Abstract

The business world is expanding. Much of this growth is being driven by globalization and advances in technology. The characteristics and practices which helped organizational leaders to succeed just a few decades ago have changed. The purpose of this paper was to examine the characteristics and practices essential for leading global organizations today and well into the future. This paper also addresses several characteristics and practices essential for leading global teams, managing conflict, and diversity. A discussion of how these characteristics and practices help organizations to maintain a competitive edge was also provided. However, a review of the literature uncovered a gap in future research to be focused on how to evaluate and develop a global mindset at the organizational level.

Key words: Transcultural Leadership, Cross-Cultural Leadership, Multiculturalism, Global Leadership