A leader effective in a multicultural setting

A leader effective in a multicultural setting

Requirement of leaders in multicultural setting

The world has become a global village. As new technologies in transportation, telecommunication, and social media bring the people of the world close together, it has become more crucial than ever for enterprises to hire, develop, and retain multi-cultural leaders who can skillfully navigate the challenges as well as opportunities of more connected world. Carlos Ghosn is a leader who is most effective in a multicultural setting.

Background of the leader

Carlos Ghosn was born in Porto Velho Brazil in 1954. He was born to a Lebanese father and French mother. He spent a portion of his childhood in Lebanon. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in engineering from France. Ghosn is multilingual. He has expertise in the language of Portuguese, Arabic, French, and English.

In 1996, Ghosn became the vice president of the Renault Group. In 1999, he was dispatched to Tokyo for rendering services to Nissan. Renault SA of France gave orders to him for rescuing its Japanese business partner Nissan Motor, which was floundering at that time. Ghosn joined Nissan as Chief Operating Office of Nissan in June, 1999. Within a year, he managed to return Nissan to a state of profitability. He was widely recognized and credited for his efforts that saved the company from a massive collapse. As he achieved success in a very short duration of time, he became the President of the company in June 2000. His hard work as the President of the company earned him the position of Chief Executive Officer in June 2001 (JKSK, n.d.). In 2005, he was named as Chief Executive Officer and President of Renault S.A. in addition to his responsibilities at Nissan.

Organization

Nissan Motor Co. is an automobile manufacturing organization. The organization is based in Tokyo. The organization is the number two automobile manufacturer in Japan. In 1999, Nissan had to suffer losses worth $5.5 Billion. Additionally, the company was under debt of $19 Billion. The company faced rapidly decreasing share of market, poor product folio, and a reduced brand value. Carlos Ghosn got hired as the COO of the company. He led one of the most dramatic turnarounds in the history of the modern corporation. He reduced costs, shrank the supplier network, closed unprofitable factories, sold the assets which were unprofitable, and completely rewired the insular culture of Nissan.

One of the important factors behind success of Nissan is the transformational leadership style of Ghosn. With the efforts of Ghosan, Nissan has become one of the most profitable companies worldwide. Under his leadership, the company has managed to push itself into aggressive markets such as India, China, Brazil, Russia, and Southeast Asia.

Leadership characteristics and philosophy

Ghosn adopted varying styles of leadership depending upon the situation. The leadership styles of Ghosn include task-oriented leadership, people-oriented leadership, situational leadership, laissez-faire leadership, and participative or democratic leadership style. Ghosan has a different philosophy for hiring employees. In 1999, when Ghosn took the responsibility of changing the worsening ...