Source: Leading Global Teams Effectively
Western leadership training emphasizes autonomy, empowerment, egalitarianism, and authenticity. However, 70% of the global workforce operates in collectivist and hierarchical cultures, making Western approaches often ineffective or even harmful. A “one-size-fits-all” leadership style doesn’t work in global or multicultural teams.
Leaders must develop cultural intelligence: The ability to adapt leadership style to different cultural contexts. Unlike basic cultural training, cultural intelligence is an ongoing discipline involving self-awareness, situational adaptation, and perspective-taking. The goal is not to abandon Western values but to expand a leader’s toolkit and situational flexibility.
There are some common Western leadership pitfalls, one being misapplied autonomy. In individualist cultures, autonomy motivates, but in collectivist cultures, it can cause confusion or stress. Strategies to consider include changing “Employee of the Month” to “Team of the Month” to align with collectivist values.
Encouraging open feedback sometimes backfires in cultures where public disagreement is taboo. This can be avoided by tailoring brainstorming and feedback processes to include multiple input methods (e.g., written, group-based, one-on-one).
Leaders must co-create team norms and use inclusive communication techniques (e.g., open-ended questions like “What are we missing?”). The goal is psychological safety without sacrificing intellectual honesty.
An overemphasis on diversity can also be damaging. Focusing too much on differences can lead to anxiety and communication breakdowns. Leaders should emphasize shared goals and perspective-taking, to reduce stereotyping and foster understanding, and build team norms and identities around shared problems/goals, not just cultural differences.
Western ideals of vulnerability and authenticity can clash with face-saving cultures. Leaders should modulate disclosure, build trust gradually, and sometimes communicate indirectly. Cultural intelligence allows for clear but context-sensitive communication.
Autonomy, psychological safety, diversity, and transparency are important, but they must be applied through a culturally intelligent lens. Culturally intelligent leadership creates teams that are more inclusive, more innovative, and higher performing.
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