Three Tasks of Leadership Under Globalization
In Chapter 20 of the Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, Rosabeth Moss Kanter offers a sociological view of leadership, based on empirical research conducted among various international companies, which seeks to analyze globalizing trends to better understand how the context of leadership informs the work of leadership. The author examines three aspects of globalization affect the work of leadership and the tasks leaders are to perform in today’s world:
- Increased uncertainty as a globalizing trend means that leadership requires “institutional work to deal with uncertainty”
- Complexity as a globalizing trend means that leadership today requires “integrative work to deal with complexity”
- Diversity as a globalizing trend means that leadership today requires “identity work to deal with diversity.”[1]
Kanter argues that globalization trends have called for companies to think about leadership as a developed practice apart from management. She writes, “Clearly, the old simplifying assumptions are obsolete. We cannot create valid theories based on assumptions of stability, simple structures, population homogeneity, and secrecy.”[2] Instead, we have to understand the nature of leadership particularly in a globalized/globalizing context.
The first of the author’s suggested three tasks of leadership under globalization is the need for institutional work to deal with leading under uncertainty and rapid change. Based on empirical research of large international “for profit” companies, the author claims that globalization increases the rate and pace of change. Leaders affect this speed of change as do external forces. The point is that companies need to have deeper commitments than the production and distribution of a particular product. Kanter writes: “The answer to the question of who we are in the future is that we are not our current widgets, but we are our values, and that can help us find the right new widgets to serve society.”[3] This means that organizations need to think about their institutional grounding. When an organization is grounded in its own values and commitments, it can withstand the forces of internal and external change.
The author here is talking about creating an intentional organizational culture. Though I cannot recall the written source, Peter Drucker agrees with Kanter when he said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” In a globalized world, there is too much uncertainty to focus all efforts on a particular strategy. The changing context will require constant reforming of strategy, while rejecting a reactive approach to leadership that results in debilitating anxiety for an organization. But to focus on creating a strong and deliberate culture, which common symbols and lived practices and behaviors become organizational norms, will give the organization the tools to navigate change. Kanter writes: “The institutional work of leaders involves establishing and reinforcing values and principles throughout the organization through conversations and actions. In so doing, leaders help the organization internalize society and societal goals.”[4]
Most churches in North America are set up pretty well to do this kind of work, perhaps more so than for-profit companies. The point leader, usually the senior pastor, gets the opportunity to shape values and tell stories every week, and to create a culture for the congregation. Most churches have a mission or purpose statement and a list of core values, all of which are intended to drive the organization and its work in the community. The challenge for church leaders is to be intentional, honest, and consistent with these texts. The pastor needs to know the difference between aspirational and actual values that are articulated. The pastor needs to do significant work in institutionalizing these values, embedding them in the culture, and persuading others to share them. This kind of work is deep level, highly relational work sustained over long periods of time.
When a pastor enters into the life of a 60 year old church, as I did, to serve for one season, however long it may be, the pastor is wise to begin with succession in mind, even though he or she may not be part of the succession transition. The point is to think about how I want to leave the church when it’s time to go. This consideration causes me to think institutionally, because I have to imagine the organization’s future without me. What are the values, norms and behaviors that I believe need to be embedded in the congregation’s identity when I’m gone, and what is the work I need to do to accomplish this in say, the next 5-10 years? Kanter writes: “[The top leader] has to express and exemplify the values while routinizing charisma so that it spreads throughout the organization, with many people performing institutional work so that the entire organization holds emotional appeal, and successors can convey the founding ethos and take it in new directions.”[5] In my second year at Knox, the elders established a seven-person team to do a vision frame, articulating our mission, values, strategy, and measures. This work took us a year and a half to do, and for the past three years, we have been working hard and intentionally at instilling this vision frame in the minds and hearts of the people here, while at the same time restructuring in order to align our ministries accordingly.
