Global organizations, whether business, not-for-profit, or government, all require professionals who possess global leadership skills. But what exactly are global leadership skills and how do we acquire them?
The rising field of global leadership studies identifies the cultural context as one of the important dimensions in analyzing leadership styles and how leaders meet ethical challenges, manage team-building, and bring about change in a global environment. This course evaluates current theoretical models of leadership and leadership characteristics in the context of local culture and also identifies commonalities of leadership that are recognized across cultures. Taking an experiential approach, the focus of this course is on developing personal leadership potential and competencies. To this aim, students will be exposed to innovative management training methods outside of the classroom setting. For example, students will explore their own personal leadership style and learn how to be more assertive in a workshop involving guided interaction with horses. In a TakeTina rhythm and movement workshop, students will learn about effective communication and coping with complexity and ambiguity. Finally, toward the end of the semester, students will experience the challenges and opportunities of leading diverse teams in a rope climbing course. Throughout the course students will be required to maintain self-reflection journals to map their experiences, insights, and progress.
Prerequisites:
None
Additional student cost:
Additional costs will be incurred for the use of online assessment tools (approximately $12), and one or two additional workshops (€30-€50) such as a horse-workshop or a rope climbing course.
Required course books:
*Mendenhall, Mark. “Leadership and the Birth of Global Leadership,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Ed. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski. New York: Routledge, 2013.
*Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1959.
Attendance policy:
All IES Abroad courses require attendance and participation.
Learning outcomes:
Analyze the complexities of leading across cultures in terms of multidisciplinary and theoretical frameworks.
Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the moral and ethical responsibilities of leaders in a global environment.
Evaluate the social dynamics of leadership and importance of building relationships in multiple cultural contexts.
Observe and identify leadership and communication styles that are culture-specific and styles that are common across cultures.
Describe techniques to meet the challenges of leading, managing, and negotiating across cultures.
Analyze one’s personal leadership style in terms of culturally-determined values, beliefs, and practices; identify strengths and weaknesses and describe a personal development plan.
Demonstrate knowledge and skills required to work in cross-cultural teams.
Method of presentation:
In addition to lectures, discussions, film clips, case studies, interactive and experiential activities, this course will be supplemented with local and topical articles as well as current research. Each semester, a guest speaker will be invited from either the political, non-profit, or the business sector.
Required work and form of assessment:
Participation in class, additional workshops, and co-curricular elements (30%)
Personal Development Journal (20%)
Academic paper (30%)
Midterm (10%)
2 Quizzes (10%)
Personal Development Journal. Self-reflection is essential to developing one’s understanding of leadership along with skills required for mastering complex situations. Entries are directed assignments that require students to reflect on their experience in class, at the internship placement, and on the readings. Journal entries are to be completed by the due date each week and uploaded to moodle. Each entry should be 2-3 typewritten pages, double-spaced.
Academic paper. Students will write an academic paper (10-12 pages long, Times New Roman 12; double-spaced) toward the end of the semester, in which they relate their journal entries to the theories, and concepts covered in class, and in the reading assignments. In the final session, students will make a short presentation of their academic papers.
Participation in additional workshops and co-curricular elements is compulsory.
content:
Session 1: Introduction to Global Leadership
This session gives an overview of the course contents and requirements. The expectations of the students and instructor are discussed and information given about project work, extra workshops and co-curricular components of course. Students will reflect on their present knowledge of leadership in a cross-cultural context.
Required Reading:
Mendenhall, Mark. “Leadership and the Birth of Global Leadership,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Ed. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp. 1-20.
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1959. (please complete reading this novel for discussion in session 5).
Recommended Reading:
Youssef, Carolyn, and Luthans, Fred. “Positive Global Leadership,” in Leadership in a Global Context (special issue). Eds. Richard Steers, Carlos Sanchez-Runde and Luciara Nardon, Volume 47, No. 4, 2012. Pp. 479-706.
Part I: Know Thyself
Session 2: Defining Global Leadership
This session sets the context for the study of global leadership. It offers definitions of global leadership, describes how the field has evolved, and also how it differs from traditional theories of leadership and management. Key concepts and central themes of the course will be outlined.
Homework assignment: Students will take an online assessment tool: the Inventory of Intercultural Effectiveness (IES)
Required Reading:
Osland, Joyce. “The Multidisciplinary Roots of Global Leadership,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski. et, al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Ch. 2. Pp. 21-39.
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1959. (please complete reading this novel for discussion in session 5)
Recommended Reading:
Adair, John. The John Adair Lexicon of Leadership. London: Kogan Page, 2011. Pp 5-34.
Gundling, Earnest, Hogan, Terry, and Cvitkovich, Karen. What is Global Leadership: 10 Key Behaviors that define Great Global Leaders. Boston: Nicholas Brealey, 2011, Pp. 1-35.
Session 3: Self-Assessment of Leadership Competencies
This session gives an overview of the research pertaining to the competencies and skills considered essential for effective global leadership. In particular, it focuses on the Pyramid Model of Global Leadership which offers a theoretical framework of global leadership based on five progressive levels of competencies.
