Leading global teams

Lena Zander, Audra I. Mockaitis, Christina L. Butler

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter (Book)Otherpeer-review

Abstract

Global teams that are characterized by national, cultural and linguistic heterogeneity and operate in a globally dispersed virtual environment are becoming an established form of organizing work in multinational organizations. As global team leadership research is rather limited, we review the literature on leading multicultural and virtual teams in a global context, focusing on leadership competencies, styles, strategies and modes. We also examine the emergent concepts of biculturalism, global mindset and cultural intelligence with respect to team leaders. Our aim is to add to our knowledge of leading global teams, highlight recent trends and suggest directions for future research. Three themes for global team leadership emerged: leaders as boundary spanners, bridge makers and blenders; people-oriented leadership; and leveraging diversity. We discuss implications for research and practice.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationLeading Organizations
Subtitle of host publicationPerspectives for a New Era
EditorsGill Robinson Hickman
Place of PublicationLondon UK
PublisherSAGE Publications Ltd
Pages246-267
Number of pages22
Edition3rd
ISBN (Print)9781483346694
Publication statusPublished - 2016

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