Cultural Mythology and Global Leadership

Citation

Kessler, E.H. (2010), "Cultural Mythology and Global Leadership", Strategic Direction, Vol. 26 No. 11. https://doi.org/10.1108/sd.2010.05626kae.001

Cultural Mythology and Global Leadership

Article Type: Suggested reading From: Strategic Direction, Volume 26, Issue 11

Eric H. Kessler and Diana Wong-MingJiEdward Elgar2009ISBN 978 184720 403 5hardback£95390 pp.

This substantial publication has over 30 contributors to its 20 chapters. As a scholarly document it is considerably longer in page length than a major doctoral thesis. When the efficient font and format are considered it is probably longer than two or more doctoral theses! This gives an immediate indication of the scale of the reading task and the likelihood of it being read in its entirety by any one reader. At this stage, I confess that I read only the chapters, which I consider are of interest to me and about which I can comment with a degree of expertise: those related to Europe, the Americas and Australia.

According to the introduction, the purpose of the book is to draw out connections between cultural mythologies and global business leadership. This section was written after the start of the global banking crisis and so cultural connections between that crisis and sacred stories/mythologies have some justification, with the central argument being that myths are a set of emotional and value-based roadmaps by which to understand human experiences over time in particular places and contexts which leaders need to understand if they are to encourage desired norms in the present. The logic of the argument includes a belief that local myths are hugely influencing what we regard as models of leadership in a globalised world, influencing patterns of thinking, acting and communicating. The editors suggest that contemporary leaders need an acute awareness of how mythologies influence cultures of business and that leaders need to be able to navigate effectively over multiple cultures, to recognise what is sacred and what profane, what causes offence, embarrassment and discomfort at the individual level.

The 20 chapters in the book are organised evenly into four sections dealing with aspects of mythology and business cultures in the Americas, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and in Asia and the Pacific Rim. The authors of the chapters have impressive scholarly profiles, as do the editors. The editors acknowledge the conceptual difficulties in what they are trying to do in the book and describe the process as trying to grasp moist dew as it evaporates in a paradigm shift. They accept that the totally culturally informed global leader might be a mirage, but justify the book on the grounds that it might give global leaders tools to understand cultural mythology over time and how myths, legends, fairytales and festivals impacts on their own business environments. One such tool is sufficient cultural awareness to understand what may appear as emotional and irrational business decisions. So far, so good!

As a European I approached the five chapters for “my” continent with interest, expecting to have a good working familiarity with the examples and arguments. The chapter about Greek mythology and styles of leadership draws on gods and heroes such as Zeus, Hercules and Odysseus to illustrate the ideal types, which shaped contemporary mortal Greek business leaders such as Aristotle Onassis. As is the pattern for all chapters, this chapter ends with the authors drawing out global and practical implications of local myths and legends for business practices and attitudes to governance.

Likewise the chapter on England tries to extract insights into British business cultures based on a varied collection of historic events, examples of dominant cultures of power distribution and the desire for global dominance. Among the influencing heroes named are Beowulf, the Roman occupiers, King Arthur, Robin Hood, Ivanhoe, Nelson and Francis Drake. The author argues that the innate confidence of English business leaders is nurtured by such heroes and their celebration as ideal types even if they themselves are viewed by others as arrogant, imperialistic and lacking in sensitivity to other cultural norms and values. Usefully, the authors exclude Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from this analysis!

So, is this a seriously scholarly book or a very useful set of business tips nicely disguised as scholarship? I’m not sure if it matters really, provided each reader takes from it what they find amusing, curious or informative. In any case, the serious scholar of local cultures and mythologies can follow up the long lists of further reading in each chapter even if they might never need to connect them with global business leadership practices. The less serious scholar will find plenty of conversational material in the chapters and perhaps prompt them towards greater self-awareness of their own cultural identities and received patterns and norms of business and work behaviours, particularly if their working lives involve global travel and intercultural negotiations. For me the new insights gained from reading the book appealed to my historian-philosopher interests, but perhaps left me less satisfied where critical commentary of the more political kind was avoided. But this is acceptable as it prevents the book sliding towards moralising or overly-directive analysis. Overall the book represents a very large task of planning and organisation as well as editing and production. It will certainly appeal to business leaders who love to read this type of material for pleasure rather than for its strategic lessons.

Reviewed by Dr Anne Murphy, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland.

This review was originally published in Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Volume 31 Issue 4, 2010