Students will receive feedback on their scores for the assessment tool and will create a personal development plan and journal for the duration of the course to work on improving weaker competencies.
Required Reading:
Osland, Joyce. “Overview of the Global Leadership Literature,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Ch. 3. Pp. 40-79.
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1959. (please complete reading this novel for discussion in session 5)
Recommended Reading:
Bird, Allan, and Stevens, Michael. “Assessing Global Leadership Competencies,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Ch. 6. Pp. 113-140.
Session 4: The Leader as a Learner
In this session, we explore the realm of leadership competencies considered essential for leading in an environment that is rapidly changing, unpredictable, culturally diverse, and saddled with a variety of global problems. Students will work on increasing self-awareness by reflecting and assessing themselves with regard to concepts such as emotional intelligence, preferred learning and working styles, and global mindset.
Required Reading:
Bird, Allan. “Mapping the Content Domain of Global Leadership Competencies,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Ch. 4. Pp. 80-96.
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1959. (please complete reading this novel for discussion in session 5)
Recommended Reading:
Black, J. Stewart. “The Mindset of Global Leaders,” in Advances in Global Leadership. Eds. William Mobley and Elizabeth Weldon. Oxford: Elsevier, 2006, Vol. 4, pp. 181-200. doi:10.1016/S1535-1203(06)04012-3(2006).
Boyacigiller, Nakiye, Schon Beechler, Sully Taylor, and Orly Levy. “The Crucial yet Elusive Global Mindset,” in Handbook of Global Management: A Guide to Managing Complexity. Eds. Henry Lane, Mark Mendenhall, Martha Maznevski, and Jeanne McNett. Hoboken: Blackwell, 2004. Pp. 81-93.
Gardenschwartz, Lee, Jorge Cherbosque, and Annita Rowe. “We Can’t All Just Get Along” in Emotional Intelligence for Managing Results in a Diverse World: The Hard Truth about Soft Skills in the Workplace. CA: Davies-Black, 2008. Pp. 15-42.
Goleman, Daniel. “What Makes a Leader?” in Harvard Business Review. 12546-PDF-ENG, 2010. Retrieved from http://hbsp.harvard.edu/.
Session 5: Leadership Styles
In this session, we take a look at various approaches to the study of leadership. One model is the connective leadership concept with its direct, relational, and instrumental styles. Another approach is to focus on context and networking rather than personality or personal attributes. Yet another approach argues that authenticity—sticking to one’s own values and principles—rather than style constitute effective leadership. Students then explore their own personal point of view on leadership.
Discussion of novel: Achebe, Things Fall Apart
George, William, Peter Sims, Andrew McLean, and Diana Mayer. “Discovering Your Authentic Leadership,” in Harvard Business Review, R0702H-PDF-ENG, 2007. Retrieved from http://hbsp.harvard.edu/
Recommended Reading:
George, William. “Leadership is Authenticity, Not Style,” in Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value. CA: Jossey-Bass, 2003. Pp. 11-25.
Hall, Tony, and Karen Janman. The Leadership Illusion. UK: Palgrave Macmillian, 2010.
Workshop: Communication and leadership training with horses
Part II: Know Others
Session 6: Understanding the Impact of Culture
This session introduces the key concepts of intercultural communication, as well as its relevance for the field of global leadership. Topics will include stereotyping, cultural orientations, and values. Students will also reflect on their own cultural identities.
Required Reading:
Hofstede, Geert, and Gert Jan Hofstede. Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005. Pp. 1-36.
Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997. (Please complete reading of chapters 1-6 by session 11)
Recommended Reading:
Bhawuk, Dharm, Landis, Dan, and Munusamy, Vijayan. “Understanding the Basics of Culture,” in Contemporary Leadership and Intercultural Competence: Exploring the Cross-Cultural Dynamics Within Organizations. Ed. Michael A. Moodian. California: Sage, 2009. Pp. 7-15.
Session 7: Communicating Across Cultures
Effective communication involves being aware of how you are being perceived by others. It also means understanding how cultural conditioning affects your ability to accurately interpret, understand, and communicate with people from other cultures. This session explores the influence of culture on verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as how negotiating and conflicts styles differ across cultures.
Required Reading:
Adler, Nancy, and Allison Gundersen. International Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour. OH: South-Western, 2008. Chapter 3, Pp. 69-95.
Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997. (Please complete reading of chapters 1-6 by session 11)
Recommended Reading:
Hall, Edward, Mildred Reed Hall. “Key Concepts: Underlying Structures of Culture,” in Readings in Intercultural Communication: Experiences and Contexts. Eds. Judith. N. Martin, Thomas. K. Nakayama, and Lisa A. Flores. MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Pp. 165-171.
Ting-Toomey, Stella. “Intercultural Conflict Competence,” in Readings in Intercultural Communication: Experiences and Contexts. Eds. Judith N. Martin, Thomas. K. Nakayama, and Lisa. A. Flores. MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Pp. 323-335.
