- It is possible to say that Zhang could not continue working at Goldman Sachs because the environment in the company was too rigid and did not encourage innovativeness. As an accomplished entrepreneur, she has a lot of ideas which cannot be actualized and even heard in the place where everybody must follow strict rules and where no ambiguity and risk-taking behaviors are allowed. On the contrary, entrepreneurial endeavors can be easily encouraged, maintained, and brought to success when sufficient flexibility and autonomy in decision-making are provided to employees. Thus, Zhang had no room for neither personal nor professional growth in the field of investment banking as it is associated with well-defined boundaries and behavioral standards.
- Cultural background plays a significant role in defining our identities because every personality develops in the context of social experience. In the case of Zhang, the hardships that she experienced in her childhood taught her to be collaborative, goal-oriented, supportive, risk-taking, and conscious of the value of money. The given qualities largely contribute to the success of every entrepreneur. Additionally, the macro-cultural background could play a significant role in developing Zhang’s attitude towards work as well because the Chinese labor market provides equal opportunities for people of both genders. In this way, she did not have any psychological barrier that could prevent her from being successful in the business. Zhang’s case demonstrates that, even though a person may be unaware of it, his or her attitudes, preferences, and habits are predetermined by the environment where he or she lives. It means that both the dominant culture and individual life events may impose behavioral and attitudinal controls on the members of each community.
Leadership Based on Ancient Principles
- Tata’s leadership may be characterized as democratic and affiliative. It means that managers recognize employees, as well as other stakeholders, try to develop trustful and meaningful relationships with them, and encourage the dialog. This leadership model can also be described as ethical because it is clear that the organizational managers understand the principles of corporate social responsibility and strive to implement them in practice and create shared value.
- Since Tata’s personnel is multicultural, the leaders should consider multiple levels of culture: national, regional, organizational/team, and individual. First of all, Tata’s management needs to take into account the values, behavioral norms, and perceptions associated with distant cultures when hiring expatriate workers as they may significantly differ from the local ones. Secondly, to avoid unnecessary tensions when recruiting employees from distinct regions of the country, the leaders would need to recognize the differences between the national subcultures. Additionally, the company should have an appropriate corporate culture that embraces all differences and encourages diversity. In this way, Tata can raise awareness in employees and stimulate them to accept multicultural differences at the individual level.
- Tata’s leadership model can also be implemented in other sectors and spheres of human performance beyond the international business context. For instance, in the public sector, it can be applied in educational settings to raise the consciousness of diversity and relational ethics in instructors and students. Moreover, since ethical leadership implies a great deal of transparency and collaboration with subordinates, the management style can also be successfully implemented by the national government to develop positive attitudes among people and motivate them to bring the favorable changes.