Leadership Strategy
The modern working environment has become much diversified, and the awareness of this fact should be incorporated by leaders in their strategy. It is suggested that servant leaders have features that are essential to adapt to other cultures. Awareness, persuasion, and commitment to the growth of people help servant leaders to maintain effective cooperation with people, regardless of their cultural background.
Experts have not reached a consensus on the features of an effective servant leader. However, an accurate description of a servant leadership can be found in Bennis (1989) suggesting that a strong leader incorporates “vision, inspiration, empathy and trustworthiness” (p. 140), and Spears (2010) offering that servant leadership rests on awareness, persuasion, and commitment. The features identified by Bennis (1989) and Spears (2010) help leaders to adapt to any cultural context, because they consider effective cross-cultural cooperation in terms of finding common ground that is evident across cultures. Despite the differences that exist between representatives of different cultures, they seek cooperation, which is possible if there is a clear strategic vision and commitment to achieve it.
Servant leaders facilitate processes required for cross-cultural cooperation in several important ways. Firstly, they are able to create effective cooperation medium through their commitment to serve and assist the growth of people. Secondly, cross-cultural cooperation is maintained, because leaders act as mediators between cultures and ideas, and ensure that the most valuable of them are used to achieve strategic vision.
Summing up, it is suggested that servant leaders have potential to establish and nurture cross-cultural cooperation. It is achieved through clear strategic vision, inspiration, persuasion, empathy, and trustworthiness. Leaders adopt and perfect these features if they are committed to serve and faciliate growth of their followers.
References
Bennis, W. (1989). On becoming a leader. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company Inc.
Spears, L. C. (2010). Character and servant leadership: Ten characteristics of effective, caring leaders. The Journal of Virtues & Leadership, 1(1), …