Session 8: Culture in Organizations
This session sets the context for working in an intercultural environment. Based on the works of Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, Hofstede, Trompenaars, Hampden-Turners, and Laurent, this session describes how cultures vary in terms of their value orientations, attitudes, and behaviors; and how this profoundly influences working relationships and management styles. Students will explore their own cultural orientations.
Adler, Nancy, and Allison Gundersen. International Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour. OH: South-Western, 2008. Chapters 1 & 2, Pp. 18-65.
Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997. (Please complete reading of chapters 1-6 by session 11)
Gupta, Sangeeta. “Beyond Borders: Leading in Today’s Multicultural World” in Contemporary Leadership and Intercultural Competence: Exploring the Cross-Cultural Dynamics Within Organizations. Ed. Michael A. Moodian. California: Sage, 2009. Pp. 145-158.
Trompenaars, Fons and Wooliams, Peter. Business Across Cultures. UK, West Sussex: Capstone, 2003. Ch. 1-3.
Session 9: Leadership Styles across the Globe
Students will review the GLOBE studies and compare leadership styles across cultures. In particular, they will be exploring if there are universal leadership traits and styles that transcend cultures.
Chhokar, Jagdeep S., Felix C. Brodbeck, and Robert J. House (eds.). “Culture and Leadership in 25 societies: Integration, Conclusions, and Future Directions,” in Culture and Leadership Across the World: The Globe Book of In-depth Studies of 25 Societies. NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2007. Pp. 1023-1066.
Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997. (Please complete reading of chapters 1-6 by session 11)
Session 10: Leadership in selected European Countries
Students will make short presentations profiling cultural differences and leadership styles of selected European countries. In preparation for their Model EU roles at the end of semester, students will research the leadership styles of the countries they will be representing.
Required Reading:
Ganon, Martin, and Rajnandini Pillai. Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys through 29 Nations, Clusters of Nations, Continents, and Diversity. CA: Sage, 2010 (relevant sections).
Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997. (Please complete reading of chapters 1-6 by session 11)
Session 11: Power, Race, and Representation: Implications for Global Leadership
Taking a critical perspective of communication and culture, this session raises awareness of how the privilege-disadvantage dialectic plays out within societies, and how culture, race, politics, and socio-economic issues impact on leadership in a global context.
Discussion of novel: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.
Required Reading:
Martin, Judith and Nakayam, Thomas. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. New York: Mcgraw-hill, 2010. Pp. 50-52 & 65-71.
Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997.
(Please complete reading of chapters 1-6 by this session).
Recommended Reading:
Said, Edward. “Orientalism,” in The Post-Colonial Studies Reader. Eds. Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Triffin. New York: Routledge, 2006. Pp. 24-27.
Part III: Know How to Work
Session 12: Leading Global Teams
In this session, the essential characteristics and necessary conditions for enabling high performance teams are discussed. In particular, the focus is on issues such as building respect and trust among team members, engaging in innovative and creative processes, and coping with trans-cultural boundary crossing.
Required Reading:
Maznevski, Martha and Chui, Celia. “Leading Global Teams,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp. 141-182.
Recommended Readings:
Adler, Nancy, and Allison Gundersen. “Managing Multicultural Teams,” in International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. OH: South-Western, 2008. Chapter 5, Pp 126-149.
Mockaitis A, Rose E, and Zettinig P. “The power of individual cultural values in global virtual teams,” in International Journal Of Cross Cultural Management. August 2012; 12(2). Pp. 193-210.
Davis, Donald and Bryant, Janet. “Influence at a Distance: Leadership in Global Virtual Teams,” in Advances in Global Leadership, Volume. UK: Emerald Group, 2003. Pp. 303-340.
Session 13: Leadership and Gender
This session takes a look at the influence of gender on leadership styles and behavior. It explores why women are underrepresented in the top echelons of almost all professional spheres and how this can be changed. The theme of gender stereotyping and how this varies across cultures is also discussed.
Required Reading:
Appelbaum, Steven. "Gender and Leadership? Leadership and Gender? A Journey through the Landscape of Theories," in Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 24, No. 1, (2003), pp. 43-51.
Ibarra, Herminia, and Otilia Obodaru. “Women and the Vision Thing,” in Harvard Business Review, (2009). Retrieved from R0901E-PDF-ENG.
Mayer, Catherine, Tristana Moore, and Mark Thompson. “Merkel’s Moment,” in Time, Vol. 175, No. 1 2010, pp. 32-35. Retrieved from EBSCO/host.
Recommended Reading:
Jalalzai, Farida and Krook, Mona Lena. “Beyond Hillary and Benazir: Women’s Political Leadership Worldwide,” in International Political Science Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, (2010), pp. 5–23. Doi: 10.1177/0192512109354470
Osland, Joyce. “Thoughts from Joyce Osland,” in Journal of Management Inquiry, Vol. 20, No. 184, 2011. Doi: 10.1177/1056492610394748
Session 14: Leading Change and Innovation
The ability to effectively handle change is a key prerequisite skill of a global leader. In this session we begin by exploring how cultural factors such as temporal orientation, locus of control, or tolerance of ambiguity can influence change management in organizations. Using concrete examples from the field, we will highlight how global leaders must act as catalysts of change and innovation by inspiring and motivating; by creating the right vision and communicating this clearly; and also by building a community of trust and commitment within their organizations.
