IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/jintbs/v48y2017i5d10.1057_s41267-016-0030-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Contextualizing leadership: a typology of global leadership roles

Author

Listed:
  • B. Sebastian Reiche

    (IESE Business School)

  • Allan Bird

    (D’Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University)

  • Mark E. Mendenhall

    (University of Tennessee)

  • Joyce S. Osland

    (San José State University)

Abstract

While the global leadership literature has grown rapidly over recent years, the context in which global leadership occurs remains ill-defined and under-conceptualized. This lack of contextualization risks equating global leadership roles that are qualitatively very different and prevents sufficient clarity for empirical sampling. To foster more cohesive theoretical and empirical work, we develop a typology of global leadership roles that considers context as a critical contingency factor. Drawing on role and complexity leadership theories, we propose four ideal–typical global leadership roles (incremental, operational, connective, and integrative global leadership) that differ in their (1) task complexity – characterizing the variety and flux within the task context, and (2) relationship complexity – reflecting the boundaries and interdependencies within the relationship context. We further delineate how these contextual demands relate to specific sets of behaviors and actions that allow global leaders to fulfill the requirements of their corresponding ideal–typical global leadership roles. Our article concludes with a discussion of implications the typology presents for global leadership research and practice, contextualization of the leadership construct more broadly, and the field of international business.

