As organizations and leadership become more global, there are pressing needs for better developed conceptual models and definitions of what is meant by global leadership; better developed models, processes, and tools for developing global leaders; and a richer base of empirical evidence evaluating various definitions, conceptual models, processes and tools for developing global leaders.

This book is divided into three parts: theory, research and practice. The first part begins by looking at how scholars are thinking about global leadership. What are the issues? What is global? What is leadership? Definitional issues, as well as the philosophical problems of universality among cultures, are addressed. The research section introduces several studies of global leadership which demonstrate the challenges of doing research on such a broad topic, as well as providing case studies for specific cultures and contexts. The practice section focuses primarily on the development of global leaders. The key issues here concern defining what we are trying to develop and how to go forth most effectively. The section demonstrates real problems that need to be solved in real time even if the theory and research are lagging.