Required Reading:
Osland, Joyce. “Leading Global Change,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp 183-214.
Kotter, John. “What Leaders Really Do,” in Harvard Business Review’s 10 Must Reads: On Leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School, 2011. Pp. 37-55.
Denning, Peter, and Robert Dunham. “Getting Your Ideas Adopted” in The Innovator’s Way: Essential Practices Successful Innovation. London: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010.
Berkun, Scott. The Myths of Innovation. CA: O’Reilly Media, 2010.
Workshop: Leadership and team dynamics workshop
Session 15: Leadership in Business: Corporate Social Responsibility
As the world struggles to recover from the global financial crisis and recent irresponsible corporate behavior, business leaders today face the challenge of regaining the trust and confidence of society. Taking a case study approach, we will explore specific examples of corporate misconduct as well as exemplary socially responsible behavior in a business context.
Required Reading:
Stahl, Günter. “Responsible Global Leadership,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, Martha Maznevski, Michael Stevens, Günter Stahl. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp. 240-259.
Recommended Reading:
Morrison, Allen. “Ethical Standards and Global Leadership,” in Advances in Global Leadership. Eds. William Mobley and Elizabeth Weldon. Oxford: Elsevier, Vol. 4, (2006), pp. 165-179. doi:10.1016/S1535-1203(06)04012-3
Kaptein, M., & Tulder, R. “Toward Effective Stakeholder Dialogue,” in Business and Society Review, Vol. 108, No. 2 (2003), pp. 203-224.
Appiah, Kwame Anthony. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers. New York: Penguin Books, 2007. Pp. 1-31.
Session 16: Leadership in the Non-Profit Sector
Leaders in the NGO sector often face a multitude of challenges that often requires long working hours with limited resources in areas that are burdened with political, economical, and environmental problems. Not surprisingly, studies show a leadership deficit in this sector. We assess the challenges of developing a new generation of NGO leaders.
Required Reading:
Hailey J, James R. “Trees Die From the Top: International Perspectives on NGO Leadership Development,” in Voluntas: International Journal Of Voluntary & Nonprofit Organizations, Vol. 15, No. 4, (Dec. 2004), pp. 343-353.
Neha, Arora. “An Exclusive Study of NGOs Leaders Working Style,” in International Journal of Management & Information Technology, Volume 1, No 3, (Sept. 2012).
Recommended Reading:
Hardy, Bruce. Leadership in NGO's: Is it all that different than the For-profit sector?” in Canadian Manager Spring, Vol. 4, No. 6, (2007).
Doh Jonathon, and Guay Terrence. “Corporate Social Responsibility, Public Policy, and NGO Activism in Europe and the United States: An Institutional-Stakeholder Perspective,” in Journal Of Management Studies, Vol. 43, No. 1, (Jan. 2006), pp 47-73.
Negin, Joel. 'Reviving dead aid: making international development assistance work,' in Lowy Institute for International Policy, Vol. 24, No. 2, (2010), pp 171-173.
Session 17: Student Activism and Leadership Development: Over to You
For dynamic societies, students are indispensible as agents of change. Drawing on examples of student activism from around the globe, we will examine the role of students in leading the way for positive change. Students will also reflect on how their own leadership identity has developed during their semester abroad.
Required Reading:
Komives, Susan, and Lucas, Nance. “Developing a Leadership Identity,” in Exploring Leadership: For College Students who want to make a Difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. Ch. 13.
Recommended Reading:
Boren, Mark Edelman. Student Resistance: A History of the Unruly Subject. New York: Routledge, 2001. Pp. 1-13.
Quaye Stephen. “Hope and learning: The outcomes of contemporary student activism,” in About Campus, Vol. 12, No. 2, (2007), pp.2-9.
Cohn-Bendit, Daniel. “Europe’s Provocative Green,” in The Economist, Vol. 350, No. 8103, (Jan 23, 1999).
Session 18: Final session
Students will make short presentations of their leadership learning. Students can choose the format of this presentation. For example, this can be in the format of “flickr”, a short video, or students can use an alternative presentation tool such as Prezi. Be creative! Final remarks from instructor will conclude the course.
Required readings:
Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. New York: Anchor Books, 1959.
Adler, Nancy, and Allison Gundersen. International Dimensions of Organizational Behaviour. OH: South-Western, 2008.
Appelbaum, Steven. "Gender and Leadership? Leadership and Gender? A Journey through the Landscape of Theories," in Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 24/1 (2003), pp. 43-51.
Bird, Allan. “Mapping the Content Domain of Global Leadership Competencies,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp. 80-96.
