Understanding Executive Leadership in Global Roles: What We Know and What We Need to Know.

This symposium is focused on strategic leadership in global roles. It aims to offer opportunities for cross pollination and synthesis among the fields of leadership, global leadership, strategic leadership and responsible leadership. The symposium offers four diverse presentations from scholars specialized in differing streams of research. The first paper offers a theoretical framework to explicate the process through which leaders in global roles gain support among their various stakeholders. The second presentation extends the focus of strategic leadership to a more global context and focuses on the apex of corporations in Chinese SOE's and non- SOE's. The third presentation suggests that activists, great artists, and great leaders share three fundamental perspectives. They all demonstrate the courage to see reality the way it is; exhibit the courage to imagine positive futures even when the world labels such imagination as naïve; and have the courage to inspire people to move from current reality back to possibility. The fourth presentation argues that highly publicized corporate scandals and instances of management misconduct have eroded public faith and calls for global leaders to contribute to the creation of economic and societal progress in a globally responsible and sustainable way. Following the presentations, the discussant, Albert J. Cannella, will lead a group discussion on the diverse perspectives that have been presented, possibilities for integration and cross pollination, and theoretical and managerial implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]