Leadership in the VUCA world - a systematic literature review and its link to intercultural competencies. (26th July 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Rath, Constanze Ruesga; Grosskopf, Sina; Barmeyer, Christoph
• Is Part Of: European journal of cross-cultural competence and management. Volume 5:Number 3(2021)
• Page Start: 195
• Page End: 219
• Publication Date: 2021-07-26
• Subjects: leadership -- leadership approaches -- VUCA -- cross-cultural management -- intercultural competence -- literature review; Cross-cultural studies -- Periodicals; Intercultural communication -- Periodicals; Corporate culture -- Periodicals; 303.482
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1758-1508

Abstract

Today's world is characterised by change at a rapid pace. A concept that describes this demanding environment is the acronym VUCA - volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. These four dynamics affect not only organisations but also leaders. Nevertheless, a comprehensive understanding of leadership under VUCA conditions remains vague. To fill this research gap, we conduct a systematic literature review to classify the existing leadership literature under VUCA conditions. Our research contributes to the field by synthesising the vast amount of literature, aiming for a more structured overview of research outcomes over the past 20 years (2000-2020). Since leadership is more and more a global activity in organisations, we furthermore analyse these findings from an intercultural perspective, linking the field of cross-cultural management, especially that of intercultural competence, to the leadership environment in the VUCA world.