The leadership potential of multicultural individuals: Examining how multicultural leaders can produce superior performance in multicultural teams

Presenter: Dr Lee Martin
Faculty of Business and Law, Deakin University

Abstract
Multicultural teams bring opportunities and challenges, calling for effective leadership to harness the potential of cultural diversity. It has been suggested that multicultural individuals – such as migrants and their children, who embody more than one culture – are likely to be effective leaders in multicultural teams. But so far, this leadership potential has been largely overlooked in the leadership literature, which has focused on monocultural contexts. This seminar presents a theory of multicultural leadership effectiveness. Drawing on the ability-motivation-opportunity framework and the person-environment fit perspective, we propose that different types of multicultural individuals (achieved versus innate) have different leadership styles (bridging versus creolising) that can enhance team performance, depending on type of multicultural team context (cross-cultural versus intercultural). We explicate the cognitive, affective and behavioural mechanisms underlying team outcomes. In developing this theory, we integrate literatures on leadership, international management, and team diversity, and offer new insights into the potential impact multicultural leaders can make in culturally diverse workplaces.

Biography
Dr Lee Martin is a lecturer in organisational behaviour at Deakin University. Her research examines cultural diversity in the workplace, in particular how multicultural employees, leaders and teams can contribute to organisations. Lee’s research is published in the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology and the Academy of Management Best Paper Proceedings, and has been shortlisted for awards (e.g., the Douglas Nigh Award) from the Academy of Management. She is a past recipient of an Endeavour Research Fellowship from the Australian Government to conduct research at Simon Fraser University, Canada, and a Lim Kim San Fellowship from Singapore Management University. She currently serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Vocational Behavior.