the new way organizations will be managed towards the twenty‐first century.

Cosmopolitanism represents a complex, multilevel, multilayer phenomenon manifested in a variety of social spheres, including moral, political, social, and cultural. Yet, despite its prominence in other disciplines, cosmopolitanism has received relatively scant attention in international management research. Furthermore, the understanding of cosmopolitanism as an ever-present social condition in which individuals are embedded lags significantly behind.

In this chapter, we develop a conceptual framework for cosmopolitanism as an individual-level phenomenon situated at the intersection of the moral, political, and sociocultural perspectives. The framework explicates the interrelations between macrolevel dynamics and individual experiences in a globalized world. We conceptualize cosmopolitanism as an individual disposition manifested and enacted through identities, attitudes, and practices. We also highlight the diversity of individuals who can be considered cosmopolitans, including those who may not possess the classic cosmopolitan CV. Finally, the chapter explores the implications of cosmopolitanism for global organizations and global leadership.

Reports on a study of MBA students (N = 362) at a major international business school which looked at the predictors of performance in management education. Considers not only GMAT but also age, gender, language proficiency, marital status and work experience as predictors of performance. Questions the use of individual grades in assessing performance since much work in both business schools and the business community is done in groups. Therefore, an analysis of the performance of students in groups was also carried out. Results support the relationship between GMAT and age, and individual performance, and more importantly show a predictive ability for language proficiency and marital status. Significantly, no predictors of group performance were found. Overall, the performance of groups was better than the performance of individuals. Discusses the implications of these results.