Chhokar, Jagdeep S., Felix C. Brodbeck, and Robert J. House (eds.). “Culture and Leadership in 25 societies: Integration, Conclusions, and Future Directions,” in Culture and Leadership Across the World: The Globe Book of In-depth Studies of 25 Societies. NY: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2007. Pp. 1023-1066.
Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997.
Ganon, Martin, and Rajnandini Pillai. Understanding Global Cultures: Metaphorical Journeys through 29 Nations, Clusters of Nations, Continents, and Diversity. CA: Sage, 2010.
George, William, Peter Sims, Andrew McLean, and Diana Mayer. “Discovering Your Authentic Leadership,” in Harvard Business Review, R0702H-PDF-ENG, 2007. Retrieved from http://hbsp.harvard.edu/
Hailey J, James R. “Trees Die From the Top: International Perspectives on NGO Leadership Development,” in Voluntas: International Journal Of Voluntary & Nonprofit Organizations, Vol. 15, No. 4, (Dec. 2004), pp. 343-353.
Hofstede, Geert, and Gert Jan Hofstede. Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.
Ibarra, Herminia, and Otilia Obodaru. “Women and the Vision Thing,” in Harvard Business Review, (2009). Retrieved from R0901E-PDF-ENG.
Martin, Judith and Thomas Nakayam. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. New York: Mcgraw-hill, 2010. Pp. 50-52 & 65-71.
Mayer, Catherine, Tristana Moore, and Mark Thompson. “Merkel’s Moment,” in Time, Vol. 175, No. 1 (2010), pp. 32-35. Retrieved from EBSCO/host.
Maznevski, Martha and Chui, Celia. “Leading Global Teams,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp. 141-182.
Mendenhall, Mark. “Leadership and the Birth of Global Leadership,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski; et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp. 1-17.
Neha, Arora. “An Exclusive Study of NGOs Leaders Working Style,” in International Journal of Management & Information Technology, Volume 1, No 3, (Sept. 2012).
Osland, Joyce. “The Multidisciplinary Roots of Global Leadership,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski. et, al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp. 21-39.
Osland, Joyce. “Overview of the Global Leadership Literature,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp. 34-63.
Osland, Joyce. “Leading Global Change,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp 183-214.
Stahl, Günter. “Responsible Global Leadership,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, Martha Maznevski, Michael Stevens, Günter Stahl. New York: Routledge, 2013. Pp. 240-259.
Recommended readings:
Adair, John. The John Adair Lexicon of Leadership. London: Kogan Page, 2011.
Adler, Nancy, and Allison Gundersen. “Managing Multicultural Teams,” in International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior. OH: South-Western, 2008. Chapter 5, Pp 126-149.
Appiah, Kwame Anthony. Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers. New York: Penguin Books, 2007. Pp. 1-31.
Berkun, Scott. The Myths of Innovation. CA: O’Reilly Media, 2010.
Bhawuk, Dharm, Landis, Dan, and Munusamy, Vijayan. “Understanding the Basics of Culture,” in Contemporary Leadership and Intercultural Competence: Exploring the Cross-Cultural Dynamics Within Organizations. Ed. Michael A. Moodian. California: Sage, 2009. Pp. 7-15.
Bird, Allan, and Stevens, Michael. “Assessing Global Leadership Competencies,” in Global leadership: Research, Practice, and Development. Eds. Mark Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird, Gary Oddou, and Martha Maznevski, et al. New York: Routledge, 2013. Ch. 6. Pp. 113-140.
Black, J. Stewart. “The Mindset of Global Leaders,” in Advances in Global Leadership. Eds. William Mobley and Elizabeth Weldon. Oxford: Elsevier, 2006, Vol. 4, pp. 181-200. doi:10.1016/S1535-1203(06)04012-3(2006).
Boren, Mark Edelman. Student Resistance: A History of the Unruly Subject. New York: Routledge, 2001.
Boyacigiller, Nakiye, Schon Beechler, Sully Taylor, and Orly Levy. “The Crucial yet Elusive Global Mindset,” in Handbook of Global Management: A Guide to Managing Complexity. Eds. Henry Lane, Mark Mendenhall, Martha Maznevski, and Jeanne McNett. Hoboken: Blackwell, 2004. Pp. 81-93.
Cohn-Bendit, Daniel. “Europe’s Provocative Green,” in The Economist, Vol. 350, No. 8103, (Jan 23, 1999).
Davis, Donald and Bryant, Janet. “Influence at a Distance: Leadership in Global Virtual Teams,” in Advances in Global Leadership, Volume. UK: Emerald Group, 2003. Pp. 303-340.
Denning, Peter, and Robert Dunham. “Getting Your Ideas Adopted” in The Innovator’s Way: Essential Practices Successful Innovation. London: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2010.
Doh Jonathon, and Guay Terrence. “Corporate Social Responsibility, Public Policy, and NGO Activism in Europe and the United States: An Institutional-Stakeholder Perspective,” in Journal Of Management Studies, Vol. 43, No. 1, (Jan. 2006), pp 47-73.
