The relationship between leader behaviours and cultural intelligence in South Africa's multicultural environment

Abstract

Business in the twenty-first century has become global and being able to deal effectively with others who are culturally different has become a business necessity (Thomas & Inkson, 2004). Understanding and working with and across cultures is nowhere as prominent and as important as it is South Africa. This is particularly so because of the various cultures within South Africa combined with the challenges introduced by the ending of apartheid in 1994. To be successful, organisations have started realising that people’s differences can be their strength, if only leaders could perfect the skill of combining their qualities and ideas, whilst still valuing them and each other as very different and unique individuals. For centuries now the concept of the “melting pot” in which everyone embraced the same culture and values (DuPont, 1997) has worked well. However, the boundaries to trade and business within the twenty-first century have undergone vast adaptations with these boundaries to business being lifted and individuals across and within nations being given equal opportunities, no matter what nationality, race and / or gender group one represents. Arguing that organisations merely comprise bricks and mortar and that it is about the individuals within an organisation and their behaviours, one would then suggest that, to mobilise and equip an organisation in the twenty-first century, leaders would have to change the behaviours and thought processes of those individuals within and representing the organisation. As an opening statement the challenge to business in the twenty-first century, becomes apparent when one start to delve into the arsenal of skills required to - 4 - meet this challenge. For centuries leaders have been following the same recipe and consistently added the same ingredients as described in the metaphor of the “melting pot” without any real consideration for difference. Leaders have long known that interacting effectively with others is probably one of the most important skills a leader needs to have. Thomas and Inkson (2004) argue that for the foreseeable future, cultural differences will remain a key factor in these interpersonal interactions. Thomas and Inkson (2004) add two very distinct points. • Leaders who do not keep their skills up-to-date run the risk of losing out. • The key leadership competency for the twenty-first century is cultural intelligence.