Global orientation and global competencies of Croatian top managers

The aim of the study was to determine (1) the extent of Croatian managers' global orientation, and (2) the extent of their possession of global competencies essential for the success in the global business environment. Respondents in the study where subordinates who assessed the "globalness" of their top managers, and the research instrument used for measuring top managers' "globalness" was the one developed by Goldsmith, Greenberg, Robertson and Hu-Chan. The obtained results give arguments for the acceptance of the main hypothesis of the research, about top managers in Croatia not possessing characteristics needed for success in the global environment. They are for behind the successful global leader profile, and their global characteristics are not related to their companies' characteristics (main activity, size, ownership, and markets company serves), or their demographic characteristics (age, nationality, international experience, and international education). Consequently, Croatian companies have to invest heavily in developing competent global managers. They and their managers can grow to be competitive in global terms only by developing and investing in global knowledge and skills.