Beyond East and West: The Making of Global Leadership

This book chapter summarizes a qualitative phenomenological study that was conducted with 18 global leaders to identify the competencies that are found at the intersection of the global workplace, the significance of a global mindset, and how cultures impact global competencies. The 18 global leaders that were selected for this study have served on multiple global platforms for at least 10 years and represent India, China, several parts of Europe, the African continent, the Middle East, and South America. The findings of this study reveal multiple areas of development that clarify what is meant by global competencies to prepare and empower the next generation of global leaders. Global leadership must be a priority, as humans become more globally conscious and culturally connected than any other time in history because of advances in technology and globalization. There is an increased demand for cross-cultural collaboration and communication as the global economy advances and takes shape. However, the research focused on global leadership and what makes a global leader is nascent. This paper introduces a new leadership mental model that embraces both Eastern and Western modalities of leading with a focus on global leadership competencies. The difference between Eastern versus Western mentalities is illustrated well by three frameworks that are introduced in this book chapter. Michelle Gelfand’s theory of “cultural tightness and looseness” is a framework that depicts cultures who are “tight” as having strict norms and standards while “loose” cultures have more tolerance for deviant behaviors, divergent thinking, and isolated decision-making. Hofstede provides a framework on cultural dimensions that highlights the differences found when examining culture from a global lens. Edward Hall’s theory from anthropology describes the communication variants found in “high-context” and “low-context” societies, where expectations are either implicit or explicit. This paper introduces a holistic leadership approach towards Global Leadership theory. Findings conclude that global leaders have an ability to immerse their whole being into a new culture without passing judgment and can put their biases aside to learn for the sake of the greater good of humanity. Holistic Global Leaders also have a growth mindset which primes them for the constant growth and evolution of a global economy.