Leadership in the Workplace - Essay Example

McShane states, “Globalization refers to economic, social and cultural connectivity with people in other parts of the world” (p.8). From this perspective, globalization has serious implications for business leaders, especially in multinational organizations.  These organizations require a diverse workforce as well as diverse leaders that possess an awareness of the influence of cultural, political, and social aspects on business.   Globalization has resulted in easier accessibility of technology, information, data, and products/services.  It has also resulted in stiffer competition among organizations anther passion of people to achieve more in less time, contrary to the conventional steady growth rate powered by profits and bureaucracy.  Leaders in the contemporary workplace embody these implications in the form of aggression in their business conduct, growth, and aspirations.  As a result, evidence of businesses booming and going bust have surfaced in the recent past.

Secondly, globalization has caused organizational struggle for existence, and sustenance is extremely difficult besides opening up opportunities to expand and develop. These opportunities have caused paradigm shifts of leaders in different parts of the world. For instance, the Chinese managers are becoming increasingly individualistic contrary to their collectivistic culture. The research also reveals lowered commitment of new managers to their traditional values, here Confucianism (Ralston et al, 425). The mindset of future managers is changing rapidly towards embracing global strategies and challenges, which means leaders/managers are adapting to international management styles irrespective of their cultural background (Peng & Shin, 179). 

Despite leaders’ adjustments to the process of globalization, many businesses continue their struggle to sustain and lead, and some have even collapsed. Their collapse is attributed to leaders’ demoralizing values such as greed, deceit, and selfishness (Nonaka & Takeuchi, 59).  At the same time, successful and well-respected contemporary global leaders display integrity, compassion, judgment, connectedness, power, and knowledge. These leaders also live and lead amidst the pressures of globalization and possess the wisdom to lead. (67).    

To conclude, globalization has certainly invited many changes and challenges to businesses and the way they are led.  These changes have reshaped leaders’ value systems, priorities, and management perspectives.  However, leadership principles that drive and sustain businesses, like integrity, vision or focus, consistency, connectedness, remain the same. The only additional learning that contemporary leaders make use of is the knowledge of global perspectives, which makes them, as Nonaka and Takeuchi point, wise leaders of the 21st century.