Global Leadership
Global Leadership
Changing organisation structures means there are now more global roles, and an increasing need for organisations to manage their leadership talent globally.
In a review of global leadership Sloan et al., (2003) mapped the types of leadership roles to competencies. Sloan concluded that many of competencies required for leaders in general were also important for global leaders. However a few more may be needed, and at a higher level. In some cases the general leadership competencies must be more fully developed to be effective in a global role, e.g., shaping strategy and influencing acorss cultures is more complex than across homogenous environments. These competencies are:
- Thought leadership – How to balance people, results, customers, and profits. Leaders must constantly make choices in style and priorities. Some situations call for more direction and collaboration. Others require fast decisions to address critical risks. The more global the role, the higher the complexity and volume of information the leader must consider.
- Results Leadership – This is the planning, organizing and distributing of work through a complex organization. This is increasingly important for all leaders – but especially for global leaders. Global leaders have to work across multiple organization levels and national boundaries, where there are cultural differences in preferences for structure and risk. This adds to the complexity.
- People Leadership – This is understanding individual differences in motivation, aspiration, and expectation. It is important for all leaders who deal with increasingly diverse workforces. For Global Leaders building relationships across distances, and cultures, face to face and remotely, are key challenges. It is imperitive to communicate well orally, and in writing, so that words and tone will not be misinterpreted.
- Self Leadership – This includes core characteristics that are not immediately visible, learning orientation, adaptability, integrity and values. It can be more culture bound, and not included in competency models. (This less visible element usually comes in to light during a scandal). This core element of effective and ethical leadership is important to ensure a good match between the individual and leaders values and those of the organization.
Discover how DavittCorporatePartners can help you to:
Develop Leadership in Your Organisation
Align Behaviour with Corporate Values
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