The Transcultural Leader, Leading the Way to PCA (Purposeful Cooperative Action)

Differences are complex and can appear to be insurmountable as we try to navigate in a world of contrary ideals, beliefs, and ways of doing business. The complexity can cause tension among all those involved. Trompenaars and Hampden Turner (2004) described the complexity of this world as “nonstop culture clashes” (p. 230). These authors explained that when they wrote about culture they were referring not only to nations but also to different professions, genders, etc. In every venue, there needs to be those who are able to lead regardless of the cultural clashes and boundaries facilitated by the natural human tendency to form and preserve groups.
How can a leader lead above and across the manmade boundaries of culture brought on by the human need to belong and help them become one in purpose, in vision, and in action? Isaacs (1999) wrote about the comments of a Syrian astronaut as he was orbiting the earth. The astronaut commented on how beautiful the earth appeared to be with all the boundaries apparently gone. Of course, the boundaries were still there, but the astronaut’s stellar view allowed him to transcend the manmade boundaries, and, instead of seeing individual countries, he saw the beauty of one world that holds many different people. Leaders of the 21st century need to have such a stellar view in order to transcend the cultural boundaries put in place by people in attempts to preserve their groups’ uniqueness.
The transcendent type of leader is needed in all aspects of society, from the community to the corporation. Though the concepts put forward in this book could be applied to many different venues, the focus of this discussion will be organizational cultures. Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (2001) provided an excellent reason for the need of trans-cultural leadership in corporations when they wrote, “Business cultures are different, so different as to be in some respects diametrically opposed, and that, because business is run differently around the globe, we need different managerial and leadership competencies” (p.11). The competency Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner wrote about involves the leader having the ability to navigate through situations that could potentially block the inclusive process. In their book titled 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, these authors put forward the opinion that trans-cultural leaders must have the ability to recognize, respect, and reconcile differences in order to successfully lead in the 21st century.
Perhaps it takes leaders who are able to draw on the attributes given them by their respective groups. Leaders influenced by Western society may approach this phenomenon differently than those with an Eastern influence. Consequently, Lewis (1996/2006) wrote that Western leaders must depend on dynamic leadership, insightfulness, psychological skills, a willingness to innovate, and clever use of their democratic institutions to lead people of different cultures.
The people of the United States, according to Simons, Vázquez, and Harris (1993), have the benefit of being recipients of some of the world’s most ambitious and capable immigrants. If there is no understanding of how to lead such ambitious and capable groups of people, we as a society will never reach our fullest potential. Hamel (2007), in his book titled The Future of Management, wrote that the very things that make us great as a people are what will allow us to become leaders who are able to coordinate the efforts of many individuals without strangling human imagination and allow freedom and discipline to flow in tandem.
This book is based on information gathered from a phenomenological study where I examined the experiences of four trans-cultural leaders from various fields who lead people of different races, genders, professions, and/or disciplines towards purposeful cooperative action. Exploring the experiences of trans-cultural leaders from different fields provided insights into and best practices used to create inclusive environments that promote cooperative action.
Definition of Terms used throughout this Book
An intricate part of culture is language. Language can be a barrier to understanding and cooperation; therefore, I will provide the reader with definitions of the terms used throughout this study.
Culture: There are many definitions of culture. Negandhi (1983) has even argued that it is virtually impossible to define such a dynamic concept. Hofstede and Hofstede (2005) defined culture as a collective phenomenon in which the human mind is programmed to be able to distinguish one group from another. Just as in Hofstedes’ definition, the word group is used to define culture, and I, too, will use the word group to refer to culture throughout this book. Hereafter, culture will be defined as the evolutionary manifestation of people’s experiences and interactions with the challenges and difficulties presented by their shared time periods, environments, vocations, and situations, of which the people build assumptions that determine their groups’ behaviors.
Boundaries: This term is used in Family Systems Therapy and is defined as “the emotional barriers that protect and enhance the integrity of individuals, subsystems, [cultures] and families” (Corey, 1996, p. 393). For the purposes of this study, I have added the word culture to this definition provided by Corey.
Trans-cultural leader: Trans-cultural as defined by Simons et al. (1993) is being knowledgeable of one’s own culture yet having general and specific cultural skills to be able to work, live, and interact in a multicultural environment. However, Simons et al. also suggested that there is not just one blueprint of the trans-cultural leader. Brown (2007) defined a trans-cultural leader as someone who is perceptive of national and cultural differences and does not profess to know everything about the unfamiliar culture in which he or she works. A combination of these definitions will provide the reader with a good understanding of the type of leader spoken of in this book. For the purpose of this book, a trans-cultural leader will be defined as a person who has positive influence over several different groups of people operating within the same organization or community and who utilizes his or her understanding of culture to create an inclusive environment conducive to transcending the manmade boundaries of culture and facilitating purposeful cooperative action.
The word person was chosen in the above definition because leadership is predicated not on position or title but on relationships and influence (Maxwell, 2005). In The 360º Leader, Developing Your Influence From Anywhere in the Organization, Maxwell posited that a person could lead from any position in an organization as long as he or she has a followership. The foundation of the 360º leader’s effectiveness is the level of influence the leader has and uses. The concepts reveled in this book should be applicable to any person who has influence over a group of people in a multicultural environment. Therefore, for the purpose of this book, the phrase trans-cultural leader applies to leaders at all levels who fit the definition.
Cultural cohorting: A cohort can be defined as a group of people unified to perform one goal or purpose. Therefore, for the purpose of this book, cultural cohorting is defined as the act of different cultures uniting to perform one goal or purpose.
Purposeful cooperative action: Purposeful cooperative action is defined as the deliberate movement toward a common goal and shared vision by people or groups of different races, genders, professions, and/or disciplines.