Twenty-first century leadership:
international imperatives

Julie-Anne Sheppard
Business and Commerce, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
James C. Sarros
Management Department, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, and
Joseph C. Santora
International School of Management, Paris, France
Abstract
Purpose – The aim of this paper is to identify the core issues that organisational leaders are facing
internationally, as a result of a globalised and rapidly changing international economic environment.
Appropriate leadership competencies and skills that enable organisational leaders to effectively deal
with these core globalisation issues are examined in detail and are further explained through a
conceptual model developed for the purpose of this study.
Design/methodology/approach – Conventional content analysis of extant literature in the
leadership, management, organisational development and human resource management fields
delimited this study to the identification of three core issues, their sub-dimensions and associated
organisational leadership effectiveness strategies.
Findings – This study presents a conceptual model consolidating current scholarly understanding of
the international imperatives affecting twenty-first century organisational leaders and describes “best
practice” leadership skills, competencies and models that will enable managers to lead effectively in a
rapidly changing, globalised market-place.
Originality/value – The simplicity and explicitness of the descriptive-based conceptual model
represented in this review offers an original approach to the link between theory and practice in
international organisational leadership, while acting to simplify the perplexing array of viewpoints on
leadership approaches. A number of research alternatives are suggested that may lead to the
formation of a more predictive “international imperative” model.
Keywords Leadership challenges, Global imperatives, Ethics, Change, Crises, Leadership strategies,
Transformation, Innovation, Decision-making protocols, Leadership, Decision making
Paper type Conceptual paper