Leadership_Theory

LMOL 601 Professor L Gomez Leadership History Gabriel J Johannes 2011/01/07 Regent University School of Global Leadership & Entrepreneurship Leadership History The Elephant leaders can’t ignore: Globalization. A somewhat tongue-in-the –cheek definition of globalization on the Internet goes like this: Question: What is globalization' Answer: Princess Diana's death Question: How come' Answer: An English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was high on Scottish whiskey, followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles, treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines! And this is sent to you by a Canadian, using Bill Gates' technology which he got from the Japanese. Although tongue in the cheek, the definition does well to illustrate the fact that the phenomenon of globalization influences the world in which we live and the events that shape it in a profound manner. Globalization, or what Friedman calls the “flattening” of the world (2008,29), has an effect on even the most mundane things people do like what they eat, buy and value. According to Stackhouse (2007, 1) “there is no greater public issue before humankind than the fact that a wider public is being created by the complex dynamics of globalization that are essentially social and ethical as these are driven by or legitimated by the often unintended implications of religious convictions, particularly those of Christianity.” He defines globalization as “a worldwide set of social, political, cultural, technological and ethical dynamics, influenced and legitimated by certain theological, ethical and ideological motifs, that are creating a worldwide civil society that stands beyond the capacity of any nation-state to control”(Stackhouse, 2007, 8) Sweet (2004, 12) states that leaders are neither born or made but summoned-they are called into existence by circumstances. Leaders are people that rise to the occasion. If globalization is indeed the greatest issue before mankind and a phenomenon that are driven or legitimated by religious convictions, then globalization is exactly the set of circumstances that calls for leadership and since globalization is grounded in religious and specifically Christian convictions, these leaders will have to be spiritual leaders or at least be aware of the underlying religious currents and believes and how those come into play in an organization. This would be supported by the fact that Lee’s (2003, 3) research found that Americans want more out of their work hours than it just being an exchange of work, effort and hours and that spirituality incorporated into the workspace has begun to has helped to fulfill this need. Some companies like the World Bank and Lucent Technologies already employs people in positions of spiritual leadership (Sweet, 2004, 80). Globalization has become the proverbial elephant in the organizational room that no leader can ignore. A global leader who understands the power of ideas and convictions is what is called for in a global environment. This becomes even clearer if one takes a look at the history of leadership from 1900 onwards. A Brief History of Leadership: The Evolution to Global Leadership from 1900 The roots of global leadership can be found in the beginnings of civilizations (Daft, 2007). The way in which leaders viewed organizations has evolved from then. The focus has shifted from agrarian culture to industrial culture. Where workers were once seen as working entities in levels of productivity, the influence to be gained by attending to the workers as human beings (with human needs) came to be realized. Whereas leaders were once more focused on their organizations -a so called transformative leadership model, leadership focus had thus now shifted to a focus on followers- a so called servant leadership and/or ethical or values-based leadership. Patterson, Dannhauser, Stone, 2007, 2-3) With the dynamic of globalization coming into play some has pointed out the need for social or interpersonal skills in a global leader’s make –up (Jokinen, 2005, 9-10). From this it is clear that the servant leadership approach with its focus on people rather than the transformational model will serve a global leadership approach better. Leadership has indeed evolved form a transformational to a servant mode and this is crucial to take into account when considering a global approach. Leadership matters: Global Leadership and the Future of Leadership Analyzing failed companies such as Enron and Arthur Anderson, it becomes clear that the lion share of these failures can by attributed to weak or ineffective leadership. But the question is what makes leaders ineffective in a global environment' The answer seems to be relationships. Both the abovementioned and well-known companies had no shortage of core ethical principles. Their problem was that of lacking core relationships facilitated by leaders (Sweet, 2004). Leadership matters, the kind of leadership that focuses on people and interpersonal relationships first and foremost. Part of this focus will include a deep understanding of how people view the world and what motivates them as well as how best to communicate with a specific group of people. Daft (2007) summarizes this when he states that understanding cultural nuances and adherence to communications are the two leading components of leading and managing in a global world. “Leadership is the art of the future. A Leader is one in whom the future shines through in support of the present in spite of the past” (Sweet 2004: 11). The future of globalization is appearing on the landscape of the present at an astonishing rate. This asks for an urgent response, a response of relational leadership embracing a global world’s cross-cultural complexities and communication challenges. References Daft, R.L. (2007) The Leadership Experience 4th ed. Mason, OH: South-Western Publishing. Friedman T. L. (2008) Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why the World needs a Green Revolution-and how we can renew our Global Future. London: Penguin. Jokinen, T. (2005) Global Leadership Competencies: a review and discussion. Journal of European Industrial Training. 29, 2/3, 199. Lee, P.C. (2003) Working in the Spirit: A Review of the literature concerning spirituality in America’s workplace. Virginia Beach, VA (18 pages) Patterson, K. Dannhauser, Z. Stone, A.G. (2007) From Noble to Global: The attributes of Global Leadership. Servant Leadership Roundtable-July 2007 Sweet, L. (2004) Summoned to Lead. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan. Stackhouse, M.L. (2007) God and Globalization: Volume 4: Globalization and Grace. London: Continuum. http://www.vbulletin.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-67110.html