Introduction to globalisation and its transformation of business and working lives

Globalisation and its long-term significance for work and employment is the subject of this 7CO01 video, which addresses Assessment Criterion 1.1 at CIPD Level 7. The video examines how the increasing interconnectedness of economies, societies and cultures across national boundaries has reshaped the structures within which organisations operate and people work. It moves beyond trade statistics and economic indicators to consider how globalisation alters the nature of employment relationships, the psychological contract between employers and workers, and the expectations individuals hold about their careers in an interdependent world.

A substantial portion of the video is devoted to how globalisation has driven industrial restructuring and changed the dominant model of business organisation. The shift away from vertically integrated national production toward geographically dispersed global value chains features prominently, as does the role of information and communication technologies in coordinating that activity. Labour market polarisation — the simultaneous growth of high-skill and low-skill employment alongside the erosion of middle-skill, middle-wage roles — is introduced as a consequence of these structural shifts, and the video considers what this means for individual career trajectories, employability and the idea of a job for life.

The video also turns to the specific challenges globalisation poses for HR and people management professionals, covering cross-cultural management, talent strategies that operate across diverse regulatory and cultural environments, and the maintenance of organisational culture within geographically dispersed workforces. Questions of offshoring and reshoring sit within this discussion, as does the broader debate about the future direction of globalisation and its potential implications for work and employment — a debate that is central to the indicative content for this assessment criterion.