Developing leaders for workplaces where cultures meet

Workplace leadership in the 21^st century is not simple.

It is becoming more complex and more challenging, as cultural diversity in the workplace increases. There is now a call for leaders to look at the make up of the modern work environment and to uncover new strategies that are effective.

As the world becomes so interconnected, and as more people want to work abroad, work teams are becoming more multinational. Seeing people from different continents and nations working alongside each other, is no longer unusual.

With the globalisation of the world economy, no manager nor leader can afford to ignore cultural influences and innuendoes on leadership. Leadership in some respects may be non-country specific and non-cultural. However, the influx of foreigners into the workforces of many economies adds a new twist. Almost everywhere it is now a big advantage to have an understanding of culture in the leadership role. 

Recognising change

As the world shifts from a vertical hierarchical model (command and control) to an innovation and creativity driven model (connect and collaborate), the role of the leader is changing. Chairmen, Boards of Directors, Chef Executive Officers and Human Resources Directors need to ensure that organisational policies and practices accommodate the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural flavour of the workforce.

In a nutshell, the mission of the globalised organisation must incorporate diversity of thought.

In multinational workforces, leaders need to be culturally savvy to motivate their people to go beyond minimum requirements. Because of cultural diversity, tomorrow’s leaders and managers need special know-how for engendering creativity, innovation and involvement.

And why is it so important that a new brand of leadership emerges? Essentially, it’s all to do with the benefits that cultural diversity offers organisations:

Diverse workforces embody different perspectives and approaches to work;

• Diversity leads to learning opportunities for employers and employees; and
• Diversity creates an expectation of high standards for there is usually more emphasis on results.

Effective leaders need to develop a vision that has significant appeal for followers who come from diverse backgrounds and cultures. The vision must have the potential to transform the collection of individuals into a group that can accomplish tasks with a sense of continued commitment and satisfaction.

What excellent leaders need

For leadership in a culturally diverse workplace, leaders need:

A fresh perspective for developing leadership traits,

• The drive and motivation to work in countries where the culture is very different from their own,
• The social skills to deal with people of different race and religion,
• A commitment to high levels of integrity (for it is defined differently in different cultures), and
• An openness to get to know the rights of employers and the duties of employees - for in many cases these differ from country to country.

Openness can also involve looking at new meanings for such fundamental concepts as: individualism, collectivism, teamwork, socialisation, decision-making, objectives, masculinity, femininity and discipline.

Beyond openness, to be successful, leaders need to take a very positive attitude towards the power of diversity. Cultural diversity can be a huge source of energy for driving change and growth. But if a leader does not recognise this, it is unlikely to happen.

Developing leaders to handle diversity

Successful leaders are those who can manage diversity for innovative and competitive advantage.

Not surprisingly, a truly global leader is an elusive concept and probably impossible to develop in the short term. However, this does not preclude the possibility that with strategic thought and appropriate training and development, complemented with the right mindset, aptitude and attitudes, it is possible to develop truly global leaders who function effectively and efficiently across borders and cultures.

Developing global leaders for the 21^st century involves a well-charted action plan involving an integrated system for selecting, inducting, training, and developing talented individuals.

The selection process

Though developing truly global leaders and managers remains a challenge, the selection process for identifying potential global leaders and managers in the past decade has become increasingly sophisticated.  Although it is still a work in progress.

Focus in the selection process is often directed at the individual’s orientation to global issues. Other positives that are usually looked for include an ability to adapt, communication skills and personal motivation to succeed in a global or international context.

Of course, selection also needs to consider family circumstances and support. If there is no total agreement among all family members beyond the initial thrill of an overseas posting or assignment, then a global career is doomed to failure from the start.

The importance of cross-cultural understanding cannot be overlooked. It is not simply a process of attending a workshop or reading books and learning the language. It must include an active immersion program with host country nationals in the home country before departure. This can even be extended to an immersion program in the host country as a local prior to departure. Serving in overseas assignments is the best single way of developing the executive leadership skills needed for the decades ahead.

Necessary attitudes

The global mindset that’s normally necessary for competent leadership of a diverse workplace, includes qualities such as:

• Broad personal horizons,
• A welcoming approach to perspectives that are different from one’s own,
• An ability to deal with complex realities
• Emotional resilience and personal stability
• Professional confidence
• An ability to balance conflicting needs.

Conclusion

Developing global leadership to manage across cultures is not an easy task. Aside from understanding the role of being a leader which is a challenging task in itself, adding the global dimension introduces even greater complexity.

Top companies realise the importance of creating a workforce as broad and diversified as the customer base they serve. But a diverse workforce is only a positive for the business, if it works smoothly and efficiently, and if the members of the workforce are listened to. Thus, the need for leaders who can communicate with, and motivate, culturally diverse work groups is greater than ever before.

Today's migration and globalisation of diverse populations demand intercultural dialogue and the commitment from top executives to create and manage diverse and inclusive workforces in all areas of business.