Leadership in Multicultural Team: Chinese Perspective

Dr. Kwok Leung


Dr. Mano Ramakrishnan

Dr. Kwok Leung
Chair Professor of Management, City University of Hong Kong
President of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology

Moderator: Dr. Mano Ramakrishnan
Head of Research
Human Capital Leadership Institute, Singapore

Globalization is a major trend in the twenty first century. Multinationals and global brands are noticeable in all corners of the world. Many countries are become multicultural because of immigration. As a result, multicultural teams with members from diverse cultures are commonplace. There is a large literature on the factors that shape the processes and outcomes of culturally diverse teams. To augment this literature, I present a Chinese perspective on leadership issues in multicultural teams.

The first focus is on paternalistic leadership, which is prominent in Chinese societies. Three components of this leadership style have been identified: morality, benevolence, and authoritarianism. Leaders are expected to uphold moral standards and show benevolence towards followers, who are expected to comply with the instructions and demands of the leaders. Morality and benevolence are conducive to positive group dynamics, but even in the Chinese context, authoritarianism is related to negative reactions from followers.

The second focus is on harmony, which is a core value in China and other East Asian societies. Traditional Chinese wisdom has it that harmony promotes the prosperity of families and firms, and proverbs abound in China to guide people towards maintaining interpersonal harmony. However, over-emphasizing interpersonal harmony may backfire. Research shows that a high concern for harmony encourages conflict avoidance, bitter swallowing of unfair treatment, and the negligence of pressing problems. Frustration, resentment, and hostility may lurk behind smiling faces and warm words. Finally, the utility of a Chinese perspective in augmenting Western theorizing on multicultural teams is discussed.

Leadership: What's Diversity Got to Do with It?

Dr. Marian N. Ruderman


Dr. Astrid Tuminez

Dr. Marian N. Ruderman
Senior Fellow and Director, Americas and EMEA Research
Center for Creative Leadership

Moderator: Dr. Astrid Tuminez
Vice-Dean of Research
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

Most organizations today face a number of leadership challenges, including the need to align the efforts of workers who look and think differently, come from different backgrounds and country locations, and work in different functional areas with varied expertise. To be effective, leaders must be able to unite the talents of an increasingly heterogeneous pool of people. This presentation looks at the intersection of leadership and diversity. It examines how diversity impacts leadership of the self, leadership of others, and leadership of the organization. Leadership of the self has to do with understanding social identity and the impact of these processes on both one's own behavior and perceptions of the behavior of others. Leadership of others refers to the influence processes characterizing groups or teams. Leadership of the organization has to do with facilitating collaboration across diverse groups and resolving conflict. After discussing each level of leadership in terms of what the literature tells us, this session will identify both fruitful areas for research and steps leadership practitioners can take to further understand the implications of diversity for alignment within their organizations. The session will consider where the leadership field is with regard to diversity and where it needs to grow in response to diversity.

Leadership Development: Past, Present and Future

Dr. Jennifer Martineau


Dr. Marian N. Ruderman


Dr. Emily Hoole


Dr. Meena Wilson


Dr. Vijayan Munusamy


Dr. Zhao Sophia


Lyndon Rego


Anand Chandrasekar

Chair: Dr. Jennifer Martineau
Group Director of Global Research at the Center for Creative Leadership

Panelists: Dr. Marian Ruderman, Dr. Emily Hoole, Dr. Meena Wilson, Dr. Vijayan Munusamy, Dr. Zhao Sophia, Lyndon Rego and Anand Chandrasekar
Research, Innovation and Product Development Team at Center for Creative Leadership

The Center for Creative Leadership has been helping to shape the field of leadership development for over 40 years. Through both research and practice, it has provided the foundation for our current understanding of leadership development through concepts such as 360-degree feedback, assessment for development, and experiential learning. In this panel, CCL researchers will reflect on the research (both CCL and other) related to research based foundations of our field (the past), how research has shaped the current nature of our field, and where the field is heading. In doing so, it is our hope to connect and reconnect audience members to the solid base of research that has driven the development of the field of leadership development and to inspire other researchers and practitioners to engage in research that further advances our field.

Innovation in Asia: Leaders as Catalysts

Dr. Kwok Leung


Dr. Jennifer Martineau


Mr. Howie Lau

Dr. Kwok Leung
Chair Professor of Management, City University of Hong Kong
President of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology

Dr. Jennifer Martineau
Group Director of Global Research at the Center for Creative Leadership

Speaker: Mr. Howie Lau
Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Lenovo (Emerging Markets)

Moderator: Mr. Kwan Chee Wei
Executive Director of Human Capital Leadership Institute

In today's dynamic world, the success formulas of the past may not translate to success in the future. At today's panel chaired by Mr. Howie Lau, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, Lenovo (Emerging Markets), Dr. Kwok Leung, Chair Professor of Management, City University of Hong Kong's College of Business and Dr. Jennifer Martineau, Group Director of Global Research at the Center for Creative Leadership, you will hear from these various experts on how leaders and organizations can foster innovation in their Employees and Organizations. Following the panel, there will also be the opportunity to network with the experts and fellow attendees for informal sharing and discussions.