Leadership Across Cultures
In Search of Global Leaders
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
Do effective leaders, regardless of their country/culture/job, act similarly ?
The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program
(GLOBE)
170 investigators from 60+countries :
how do different cultures define leadership,?
how do national differences affect the practice of leadership?
there are culturally contingent attributes that can help or hinder leadership
„Passing on my knowledge on to a lot of younger people: I think that that’s really the most important thing at the end of the day.”
Wolfgang Puck Founder of Puck Worldwide
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
Culturally contingent leadership attributes :
Ambition - humility - compassion
Universal leadership attributes:
Foresight – trustworthiness - dynamic presence positive attitude
Values and attitudes are as much part of the economy as
institutions and policies : some impede, others enable
GLOBE continues to examine : motivational - passionate
“Always remember that this whole thing was started with a dream and a mouse,” Walt Disney
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
Charismatic/Transformational Leadership style
(= visionary agents with a sense of mission capable of motivating their followers to
accept new ways of doing things)
“Charismatic”
strong, taking decisive action vs. consultative, democratic , empowering approach
“Vision”
“Risk-taking”
Communication skills
In every great leader the heart and soul always points to true North Indra Nooyi President & CFO PepsiCo Inc.
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
PM Leadership Theory / JAPAN
(Misumi, The Behavioral Science of Leadership 1985)
P : Performance (results oriented)
M: Maintenance (harmony, relationship, integrative)
The effective leader in a Japanese cultural context balances both dimensions
NT Leadership Theory / INDIA
(Sinha, A Model of Effective Leadership Styles in India, 1984)
N : Nurturant (caring)
T : Task Oriented
The combination of both behaviors is most effective in the Indian cultural context
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
Future trends for leadership behavior across cultures :
Soft Leadership Skills (Joseph Nye, Harvard)
Executives in India: 90% endorse the “public” good dimension.
Executives in China: 25% investor returns should be the sole focus
of corporate activity.
Who leads the sociopolitical agenda of their companies?
In 56% it is the CEO or Chair.
(Mc Kinsey Quarterly Survey of 4.238 global business executives, Dec 2005)
These days a lot of people work hard, so you have to make sure you work even harder and really dedicate yourself to what you
are doing and setting out to achieve Lakshmi Mittal, Billionaire, Steel Tycoon
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
“Leadership -by-Giving-Back”
Commitment to close the economic and social divide
CEOs willing to engage in the debate on the big issues of the day
a matter of both global citizenship AND business strategy
doing good and doing well as mutually reinforcing
“How the hell can I ask people who work for me to travel cheaply if I am traveling in luxury?It’s a question of good leadership !“
Ingvar Kamprad, Founder of IKEA
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
Leadership of a MNC´s venture in emerging markets
Highest sensitivity to the multitude of cultures
Global knowledge : “The Big picture” “Bird´s Eye Perspective”
Extreme flexibility : instant adaptation , Agent of Change
Making HR the agenda (vs. an agenda item)
Making diversity-oriented goals both clear and measurable
Seeing diversity as a universal good with no downside
You must be the change you want to see in others. Mahatma Gandhi
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
The role of leadership in post-merger process
Definition of common goals that transcend national + corporate
cultural norms and values
Intercultural Team Development
Strong positive attitude
Convincing strategy
Some leaders are born women. Unknown
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
Demands vary depending on :
A. Expatriate
B. Team/Company leader
Challenges expats face include:
Re-integration▲HQ relationship ▲HR issues▲Language&Communication
▲Work/life balance ▲Spouse /partner ▲Quality of Life▲Contacts in host country
(G.K.Stahl, 1998 Internationaler Einsatz von Führungskräften)
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
„Successful“ expatriates :
Appreciation of and curiosity for host country
Learning to live in a network of relationships
Transfer of skills
De-escalation of conflicts, compromizing
„Unsuccessful“ expatriates:
Avoidance of challenging situations:expat „ghetto“, inactivity
Fatalism, acceptance of negative situations
Keeping distance to host country/culture
Negative comparison, nostalgic retreat
(G.K.Stahl, 1998 Internationaler Einsatz von Führungskräften)
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
Gibt es einen globalen Führungsstil?
Frage :Glauben Sie, dass es so etwas wie einen „globalen Führungsstil“ (global gültig, unabhängig von
Nationalitäten einsetzbar) bereits gibt, bzw. dass sich ein solcher entwickeln kann?
Abbildung – Gibt es einen globalen Führungsstil?
29%
42%
existiert
existiert nicht
entwickelt sich
29%
42% der Antworten besagten, dass es einen globalen Führungsstil gäbe
Helga Wannerer, M.A. „Leadership Across Cultures, Ein Vergleich von Führungsstilen vor einem
unterschiedlichen kulturellen Hintergrund“ Master These 2006, Department für Angewandte
Kulturwissenschaften, Donau Universität Krems
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com
Führungsstilprägungen
Frage : Wovon ist Ihr persönlicher Führungsstil am meisten geprägt? Vom (sozio-)kulturellen Hintergrund,
nationalen Hintergrund, interkulturellen Hintergrund, familiären Hintergrund oder persönlichen
Hintergrund (Angaben in %)?
Abbildung Führungsstil–Prägungen
14%
36%
10%
soziokulturell
national
interkulturell
famili r
22%
pers nlich
18%
Helga Wannerer, M.A. „Leadership Across Cultures, Ein Vergleich von Führungsstilen vor einem
unterschiedlichen kulturellen Hintergrund“ Master These 2006, Department für Angewandte
Kulturwissenschaften, Donau Universität Krems
5.Internationaler Tag
Dr. Nayantara Ghosh
www.ghoshinternational.com