13: Immigration as a Leadership Crucible among Global Leaders

Globalization can be defined as the growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures and populations. This phenomenon, which resulted from the increasing trade of goods, flows of capital, and movement of people across borders, started in the fifteenth century with the Spanish and Portuguese expansion into the Americas (Wesseling, 2009). In recent decades, particularly with the rise of emerging markets and the development of the internet, globalization has taken center stage.

In an increasingly globalized world, leading at a transnational level has surged as a distinctive form of leadership. The term “global leader” has emerged in leadership studies to refer to those leaders who operate beyond domestic organizations and political contexts. They lead in a global environment and deal with followers and other constituents from multiple cultural backgrounds. Unlike international leaders, who represent national interests at a global level, global leaders represent transnational interests (Perruci, 2018).