Essay On Multicultural Leadership

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Multicultural leadership skills and competencies in the global environment “In the new borderless economy, culture doesn’t matter less; it matters more.”- Rosen & Digh (2001)

Leadership is a key component of all organizations but its function and capacity are getting more complicated with increased involvement in globalization and technology development (Punnett, 2004) Leadership practices thus vary across not just organizations but countries too. Japanese leadership practice, for example, is different from the West by its cultural traditions and business practices (Takahashi, Ishikawa & Kanai, 2012). A successful international leader must know what leadership is and is expected to execute it accordingly (Ulrich & Smallwood, 2012).Also to …show more content…

Understanding cultural stereotyping helps leaders overcome personal bias and value others in a diverse workplace. Personal biases against foreigners or people who are different from oneself can cause failures in finding qualified employees and building employees’ trust, as well as their commitment and productivity (Dubrin, 2004). It is important for leaders to be objective in leadership practice without making assumptions. Leaders also need to lead by example to let employees believe ethical behaviors (e.g. respecting the difference of others and avoiding personal bias) are seriously emphasized in the organization (Roy, 2012). Through cultural awareness and sensitivity, organizations can then have a better chance of success in global competition and adequate return on investments (Okoro, …show more content…

13th century Middle Eastern Mullah Nasrudin, once observed “Good judgment comes from experience; experience comes from bad judgment.” In our view, this is particularly noteworthy with regards to global managers. People try, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes. This is the essence of experiential learning. Thankfully, multicultural experiences are easily available. In the world we live today, it is no longer necessary to cross the world to have a multicultural experience. With the high levels of global migration, many societies have multiple cultures represented. Seeking out different cultures in our own neighbourhood may go along way in sharpening our understanding of culture and human behaviour and developing a starting point for the development of multicultural competence. In addition, increasing arrays of short-term foreign experiences are available for aspiring global managers to hone their

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