Do Methods Matter in Global Leadership Development? Testing the Global Leadership Development Ecosystem Conceptual Model
In: Journal of management education: the official publication of the Organizational Behavior Teaching Society, Volume 42, Issue 2, p. 239-264
ISSN: 1552-6658
As world communication, technology, and trade become increasingly integrated through globalization, multinational corporations seek employees with global leadership skills. However, the demand for these skills currently outweighs the supply. Given the rarity of globally ready leaders, global competency development should be emphasized in business education programs. Global leadership competence requires moving beyond the cognitive domain of learning to create socially responsible and culturally connected global leaders. This requires greater attention to understanding the impact of specific learning methods, the dynamics between them, and their effect on intended outcomes. A new conceptual model, the Global Leadership Development Ecosystem, was introduced in this study to test the impact of learning methods in developing global leadership competencies. It was based on four theories of learning including cognitive, social, experiential, and humanist. This study quantitatively tested the model using PASW statistics software, and hierarchical regression showed the individual effect of each development method and their combined effect on graduate student scores on the Global Mindset Inventory assessment. The analysis revealed that each methodology played a distinct and important role in developing different competencies of global leadership. This model provides a useful framework for global leadership development in higher education business programs.