Cross-cultural leadership

Global markets are increasingly taking advantage of the strength and economic advantages of a diverse global workforce. It is common on international projects to find multi-cultural teams located in multiple countries. It is also common to find such projects led by Project Managers who come from many different countries. So having a person raised in India managing a project in China, with a design team in the USA, procurement procurement teams in Japan and Mexico, and a drafting team in Albania is not unusual. Even in historically monolithic markets like the USA, it is far more common to have mulit-cultural teams and foreign competition. In addition, the pressure on the industry to increase productivity and reduce costs is unrelenting. This leads to flatter project structures, and the need for leadership at multiple levels. My experience in such markets, and the glaring need for a Cross-Cultural Leadership model that could be used to improve leadership skills in international markets were the reasons for undertaking this thesis. The hypothesis of this thesis is that there are of cross-cultural leadership dimensions that are effective and essential, regardless of culture. Those dimensions are Trust, Empathy, Transformation, Power, and Communication. The thesis first explores the cultural and leadership aspects of Cross-Cultural Leadership through a review of the published literature. The literature research was then subjected to an exegetical review of the themes that emerged, and used to construct the Descriptors, and Sub-Descriptors for each of the leadership dimensions. The thesis also explored the transfer of cultural knowledge with metaphors and storytelling. In a fast paced business environment, developing a richer understanding and sensitivity to other coulters, in general and specific, is a skill that Leaders must possess. Lastly, the thesis explored the connections between conflict management and CrossCultural Leadership. Conflict management skills are becoming ever more important due to the rapid changes that are common in the current business environment. Change, cultural mis-information, scarce resources, poor communication skills, contractual ambiguity and complexity are but a few of the reasons that managing conflict is a critical skill for leaders.