Required Resources

Articles

Hourston, R. (2013, April 24). . Forbes. Retrieved fromhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2013/04/24/7-steps-to-a-truly-effective-leadership-style/

Snaiderbaur, S. (2012). Symphonic leadership: A model for the global business environment. The ISM Journal of International Business, 1(4), 17-1H,2H,3H,4H,5H,6H,7H,8H,9H,10H,11H,12H,13H,14H,15H,16H,17H. Retrieved from the ProQuest database

Multimedia

TED (Producer). (2010). TedTalks: Sheryl Sandberg- Why we have too few women leaders (Links to an external site.)  [Video file]. Retrieved from the Films On Demand database.

Servant, authentic and ethical leadership are models which have been successful not only in different types of organizations, but also in different cultures and in different countries. Using the overview of global leadership provided in this week’s lecture and readings, do you believe this to be a valid statement? In other words, are these leadership theories effective global leadership models? Why or why not? Support your position with global examples and appropriate references.

Week 6 Lecture

Global Leadership

One of the most rapidly increasing sources of diversity in organizations is globalization, which means hiring employees in many different countries. Due to globalization, organizations are confronting diversity issues more than ever before. To handle the challenges of global diversity, leaders can develop cross-cultural understandings and build networks.

Consider how behavior is perceived from culture to culture. All leaders need to be aware of the impact a culture and its values have on their dealings with employees. Valuing diversity and enabling all individuals to develop unique talents is difficult to achieve. People of different national origins, races, and religions make up our increasingly global economy. Leaders can create change in organizations that will help the organization remain competitive and viable.

Dimensions of diversity are both primary (age, gender, and race) and secondary (education, marital status, and religion). There are several reasons why organizations are recognizing the need to value and support diversity, including the following: it helps organizations build better relationships with diverse customers; it helps develop employee potential; and it provides a broader and deeper base of experience or creativity in problem-solving, which is essential to the development of learning organizations. Leaders must be aware of the impact culture may have and consider cultural differences in their dealings with followers. Strong, culturally sensitive leadership is the only way organizations can adopt an awareness of diversity.Reflecting on LeadershipThere are many different theories of leadership, and the similarities and differences cannot be understood without exploring their applications to organizations. Many theories are similar to the historical trait or behavior theories and define unique capacities or competencies. Understanding the characteristics and underlying framework of these theories enables leaders to define their own leadership theories based on their world views. Developing a personal theory of leadership requires an understanding of the components of each theory, as well as knowledge of how those components are related or how they may conflict. Leadership research often uses capacity-based instruments that measure a particular leadership approach or style.ConclusionThe theories of leadership and research in leadership from the past have evolved into the many contemporary theories of leadership today. Each of these new theories is founded on different past theories, concepts, and world views. However, many have similarities. Leaders face the challenge of understanding the basis of each theory as they develop their own model of leadership, which might integrate a number of different theories.Forbes School of Business Faculty