International Organizational Behavior 2e Chapter 5 Activities Page 1
CHAPTER 5
EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP IN A MULTICULTURAL
ENVIRONMENT
CHAPTER ACTIVITIES
DEVELOPING YOUR INTERNATIONAL CAREER – Thick as a BRIC: Leadership Mindsets
in the New Economic Powerhouses
Purpose and Instructions
The purpose of this exercise is to conduct a detailed analysis of how leadership approaches
have evolved in what are commonly referred to as the “BRIC” countries (Brazil, Russia,
India, and China). These countries have all experienced rapid economic growth in recent
Your instructor may ask you to complete this assignment individually or in a group (ideally
of four to six students). Either way, the basic task will be to research and compare basic
country/cultural approaches to leadership in and outside of class. In particular, please
consider the following items (that may be augmented by your instructor):
1. Determine the key features about the (dominant) business leadership approaches used in the
four BRIC countries and your home country.
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Your instructor may ask each group or individual to make a presentation about findings to
class (roughly ten minutes long). This could be followed by a discussion about common as
well as unique leadership themes in the BRIC countries, as well as the role of cultural
values. If your instructor decides to make this an individual assignment, be prepared to
take part in a general class discussion on the issues raised—especially on any different
techniques suggested by other groups or individuals.
Research Tips
To get started with your research, you may want to consult the websites below for
background information and profiles about BRIC countries. These websites should help you
refine your research efforts and act as a gateway to articles, reports, and other websites
about leadership issues and management practices in your assigned country:
Then we suggest obtaining at least one article that compares leader behavior and style
across countries and cultures. For example, the GLOBE research team has produced a large
International Organizational Behavior 2e Chapter 5 Activities Page 3
to find more GLOBE and other resources in your library or via your university’s electronic
resources.
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MAKING THE CASE FOR INTERNATIONAL UNDERSTANDING – Can South Korean
Companies Loosen Up their Leadership?
Many Western companies want leaders who encourage ideas, innovation, and speedy
decision-making. But leadership in Asia conjures up words like order, paternalism, and
formality. These certainly describe the leadership approach in many large Korean
These massive firms and the hierarchical and closed leadership style they employ seem
ideally suited for Korean culture. From them flows a traditional approach to leadership
based on Confucian values that emphasize family, seniority, and loyalty. This is supported
by South Korea’s standing on some of the value dimensions we discussed in earlier
This authoritarian nature allows South Korean firms to move decisively and quickly. Yet it
also stifles creativity and creates problems. At each level of management, subordinates
were often prohibited from questioning their superiors, much less allowed to communicate
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So, what are Korean firms to do in today’s environment? In late 2010, the Wall Street
Journal raised key questions for the country. The special report, called “The Miracle is Over:
Now What?,” gave ample credit to the successful country-level business strategy that
Assignment Questions
1. Do you think a new approach to leadership is necessary in the new South Korea? Or
should Koreans stick to their traditional approach that brought them where they are?
Note that Lee Kun-Hee of Samsung (see above) has been brought back from disgrace to
a clear preference for the traditional leader-emanating style. What’s your view?
2. Not all Korean firms, however, have stuck with a more traditional leadership approach.
Others are starting to use non-traditional approaches. What sort of options might firms
like LG and SK Telecom have at their disposal?
3. What specific things could these firms “import” from other countries to unfreeze this