Suggested Citation

  • B. Sebastian Reiche & Allan Bird & Mark E. Mendenhall & Joyce S. Osland, 2017. "Contextualizing leadership: a typology of global leadership roles," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 48(5), pages 552-572, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:48:y:2017:i:5:d:10.1057_s41267-016-0030-3
    DOI: 10.1057/s41267-016-0030-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41267-016-0030-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41267-016-0030-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Caligiuri, Paula & Tarique, Ibraiz, 2009. "Predicting effectiveness in global leadership activities," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 336-346, July.
    2. Wenpin Tsai, 2002. "Social Structure of “Coopetition” Within a Multiunit Organization: Coordination, Competition, and Intraorganizational Knowledge Sharing," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 13(2), pages 179-190, April.
    3. Boas Shamir & Robert J. House & Michael B. Arthur, 1993. "The Motivational Effects of Charismatic Leadership: A Self-Concept Based Theory," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 4(4), pages 577-594, November.
    4. Helene Tenzer & Markus Pudelko, 2016. "Media choice in multilingual virtual teams," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(4), pages 427-452, May.
    5. Holt, Katherine & Seki, Kyoko, 2012. "Global Leadership: A Developmental Shift for Everyone," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(2), pages 196-215, June.
    6. Mansour Javidan & Dale E. Carl, 2004. "East Meets West: A Cross‐Cultural Comparison of Charismatic Leadership Among Canadian and Iranian Executives," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(4), pages 665-691, June.
    7. Mendenhall, Mark E. & Reiche, B. Sebastian & Bird, Allan & Osland, Joyce S., 2012. "Defining the “global” in global leadership," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(4), pages 493-503.
    8. Kevin K Boeh & Paul W Beamish, 2012. "Travel time and the liability of distance in foreign direct investment: Location choice and entry mode," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 43(5), pages 525-535, June.
    9. Jody Evans & Felix T Mavondo, 2002. "Psychic Distance and Organizational Performance: An Empirical Examination of International Retailing Operations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 33(3), pages 515-532, September.
    10. Shad Morris & Scott Snell & Ingmar Björkman, 2016. "An architectural framework for global talent management," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(6), pages 723-747, August.
    11. Bird, Allan & Mendenhall, Mark E., 2016. "From cross-cultural management to global leadership: Evolution and adaptation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 115-126.
    12. Pamela Tremain Koch & Bradley Koch & Tanya Menon & Oded Shenkar, 2016. "Cultural friction in leadership beliefs and foreign-invested enterprise survival," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(4), pages 453-470, May.
    13. Klaus E. Meyer & Ram Mudambi & Rajneesh Narula, 2011. "Multinational Enterprises and Local Contexts: The Opportunities and Challenges of Multiple Embeddedness," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(2), pages 235-252, March.
    14. Ajay Mehra & Andrea L. Dixon & Daniel J. Brass & Bruce Robertson, 2006. "The Social Network Ties of Group Leaders: Implications for Group Performance and Leader Reputation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 17(1), pages 64-79, February.
    15. Ram Mudambi & Pietro Navarra, 2004. "Is knowledge power? Knowledge flows, subsidiary power and rent-seeking within MNCs," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(5), pages 385-406, September.
    16. B Sebastian Reiche & Anne-Wil Harzing & Markus Pudelko, 2015. "Why and how does shared language affect subsidiary knowledge inflows? A social identity perspective," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 46(5), pages 528-551, June.
    17. Butler, Christina L. & Zander, Lena & Mockaitis, Audra & Sutton, Ciara, 2012. "The Global Leader as Boundary Spanner, Bridge Maker, and Blender," Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Cambridge University Press, vol. 5(2), pages 240-243, June.
    18. Shaila M. Miranda & Carol S. Saunders, 2003. "The Social Construction of Meaning: An Alternative Perspective on Information Sharing," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 14(1), pages 87-106, March.
    19. Orly Levy & Schon Beechler & Sully Taylor & Nakiye A Boyacigiller, 2007. "What we talk about when we talk about ‘global mindset’: Managerial cognition in multinational corporations," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(2), pages 231-258, March.
    20. Catherine Durnell Cramton, 2001. "The Mutual Knowledge Problem and Its Consequences for Dispersed Collaboration," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(3), pages 346-371, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Sarabi, Almasa & Froese, Fabian J. & Chng, Daniel H.M. & Meyer, Klaus E., 2020. "Entrepreneurial leadership and MNE subsidiary performance: The moderating role of subsidiary context," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(3).
    2. Lacoste, Sylvie & Zidani, Kenza & Cuevas, Javier Marcos, 2022. "Lateral collaboration and boundary-spanning from a global leadership perspective: The case of global account managers," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(3).
    3. Dimitrios Georgakakis & Mads E. Wedell-Wedellsborg & Tommaso Vallone & Peder Greve, 2023. "Strategic leaders in multinational enterprises: A role-specific microfoundational view and research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 54(3), pages 514-537, April.
    4. Matthew M. C. Allen & Geoffrey Wood & Mehmet Demirbag, 2022. "Developing theoretically informed typologies in international business: Why we need them, and how to do it," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(9), pages 2133-2146, December.
    5. Prabhashini Wijewantha, 2018. "Developing the corporate global leadership bench strength through transformational leaders," Asian Journal of Empirical Research, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 8(12), pages 453-467, December.
