Analysis of Three Non-Western Cultures on Diversity Leadership

INTRODUCTION

Globalization, and the need for an improved economic integration, has led to increased cultural diversity of organisations’ fundamental values and also among individual employees of an organization. Globalization can be defined as a process by which national and regional economies, cultures and societies become integrated through a world network of trade, communications, transportation and immigration (Beck, 2000). For organisations to succeed in the increasingly competitive global stage there must be diversity leadership; a change is necessary from the traditional leadership values and norms. This is because to manage diversity is more than just acknowledging the difference in people. The concept of diversity therefore includes respect and acceptance; it means understanding each other and moving forward, this can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, religious and political beliefs and their nurturing in a safe and positive environment (Jackson and Ruderman, 1995). The culture of an organization reflects on its leadership style. Culture is a shared pattern of interactions, understandings and behaviours, learned through socialization(Kroeber and Kluckhohn, 1952).The increase in global integration has increased diversity and global competition among organization, as a result diversity leadership has become a necessity because of globalization and macro national level of diversity. Diversity leadership means recognising that cultural preferences differ and adopt strategies and processes that work for different group members (Chong, 2004). The increase of multinational companies from emerging regions is prompting cross-cultural management...

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