Showing papers on "Global Leadership published in 1997"

Global Leadership: Women Leaders

Abstract: Global Leadership and the Twenty-first Century In his speech accepting the Philadelphia Liberty Medal, Vaclav Havel (1994, p. A27), President of the Czech Republic, eloquently explained that: There are good reasons for suggesting that the modern age has ended. Many things indicate that we are going through a transitional period, when it seems that something is on the way out and something else is painfully being born. It is as if something were crumbling, decaying and exhausting itself, while something else, still indistinct, were arising from the rubble. Havel's appreciation of the transition that the world is now experiencing is certainly important to each of us as human beings. None of us can claim that the twentieth century is exiting on an impressive note, on a note imbued with wisdom. As we ask ourselves which of the twentieth century's legacies we wish to pass on to the children of the twenty-first century, we are humbled into shameful silence. Yes we have advanced science and technology, but at the price of a world torn asunder by a polluted environment, by cities infested with social chaos and physical decay, by an increasingly skewed income distribution that condemns large proportions of the population to poverty (including people living in the world's most affluent societies), and by rampant physical violence continuing to kill people in titulary limited wars and seemingly random acts of violence. No, we do not exit the twentieth century with pride. Unless we can learn to treat each other and our planet in a more civilized way, is it not blasphemy to continue to consider ourselves a civilization (Rechtschaffen 1996)?(1) The dynamics of the twenty-first century will not look like those of the twentieth century; to survive as a civilization, twenty-first century society must not look like the twentieth century. For a positive transition to take place, the world needs a new type of leadership. Where will society find wise leaders to guide it toward a civilization that differs so markedly from that of the twentieth century? While many people continue to review men's historic patterns of success in search of models for twenty-first century global leadership, few have even begun to appreciate the equivalent patterns of historic and potential contributions of women leaders (Adler 1996). My personal search for leaders who are outside of traditional twentieth century paradigms has led me to review the voice that the world's women leaders are bringing to society. This article looks at the nature of global leadership and the role that women will play at the most senior levels of world leadership. Leadership: A Long History To lead comes from the latin verb "agere" meaning to set into motion (Jennings 1960). The Anglo-Saxon origins of the word to lead come from "laedere", meaning people on a journey (Boman/Deal 1991). Today's meaning of the word leader therefore has the sense of someone who sets ideas, people, organizations, and societies in motion; someone who takes the worlds of ideas, people, organizations, and societies on a journey. To lead such a journey requires vision, courage, and influence. According to U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski, leadership involves "creating a state of mind in others" (Cantor/Bernay 1992, p. 59). Leaders, therefore, are "individuals who significantly influence the thoughts, behaviors, and/or feelings of others" (Gardner 1995, p. 6). Beyond strictly focusing on the role of the leader, leadership should also be thought of as interactive, as "an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes ... [reflecting] their mutual purposes" (Rost 1991, p. 102). In addition, according to Bolman and Deal (1995, p. 5), true leadership also includes a spiritual dimension: Two images dominate [concepts of leadership]: one of the heroic champion with extraordinary stature and vision, the other of the policy wonk, the skilled analyst who solves pressing problems with information, programs, and policies. …

The global leader : critical factors for creating the world class organization

Abstract: In 1994, Terence Brake co-authored the book "Doing Business Internationally", which provided comprehensive guidelines for individuals and organizations working across cultural borders. The "Global Leader" is a follow-up to this successful book, and focuses on the urgent need for companies to build cultures that develop global leaders at all levels. Filled with input executives and senior managers from leading global companies like Avon, Bechtel, Colgate-Palmolive, Huges Electronics, and International Flavors and Fragrances, this guide provides the reader with valuable insights into: organizational capabilities needed to build and sustain global competitiveness; a leadership process that transforms the challenges of global competition into world-class performance; culture-building tools that release leadership potential throughout the organization; and a change process for managing deep cultural transformation.

The Moral Component of Effective Leadership: The Chinese Case

Abstract: Paper presented at a Symposium entitled 'New Perspectives of Global Leadership' in 12th SIOP Annual Conference 1997.

Dutch and Polish perceptions of leadership and culture: The globe project

Abstract: In this paper the objectives of a new international research project that focuses on the perception of leadership across cultures will be presented. The definition of leadership will be discussed in relation to cross-cultural leadership research. The ideas and theory on which the project is based will be introduced along with several of the hypotheses the project is designed to test. Besides testing the general hypotheses, results obtained in the GLOBE study can also be used for a more focused comparison between two countries. In this paper, differences in preferred leadership attributes and national culture dimensions in The Netherlands and Poland are presented. A total of 287 Dutch managers from six organizations and 277 Polish managers from six organizations filled out questionnaires. The results indicate that Dutch and Polish cultures differ strongly on power distance, uncertainty avoidance and future orientation. Regarding preferred attributes for outstanding leadership, Polish respondents score especially high on administrative skills, vision, and diplomacy, whereas Dutch managers emphasize integrity, inspirational behavior and vision. Polish respondents are also less negative about autocratic leadership.

Convergent and divergent technological and market strategies for global leadership

Abstract: This paper analyses the technological and market strategies of eight technology-intensive companies (5 American, 2 Japanese, I European) that have achieved global leadership through strategic focus. Both technological and market strategies are divided into two broad categories: (1) convergent; (2) divergent. Therefore, four strategy clusters could occur. A convergent technology strategy is defined as the development and synergistic integration of all technologies necessary to achieve worldwide leadership for a new product. A typical example is the first laptop computer by Toshiba. A divergent technological strategy is defined as the development of alternative technologies, related or unrelated, that will assure leadership in a given market. A typical example is General Electric Medical Systems. A convergent market strategy is defined as the utilisation of all marketing efforts to gain worldwide leadership in a specific market segment, as for example General Electric Medical Systems. Finally, a divergent market strategy is defined as targeting a broad spectrum of customers across many industries, with a great variety of diverse applications. A typical example is the Toray Company of Japan which has achieved worldwide leadership in the application of carbon fibres. The paper discusses the characteristics of the four strategy clusters, their applicability on a contingency basis, and their impact on corporate strategy and organisation. Guidelines for practical implementation are offered, which appear to be applicable within the triad of North America, Western Europe and Japan.

Think globally ‐ act locally! Competences for global management

Abstract: Multinational organizations’ value chains spread around the world and this demands a new competence ‐ global leadership. Describes how Mobil Oil has funded the International Management Development Consortium to design a programme for top management to acquire such skills. The first programme has been delivered and was structured around an interactive project involving a strategic analysis of marketing a telecommunications service across the world. An international faculty designed a unique approach for participants, who were drawn exclusively from multinational organizations. Reports how, as a part of the programme, participants examined the issue of which competences are essential for global leadership.

Japanese, German, and American Global Business Leadership: Perceptions of Saudi and Expatriate Executives

Abstract: Even though the issue of global business leadership has been intensively debated, few attempts have been made to investigate it from the perspective of international executives. This study is designed to address the issue of the national environments of Japan, Germany, and the U.S. and the prospect of global leadership for each nation. Seventy-four top Saudi Arabian firms participated. The results indicate that Japan is perceived to offer the most conducive business environment for effective global competition. In addition, participants believe that Japan and Germany will surpass the U.S. economically and technologically in the near future.