Expatriate leadership: An organizational resource for collaboration

Abstract

This qualitative research study asked: (a) What are the deeply held values, beliefs, and assumptions of effective organizational leaders with international experience? and (b) How do the internally held values, beliefs, and assumptions of the leader affect leadership practices in an international setting and within the global organization? The 11 research participants were middle and upper level managers with a minimum of 2 years international experience. The six women and five men ranged in age from 29 to 68 with an average age of 45. They were employed by 11 different organizations, and in 11 different career fields. Collectively, they had a total of 96 years of experience in 16 foreign countries. Seven participants were US Americans and one participant was born in each of the following countries: Canada, Jordan, Taiwan and (formerly East) Germany. The diverse demographics of the participants and the uniqueness of their individual experiences added to the richness of the study. All participants were screened using the Intercultural Development Inventory. Only participants in an ethnorelative stage of development on the IDI were included in the research. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. The interview data were recorded and transcribed. The transcribed data were analyzed, using QSR NUD*IST, version 5 software. Each participant also completed a Values Management Inventory, providing an objective assessment of personal values and leadership style. Values Technology analyzed the data from the VMI. The values expressed by the expatriate leaders who participated in this study clustered in Hall's cycle four of leadership development. In this cycle, Hall reports an enormous shift of consciousness, and an opportunity for significant growth. Findings revealed that these expatriate leaders were able to maintain creative tension between two or more worldviews, which precipitated their ability to work across cultures. Participants described relationship-building skills that allowed them to synthesize best practices from different cultures toward a competitive advantage. Policy implications for selection of successful expatriate candidates, as well as, suggestions for in-country support of leadership development emerged from this study. An “In-Country” model for support of expatriate leaders allows organizations to garner greater knowledge and insight from their own expatriates. These leaders were often found to be an untapped resource of first hand international experience, intercultural knowledge and cross-cultural skills.