Trading Global Leadership with Global Followership

This chapter reviews 65 studies on global leadership (N = 22), indigenous leadership (N = 20), and integrated followership (N = 23) conducted in various parts of the global North, West, South, and East. The selected literature falls under the three categories of the theory of interculturation: differentiation cultures and leadership-followership theories and practices; acculturation or integration of leadership and followership theories and practices across cultures; and original synthesis of multicultural perspectives and practices that have produced culture-specific and culture-universal models of global leadership and followership. The findings indicate that first, fundamental differences exist between cultures and cultural understandings and practices of leadership and followership between the global North-West and South-East. Second, a growing number of comparative and intercultural studies on leadership and followership seem to indicate that organizations and communities are acculturating themselves into new global realities by embracing new cultural values and practices to improve their organization or community outcomes. Third, new models and best practices of global leadership and followership are emerging in the global community due to cultural fusion and synthesis of empirical knowledge and practices. As a result, a global leadership and followership exchange (GLFE) has been proposed for future research and praxis of global leadership and followership.