Gardenschwartz, Lee, Jorge Cherbosque, and Annita Rowe. “We Can’t All Just Get Along” in Emotional Intelligence for Managing Results in a Diverse World: The Hard Truth about Soft Skills in the Workplace. CA: Davies-Black, 2008. Pp. 15-42.
George, William. “Leadership is Authenticity, Not Style,” in Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value. CA: Jossey-Bass, 2003. Pp. 11-25.
Goleman, Daniel. “What Makes a Leader?” in Harvard Business Review. 12546-PDF-ENG, 2010. Retrieved from http://hbsp.harvard.edu/.
Gundling, Earnest, Hogan, Terry, and Cvitkovich, Karen. What is Global Leadership: 10 Key Behaviors that define Great Global Leaders. Boston: Nicholas Brealey, 2011, Pp. 1-35.
Gupta, Sangeeta. “Beyond Borders: Leading in Today’s Multicultural World” in Contemporary Leadership and Intercultural Competence: Exploring the Cross-Cultural Dynamics Within Organizations. Ed. Michael A. Moodian. CA: Sage, 2009. Pp. 145-158.
Hall, Tony, and Karen Janman. The Leadership Illusion. UK: Palgrave Macmillian, 2010.
Hall, Edward, Mildred Reed Hall. “Key Concepts: Underlying Structures of Culture,” in Readings in Intercultural Communication: Experiences and Contexts. Eds. Judith. N. Martin, Thomas. K. Nakayama, and Lisa A. Flores. MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Pp. 165-171.
Hardy, Bruce. Leadership in NGO's: Is it all that different than the For-profit sector?” in Canadian Manager Spring, Vol. 4, No. 6, (2007).
Jalalzai, Farida and Krook, Mona Lena. “Beyond Hillary and Benazir: Women’s Political Leadership Worldwide,” in International Political Science Review, Vol. 3, No. 1, (2010), pp. 5–23. Doi: 10.1177/0192512109354470
Kaptein, M., & Tulder, R. “Toward Effective Stakeholder Dialogue,” in Business and Society Review, Vol. 108, No. 2 (2003). pp. 203-224.
Komives, Susan, and Lucas, Nance. “Strategies for Change,” in Exploring Leadership: For College Students who want to make a Difference. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2007. Ch. 12.
Kotter, John. “What Leaders Really Do,” in Harvard Business Review’s 10 Must Reads: On Leadership. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School, 2011. Pp. 37-55.
Mockaitis A, Rose E, and Zettinig P. “The power of individual cultural values in global virtual teams,” in International Journal Of Cross Cultural Management. August 2012; 12(2). Pp. 193-210.
Morrison, Allen. “Ethical Standards and Global Leadership,” in Advances in Global Leadership. Eds. William Mobley and Elizabeth Weldon. Oxford: Elsevier, Vol. 4, (2006), pp. 165-179. doi:10.1016/S1535-1203(06)04012-3
Negin, Joel. 'Reviving dead aid: making international development assistance work,' in Lowy Institute for International Policy, Vol. 24, No. 2, (2010), pp 171-173.
Osland, Joyce. “Thoughts from Joyce Osland,” in Journal of Management Inquiry, Vol. 20, No. 184 (2011). doi: 10.1177/1056492610394748
Quaye Stephen. “Hope and learning: The outcomes of contemporary student activism,” in About Campus, Vol. 12, No. 2, (2007), pp.2-9.
Said, Edward. “Orientalism,” in The Post-Colonial Studies Reader. Eds. Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Triffin. New York: Routledge, 2006. Pp. 24-27.
Ting-Toomey, Stella. “Intercultural Conflict Competence,” in Readings in Intercultural Communication: Experiences and Contexts. Eds. Judith N. Martin, Thomas. K. Nakayama, and Lisa. A. Flores. MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Pp. 323-335.
Trompenaars, Fons and Wooliams, Peter. Business Across Cultures. UK, West Sussex: Capstone, 2003. Ch. 1-3.
Youssef, Carolyn, and Luthans, Fred. “Positive Global Leadership,” in Leadership in a Global Context (special issue). Eds. Richard Steers, Carlos Sanchez-Runde and Luciara Nardon, Volume 47, No. 4, 2012. Pp. 479-706.
Brief Biography of Instructor:
Wendy is a British-Trinidadian who has been living in Germany for over two decades. She studied Economics (Ludwig-Albert-University, Freiburg); Business Administration (University of Maryland); and Intercultural Relations (University of the Pacific in conjunction with the Intercultural Communications Institute in Portland, Oregon). Previously, Wendy worked as an Assistant to the Cultural Attaché for the United States Information Service at the American Embassy (Bonn), and as a Communication Specialist at the NATO headquarters in Belgium. Wendy currently lectures at several German universities on Cross-cultural Management and Global Leadership. In addition, Wendy runs her own business Global Communication Competence and in this capacity works as a consultant, trainer, and coach for regional and global companies.
