Global Leadership: Research, Practice and Development

by Mark E. Mendenhall, Joyce Osland, Allan Bird

Global leadership is an emerging field that seeks to understand and explain the impact of globalization processes on leadership. This is the first book to review the theoretical, empirical and conceptual literature on this important subject, and to analyze what this body of knowledge means for managers who lead in a global business context. Accessible to both student and practitioner alike, it explains how changes in the global context have created a demand for a distinctive set of qualities for effective leaders. This volume defines the skill set that global organizations are now looking for, highlighting the need to establish communities across diverse groups of stakeholders and initiate change as key aspects of global leadership. It also presents a critical analysis of the training and development of global leaders of the future. Global Leadership provides an important overview of a key emerging area within business and management. It is essential reading for students of leadership, organizational theory, strategic management, human resource management, and for anyone working and managing in the global arena.

Genres: School, Leadership

216 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Mark E. Mendenhall, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized scholar in the field of international human resource management. His areas of expertise are in the areas of global leadership development and assessment, and the cross-cultural adjustment of expatriates. He currently holds the Frierson Chair of Excellence in Business Leadership at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. In 1998 he also held the Ludwig Erhard Stiftungsprofessur Chair at the University of Bayreuth. He is past president of the International Management Division of the Academy of Management. His most recent books are Global Leadership: Research, Practice, and Development (Routledge, 2008), Managing Human Resources in Mergers and Acquisitions (Stanford University Press, 2005); International Assignments: An Integration of Strategy, Research, and Practice (Lawrence Erlbaum Press, 2004); and Developing Global Business Leaders: Policies, Processes, and Innovations (Quorum Books, 2001). His book, Developing People Through International Assignments (Addison-Wesley, 1999), is widely read by HR executives involved with expatriate management programs.

Mark has consulted with and conducted numerous training programs for many firms, including IBM-Asia Pacific, IBM-Japan, National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA), Boeing, Monsanto, and J.C. Bamford Excavators (JCB). He has published numerous scholarly articles some of which appear in Sloan Management Review, Academy of Management Review, Journal of International Business Studies, Organizational Dynamics, Human Resource Management, Management International Review, and International Journal of Intercultural Relations.

Reviews

[Tyler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a volume of work by several scholars summarizing academic scholarship on various subjects pertaining to global leadership. I found some chapters much more useful and interesting than others. The empirical data is very limited in this fledgling academic field, and there wasn't a lot of concrete actionable information to go on with theories, constructs, etc. I found the more abstract research less useful and the research based more on the practical lived experience of successful global leaders far more interesting and helpful for my personal practice of leadership. Readers who may be involved in the academic study of global leadership, developing curriculum for international business schools, and so forth will probably find this book a lot more interesting and helpful than I did. However, there were some good things I learned so I still feel like it was worth my time even though I rated the book with only two stars.