    6. Fabian Jintae Froese & Sebastian Stoermer & B Sebastian Reiche & Sebastian Klar, 2021. "Best of both worlds: How embeddedness fit in the host unit and the headquarters improve repatriate knowledge transfer," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(7), pages 1331-1349, September.
    7. Günter K Stahl & Martha L Maznevski, 2021. "Unraveling the effects of cultural diversity in teams: A retrospective of research on multicultural work groups and an agenda for future research," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(1), pages 4-22, February.
    8. Corner, A.J. & Liu, Leigh Anne & Bird, Allan, 2021. "Intercultural competencies for emerging markets: A contextualized approach," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    9. Mansour Javidan & David A. Waldman & Danni Wang, 2021. "How Life Experiences and Cultural Context Matter: A Multilevel Framework of Global Leader Effectiveness," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(5), pages 1331-1362, July.
    10. B. Sebastian Reiche, 2021. "Research handbook of global leadership: Making a difference," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(7), pages 1425-1428, September.
    11. Alexandre Bohas & Michael J. Morley & Aseem Kinra, 2021. "Perlmutter revisited: Revealing the anomic mindset," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 52(9), pages 1695-1723, December.
    12. Silbiger, Avi & Barnes, Bradley R. & Berger, Ron & Renwick, Douglas W.S., 2021. "The role of regulatory focus and its influence on the cultural distance – Adjustment relationship for expatriate managers," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 398-410.
    13. Szymanski, Mike & Fitzsimmons, Stacey R. & Danis, Wade M., 2019. "Multicultural managers and competitive advantage: Evidence from elite football teams," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 305-315.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alon Lisak & Miriam Erez & Yang Sui & Cynthia Lee, 2016. "The positive role of global leaders in enhancing multicultural team innovation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 47(6), pages 655-673, August.
    2. Klaus E. Meyer & Chengguang Li & Andreas P. J. Schotter, 0. "Managing the MNE subsidiary: Advancing a multi-level and dynamic research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 0, pages 1-39.
    3. Hendriks, Guus & Slangen, Arjen H.L. & Heugens, Pursey P.M.A.R., 2024. "Country portfolio diversity and firms’ portfolio adjustment decisions: A behavioral perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(4).
    4. Khadija Straaten & Niccolò Pisani & Ans Kolk, 2020. "Unraveling the MNE wage premium," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(9), pages 1355-1390, December.
    5. Scott-Kennel, Joanna & Giroud, Axele, 2015. "MNEs and FSAs: Network knowledge, strategic orientation and performance," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(1), pages 94-107.
    6. Andreas P. J. Schotter & Ram Mudambi & Yves L. Doz & Ajai Gaur, 2017. "Boundary Spanning in Global Organizations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 403-421, June.
    7. Klaus E. Meyer & Chengguang Li & Andreas P. J. Schotter, 2020. "Managing the MNE subsidiary: Advancing a multi-level and dynamic research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 51(4), pages 538-576, June.
    8. Crane, Bret & Hartwell, Christopher J., 2019. "Global talent management: A life cycle view of the interaction between human and social capital," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 82-92.
    9. Tenzer, Helene & Pudelko, Markus, 2017. "The influence of language differences on power dynamics in multinational teams," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 45-61.
    10. Ming Pu & Pek-Hooi Soh, 2018. "The role of dual embeddedness and organizational learning in subsidiary development," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 35(2), pages 373-397, June.
    11. Hundschell, Andreas & Backmann, Julia & Tian, Amy Wei & Hoegl, Martin, 2022. "Leaders' cultural gap bridging behaviors and subordinates' work engagement in multinational teams," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(3).
    12. Yang, Jing Yu & Wen, Liang & Volk, Stefan & Lu, Jane Wenzhen, 2022. "Temporal boundaries and expatriate staffing: Effects of parent–subsidiary work-time overlap," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 57(6).
    13. Jiang, Fuming & Travaglione, Tony & Liu, Li Xian & Li, Jizhong, 2021. "When does the global mindset affect headquarters–subsidiary relationships?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 136(C), pages 523-542.
    14. Bird, Allan & Mendenhall, Mark E., 2016. "From cross-cultural management to global leadership: Evolution and adaptation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 115-126.
    15. Florian Becker-Ritterspach & Christoph Dörrenbächer, 2011. "An Organizational Politics Perspective on Intra-firm Competition in Multinational Corporations," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 533-559, August.
    16. Caligiuri, Paula & Bonache, Jaime, 2016. "Evolving and enduring challenges in global mobility," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 127-141.
    17. Blomkvist, Katarina & Kappen, Philip & Zander, Ivo, 2014. "Superstar inventors—Towards a people-centric perspective on the geography of technological renewal in the multinational corporation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(4), pages 669-682.
    18. Riviere, Monica & Romero-Martínez, Ana M., 2021. "Network embeddedness, headquarters entrepreneurial orientation, and MNE international performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(3).
    19. Najafi-Tavani, Zhaleh & Robson, Matthew J. & Zaefarian, Ghasem & Andersson, Ulf & Yu, Chong, 2018. "Building subsidiary local responsiveness: (When) does the directionality of intrafirm knowledge transfers matter?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 475-492.
    20. Tippmann, Esther & Sharkey Scott, Pamela & Reilly, Marty & O’Brien, Donal, 2018. "Subsidiary coopetition competence: Navigating subsidiary evolution in the multinational corporation," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 53(4), pages 540-554.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:jintbs:v:48:y:2017:i:5:d:10.1057_s41267-016-0030-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.palgrave-journals.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.