Leading Across Cultures: Principles and Practice
Global organizations, whether business, not-for-profit, or government, all require professionals who possess global leadership skills. But what exactly are global leadership skills and how do we acquire them?
The rising field of global leadership studies identifies the cultural context as one of the important dimensions in analyzing leadership styles and how leaders meet ethical challenges, manage team-building, and bring about change in a global environment. This course evaluates current theoretical models of leadership and leadership characteristics in the context of local culture and also identifies commonalities of leadership that are recognized across cultures. Taking an experiential approach, the focus of this course is on developing personal leadership potential and competencies. To this aim, students will be exposed to innovative management training methods outside of the classroom setting. For example, students will explore their own personal leadership style and learn how to be more assertive in a workshop involving guided interaction with horses. In a TakeTina rhythm and movement workshop, students will learn about effective communication and coping with complexity and ambiguity. Finally, toward the end of the semester, students will experience the challenges and opportunities of leading diverse teams in a rope climbing course. Throughout the course students will be required to maintain self-reflection journals to map their experiences, insights, and progress.
None
Additional costs will be incurred for the use of online assessment tools (approximately $12), and one or two additional workshops (€30-€50) such as a horse-workshop or a rope climbing course.
Required course books:
All IES Abroad courses require attendance and participation.
In addition to lectures, discussions, film clips, case studies, interactive and experiential activities, this course will be supplemented with local and topical articles as well as current research. Each semester, a guest speaker will be invited from either the political, non-profit, or the business sector.
Personal Development Journal. Self-reflection is essential to developing one’s understanding of leadership along with skills required for mastering complex situations. Entries are directed assignments that require students to reflect on their experience in class, at the internship placement, and on the readings. Journal entries are to be completed by the due date each week and uploaded to moodle. Each entry should be 2-3 typewritten pages, double-spaced.
Academic paper. Students will write an academic paper (10-12 pages long, Times New Roman 12; double-spaced) toward the end of the semester, in which they relate their journal entries to the theories, and concepts covered in class, and in the reading assignments. In the final session, students will make a short presentation of their academic papers.
Participation in additional workshops and co-curricular elements is compulsory.
Session 1: Introduction to Global Leadership
This session gives an overview of the course contents and requirements. The expectations of the students and instructor are discussed and information given about project work, extra workshops and co-curricular components of course. Students will reflect on their present knowledge of leadership in a cross-cultural context.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Youssef, Carolyn, and Luthans, Fred. “Positive Global Leadership,” in Leadership in a Global Context (special issue). Eds. Richard Steers, Carlos Sanchez-Runde and Luciara Nardon, Volume 47, No. 4, 2012. Pp. 479-706.
Part I: Know Thyself
Session 2: Defining Global Leadership
This session sets the context for the study of global leadership. It offers definitions of global leadership, describes how the field has evolved, and also how it differs from traditional theories of leadership and management. Key concepts and central themes of the course will be outlined.
Homework assignment: Students will take an online assessment tool: the Inventory of Intercultural Effectiveness (IES)
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Session 3: Self-Assessment of Leadership Competencies
This session gives an overview of the research pertaining to the competencies and skills considered essential for effective global leadership. In particular, it focuses on the Pyramid Model of Global Leadership which offers a theoretical framework of global leadership based on five progressive levels of competencies.
Students will receive feedback on their scores for the assessment tool and will create a personal development plan and journal for the duration of the course to work on improving weaker competencies.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Session 4: The Leader as a Learner
In this session, we explore the realm of leadership competencies considered essential for leading in an environment that is rapidly changing, unpredictable, culturally diverse, and saddled with a variety of global problems. Students will work on increasing self-awareness by reflecting and assessing themselves with regard to concepts such as emotional intelligence, preferred learning and working styles, and global mindset.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Session 5: Leadership Styles
In this session, we take a look at various approaches to the study of leadership. One model is the connective leadership concept with its direct, relational, and instrumental styles. Another approach is to focus on context and networking rather than personality or personal attributes. Yet another approach argues that authenticity—sticking to one’s own values and principles—rather than style constitute effective leadership. Students then explore their own personal point of view on leadership.
Discussion of novel: Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Workshop: Communication and leadership training with horses
Part II: Know Others
Session 6: Understanding the Impact of Culture
This session introduces the key concepts of intercultural communication, as well as its relevance for the field of global leadership. Topics will include stereotyping, cultural orientations, and values. Students will also reflect on their own cultural identities.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Session 7: Communicating Across Cultures
Effective communication involves being aware of how you are being perceived by others. It also means understanding how cultural conditioning affects your ability to accurately interpret, understand, and communicate with people from other cultures. This session explores the influence of culture on verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as how negotiating and conflicts styles differ across cultures.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Hall, Edward, Mildred Reed Hall. “Key Concepts: Underlying Structures of Culture,” in Readings in Intercultural Communication: Experiences and Contexts. Eds. Judith. N. Martin, Thomas. K. Nakayama, and Lisa A. Flores. MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Pp. 165-171.
