Early Stages of an International Research Collaboration: A Followership Study in Russia

Abstract

This chapter is a result of the research collaboration between two Russian scholars employed by different international universities, residing in Russia and the United States, with research training in their respective countries. The number of international research collaborations has increased exponentially around the world. This chapter stresses the importance of the research planning stage to avoid frustrations and misunderstandings during an actual international research work. More specifically, the authors advocate for appreciation and respect of partners’ research traditions to be more open and collaborative in international scholarship. With significant education reforms in the country, Russian researchers are compelled to engage in international collaborations. This chapter helps international leadership scholars learn about the current state of Russian research, influences of research traditions, current research internalization strategies, existing academic programs in leadership studies. This chapter includes the authors’ reflections on what it meant to plan followership research in Russia and anticipate working with a Russian-trained or an American-trained scholar. The authors argue that one of the first steps in international research collaborations should be reviewing similarities and differences between collaborators’ research foundations and experiences to become familiar with each other’s research language and to conduct a study blending the approaches to produce a truly international leadership research.