This leads to the second dimension of leadership under globalization. In addition to doing institutional work in the face of uncertainty, the author argues that organizations need to do integrative work, in order to “get ideas connected to tangible products and services, and to connect innovations with applications and users.”[6] This means that in many cases formal structures are too rigid and need to be replaced with flexible, informal and temporary networks in order to connect more people and resources in a more fluid manner. Kanter argues that leaders need to convene various groups for cross-fertilization, and leaders need to invest in face-to-face meetings in order to build trust. This principle is as old and familiar as the church itself. Pastors, especially those who serve in congregations with a democratic polity, understand the importance of building trust and developing social capital, in order to lead the people where God wants to take us. Much of the organizational integrity work that we have done in the past couple years has involved ministry teams cross-pollinating and collaborating as we’ve been moving away from a silo model of ministry to an integrative model. We have also had to do some disciplinary work with certain leaders whose behavior and functioning was out of alignment with our professed values and ways of operating together, collaboratively.
The third dimension of leadership under globalization is to do identity work in the face of increasing diversity. Kanter argues, “Company identities also create an inclusion challenge when they reflect not only company culture differences in operating styles but also loyalties that influence individual identities.”[7] Identity is primarily about self-differentiation. It’s about understanding the self in relation to others. Kanter suggests that organizations have identities just like individuals. And if leaders are not intentional about articulating the question, “Who are we?” they will simply recruit people for similarity and slowly socialize and assimilate them into a homogeneous culture for its own purpose. The identity work for leaders is not just related to organizational identity, but even more so with their own personal identities. Leadership in an age of increasing diversity requires self-awareness and self-definition. Kanter writes, “Identity work involves shaping awareness and action in terms of both differentiation (acknowledging differences) and inclusion (finding points of commonality).”[8]
For the past eight years, John Knox Presbyterian Church has provide worship and ministry space for a small Latin American, Spanish-language, charismatic congregation of about 50 people. A few years ago, the leadership was handed to a young volunteer pastor, Roberto Ruiz, in the congregation, with whom I have been building a fruitful relationship. This congregation worships in our chapel on Friday night and Sunday afternoon. I have preached for them a couple times, and I’ve conducted a few weddings for them alongside their pastor. We have done some joint events together for the community, such as “Trunk or Treat” and a “Community Easter Egg Hunt.” These events include bi-lingual publications along with live translation and a productive partnership. As the community around us continues to diversify, I am recognizing our need to serve more closely alongside this congregation, known as Mision Hispana at John Knox.
Roberto and his leaders would like to fold into our congregation and become an official Spanish-language ministry of John Knox Church, which would change their name from “at” to “de”: Mision Hispana de John Knox. While there is not the space in this post to detail the relationship and possibilities, I am aware of my need to put into practice the lessons from this chapter as we forge ahead with this congregation. There are many landmines that can cause harm to both communities if this isn’t done with great care. At the present moment, I am working on a three year plan that would set relationship and mutuality as the priority for the starting point together. It will also require Roberto serving on our leadership board, and a deeper engagement of our communities in ministry together. Some on our board are nervous about this, no doubt with some xenophobic influence. But the call is upon us in this time to forge a common, overarching identity as a congregation that is big enough to include the various cultural and racial identities of diverse peoples in our community.
[1] Rosabeth Moss Kanter, “Leadership In A Globalizing World,” in Handbook of Leadership Theory And Practice, ed. Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana (Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2010), under “6973,” Kindle edition.
[2] Ibid., under “7033,” Kindle edition.
[3] Ibid., under “7068,” Kindle edition.
[4] Ibid., under “7087,” Kindle edition.
[5] Ibid., under “7191,” Kindle edition.
[6] Ibid., under “7200,” Kindle edition.
[7] Ibid., under “7340,” Kindle edition.
[8] Ibid., under “7358,” Kindle edition.
Kanter, Rosabeth Moss. “Leadership In A Globalizing World.” In Handbook of Leadership Theory And Practice, edited by Nitin Nohria and Rakesh Khurana, under “6973,”. Boston: Harvard Business Press, 2010. Kindle edition.
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Chris Pritchett
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I smiled when I discovered just now that we had blogged about the same chapter in Nohria. You have great taste! 😉
This was an excellent post which really wove your ministry context into a dialogue with Kanter. The actual situation before you as a ministry challenge of integrating the Mision Hispana into John Knox is a wonderful opportunity to model the breadth and beauty of the diverse Body of Christ. I know with your intuitive, disciplined leadership that this integration will be thoughtfully- and joyously-led.
It’s been such a joy to know you this fall and I look forward to ongoing interaction in this cohort. My best wishes and prayers for a merry Christmas to you and your family.