Ting-Toomey, Stella. “Intercultural Conflict Competence,” in Readings in Intercultural Communication: Experiences and Contexts. Eds. Judith N. Martin, Thomas. K. Nakayama, and Lisa. A. Flores. MA: McGraw-Hill, 2002. Pp. 323-335.
Session 8: Culture in Organizations
This session sets the context for working in an intercultural environment. Based on the works of Kluckhohn and Strodtbeck, Hofstede, Trompenaars, Hampden-Turners, and Laurent, this session describes how cultures vary in terms of their value orientations, attitudes, and behaviors; and how this profoundly influences working relationships and management styles. Students will explore their own cultural orientations.
Homework Assignment: go online and complete Cultural Profile Questionnaire (CPQ) at http://www.imd.org/research/projects/CPQ.cfm (to be completed by the next session)
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Session 9: Leadership Styles across the Globe
Students will review the GLOBE studies and compare leadership styles across cultures. In particular, they will be exploring if there are universal leadership traits and styles that transcend cultures.
Required Reading:
Session 10: Leadership in selected European Countries
Students will make short presentations profiling cultural differences and leadership styles of selected European countries. In preparation for their Model EU roles at the end of semester, students will research the leadership styles of the countries they will be representing.
Required Reading:
Session 11: Power, Race, and Representation: Implications for Global Leadership
Taking a critical perspective of communication and culture, this session raises awareness of how the privilege-disadvantage dialectic plays out within societies, and how culture, race, politics, and socio-economic issues impact on leadership in a global context.
Discussion of novel: The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down.
Required Reading:
Martin, Judith and Nakayam, Thomas. Intercultural Communication in Contexts. New York: Mcgraw-hill, 2010. Pp. 50-52 & 65-71.
Fadiman, Anne. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1997.
(Please complete reading of chapters 1-6 by this session).
Recommended Reading:
Said, Edward. “Orientalism,” in The Post-Colonial Studies Reader. Eds. Bill Ashcroft, Gareth Griffiths, and Helen Triffin. New York: Routledge, 2006. Pp. 24-27.
Part III: Know How to Work
Session 12: Leading Global Teams
In this session, the essential characteristics and necessary conditions for enabling high performance teams are discussed. In particular, the focus is on issues such as building respect and trust among team members, engaging in innovative and creative processes, and coping with trans-cultural boundary crossing.
Required Reading:
Recommended Readings:
Session 13: Leadership and Gender
This session takes a look at the influence of gender on leadership styles and behavior. It explores why women are underrepresented in the top echelons of almost all professional spheres and how this can be changed. The theme of gender stereotyping and how this varies across cultures is also discussed.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Session 14: Leading Change and Innovation
The ability to effectively handle change is a key prerequisite skill of a global leader. In this session we begin by exploring how cultural factors such as temporal orientation, locus of control, or tolerance of ambiguity can influence change management in organizations. Using concrete examples from the field, we will highlight how global leaders must act as catalysts of change and innovation by inspiring and motivating; by creating the right vision and communicating this clearly; and also by building a community of trust and commitment within their organizations.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Workshop: Leadership and team dynamics workshop
Session 15: Leadership in Business: Corporate Social Responsibility
As the world struggles to recover from the global financial crisis and recent irresponsible corporate behavior, business leaders today face the challenge of regaining the trust and confidence of society. Taking a case study approach, we will explore specific examples of corporate misconduct as well as exemplary socially responsible behavior in a business context.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Session 16: Leadership in the Non-Profit Sector
Leaders in the NGO sector often face a multitude of challenges that often requires long working hours with limited resources in areas that are burdened with political, economical, and environmental problems. Not surprisingly, studies show a leadership deficit in this sector. We assess the challenges of developing a new generation of NGO leaders.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Session 17: Student Activism and Leadership Development: Over to You
For dynamic societies, students are indispensible as agents of change. Drawing on examples of student activism from around the globe, we will examine the role of students in leading the way for positive change. Students will also reflect on how their own leadership identity has developed during their semester abroad.
Required Reading:
Recommended Reading:
Session 18: Final session
Students will make short presentations of their leadership learning. Students can choose the format of this presentation. For example, this can be in the format of “flickr”, a short video, or students can use an alternative presentation tool such as Prezi. Be creative! Final remarks from instructor will conclude the course.
Wendy is a British-Trinidadian who has been living in Germany for over two decades. She studied Economics (Ludwig-Albert-University, Freiburg); Business Administration (University of Maryland); and Intercultural Relations (University of the Pacific in conjunction with the Intercultural Communications Institute in Portland, Oregon). Previously, Wendy worked as an Assistant to the Cultural Attaché for the United States Information Service at the American Embassy (Bonn), and as a Communication Specialist at the NATO headquarters in Belgium. Wendy currently lectures at several German universities on Cross-cultural Management and Global Leadership. In addition, Wendy runs her own business Global Communication Competence and in this capacity works as a consultant, trainer, and coach for regional and global companies.