MGE Papers

Although a consensus definition of authentic leadership is hard to pin down, the underpinning of the concept can be summarized as a leadership approach that focuses on consistent alignment between what leaders think/believe, what they say and what they do. Bishop (2013) rightly adds an ethical dimension to this construct, pointing to the need for this alignment to be on the side of moral standards. In other words, authentic leadership, particularly in the context of cultural intelligence, must necessarily be an exercise of leadership where the leader maintain congruence between her thoughts/beliefs, words and actions,  and  which results in a greater good for everyone involved. Without this ethical dimension, authentic leadership, or, for that matter, any other kind of leadership, is pointless. Metacognitive CQ is how much we know about our own approach to thinking and learning and the structures that exist in our mind that guide and support our learning process. In other words, me

Cultural intelligence is the ability to work effectively across different cultures. For instance, how to work and motivate peers from Mexico and France given that both countries come from different cultures. In 1986 Sternberg elaborated a framework to understand the capabilities that enable cultural intelligence. Sternberg, (1986) found that cultural intelligence contains four specific features: metacognitive and cognitive CQ (cognition), motivational CQ (motivation), and behavioral CQ (action). "Metacognition and cognition represent your ability to think, learn, and strategize. In CI, the principle of motivation refers to your self- efficacy and confidence, your ability to be persistent, and the alignment to your values. Behavior, in CI, is about your ability to have a repertoire of skills and your ability to adapt your behavior" (Cultural Intelligence for Leaders, 2012). Indirectly, cultural intelligence allows a person to be more open to others opinions and belief. Cu

 As we learned this week, authentic leadership rests on similar dimensions as cultural intelligence. They share cognitive, motivational and behavioral components (Vogelgesang Lester, Clapp-Smith, & Palmer, 2009). These components work together in conjunction with Authentic Leadership as they “emphasize the importance of consistency in a leader’s words, actions, and values” (Yukl, 2013, p. 351). An example of the interaction between the metacognitive and cognitive feature of CQ and the balanced processing of Authentic Leadership in my organization is in the fact that the Regional Sales Managers include Sales Reps in the critical decisions in budget allocation for clients, rather than autonomously making the decision. Doing so, managers demonstrate to be aware of their biases. An example of the interaction between the motivational feature of CQ and the moral perspective of Authentic Leadership in my organization can be represented by strong adherence of the leadership to the Mis

Authentic leadership  refers the management style in which leaders exhibit their real, genuine and sincere way of management that is true as who they are as individuals (TechTarget, 2018) In the authentic leadership theory, this leadership style consists of four specific features such as self-awareness, balanced processing, relational transparency, and an internalized moral/ethical perspective. According to the research by Vogelgesang, Clapp-Smith, and Palmer in 2009, these 4 elements should be studied respectively on metacognitive and cognitive CQ (cognition), motivational CQ (motivation), and behavioral CQ (action) (p. 106) Cognitive process  or  self-awareness  in authentic leadership does not conclude trust built by motives, feelings, desires of the people in the surrounding but it also help leaders recognize their own strengths and weaknesses, thereby catching outward the ego and misconceptions thanks to the process of metacognition to become more sensitive in analyzing th

Being involved in the global economy puts managers at a unique challenge of catering to multiple cultures. As a manager, one must be able to equally motivate suppliers from China and Mexico while keeping in mind the cultural differences between the two. What has grown in popularity for leadership style is authentic leadership. Being an authentic leader involves being true to one’s self and realizing one’s morals and values as it relates to others. One of the challenges that an authentic leader has to face when dealing with different cultures is the conflict of staying true to their personal values while at the same time catering to the values of the differing cultures.  According to William Bishop, authentic leaders continue to evolve with their interactions with different people (2013). Naturally, authentic leaders will have high cultural intelligence because of their ability to adapt. So the question is: Can an authentic leader remain true to themselves and while being culturall

Authentic leadership as described in Bishop’s article “Defining the Authenticity in Authentic Leadership” (2013), is an interplay of perceptions both from the leader and its followers. To be truly authentic, there must be harmony in both perceptions in the aspect of integrity, ethics, morals, values, self, relationships, and learning (Duignan & Bhindi, 1997 in Bishop, 2013). Furthermore, authentic leadership involves the discovery of one’s identity with respect to its moral, ethical, values, and behavioral stance as it relates to its environment. If we analyzed the connection between authentic leadership and cultural intelligence, we can easily establish that both are means for leaders to relate and adapt to its environment – the followers, its organization, and the external environment.  In the aspect of cognition, culturally intelligent leaders will think, learn, and strategize from cultural situations that he/she encountered. Similarly, authentic leaders will try to understand

This is a case study of jack, a 36 years old professional who works with a large hospital. Jack is a team leader and he considers himself a good leader who motivates and inspires his team members positively.  He is conscious of his health hence he is actively involved with recreational activities, exercise  and eating healthy. However, for over a year he is not able to maintain this lifestyle because of his hectic career responsibilities. A follow-up visit to his doctor revealed his cholesterol level is high as such he would require a long-term treatment because of the nature of the ailment. Jack was speechless and refused to accept his diagnosis while the doctor gave him details of his condition and the side effects. The doctor gave some prescriptions which Jack tore and trashed because he still couldn’t believe his diagnosis. Jack is convinced this is happening to him because he hasn’t paid enough attention to his health lately, as well as his genealogy. Jack is determined to st