Global leadership in the VUCA era
The international community today exists firmly within what is often described as the VUCA era, characterized by Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Rapid changes in society and markets make future developments difficult to predict, while complex and interrelated global factors make it difficult to grasp the cause-and-effect relationships. This environment surrounds companies and societies across all countries and regions.
In recent years, geopolitical tensions such as international conflicts, diplomatic friction, and trade restrictions, along with environmental degradation, widening economic inequality, and rapid technological advancement including generative AI, have intensified simultaneously around the world. Conflicts in regions such as Ukraine and the Middle East, together with climate change and natural disasters, are no longer distant issues but shared global realities that directly affect society and business.
These challenges cannot be solved by a single country alone. Instead, they require collaboration beyond national interests, shared understanding of objective facts, and consensus-building among stakeholders. For this reason, expectations for global leadership are changing significantly.
Global leadership today is no longer defined by charismatic authority or top-down leadership. It is increasingly defined by the ability to build trust with diverse stakeholders through dialogue, integrate different perspectives, and achieve shared goals. Leaders are expected to deepen mutual understanding, connect diverse values, create new value, and achieve sustainable performance.
My research in transcultural organizational behavior has focused on global managers working in multinational corporations. In particular, I have examined how values shaped by cultural backgrounds influence communication and interpersonal behavior among global leaders, and what leadership competencies are required to manage gaps and risks arising from cultural differences.
The research suggests that achieving performance as a global leader requires capabilities beyond technical expertise in international management, language proficiency, or overseas experience. What matters more is the ability to design pathways toward cross-cultural consensus and to apply experiential learning to future situations.
Two psychological foundations support these behavioral capabilities. One is a global mindset, understood as cognitive flexibility in understanding cultural differences. The other is cultural self-efficacy, defined as confidence in acting effectively in intercultural environments. Higher levels of these psychological factors are associated with stronger outcomes in cross-cultural collaboration.
International research on global leadership development
Empirical studies involving practitioners have shown that global leadership competencies are not necessarily innate but can be cultivated through well-designed development programs and structured job training.
With support from the Mitsubishi Memorial Foundation for Educational Excellence between 2023 and 2024, we conducted a project focused on developing global leaders capable of solving cross-border challenges through SDGs-based inquiry learning in international triple-hybrid classes.
In 2023, researchers from Meiji University, the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, and Seattle Pacific University in the United States collaborated to develop an inquiry-based learning rubric scale designed to measure exploratory thinking and problem-solving capability among future global leaders. Using this rubric, an international comparative survey of undergraduate students from the three institutions was conducted.
The results revealed that while Meiji University students demonstrated strong textbook-level international knowledge, they scored relatively lower in critical thinking, practical problem-solving behavior, and self-efficacy in expressing their own ideas compared with students in the United Kingdom and the United States. The findings highlighted a gap not in knowledge acquisition but in the ability to apply knowledge in practice.
Based on these findings, in 2024 we implemented an experimental course to examine the learning effects of intercultural collaboration. International teams composed of students from Meiji University and Seattle Pacific University worked together online over one academic term. The teams conducted inquiry-based projects comparing sustainability management in four global companies including Sony, Toyota, Boeing, and Starbucks, examining both headquarters and overseas subsidiaries.
A distinctive feature of the project was the introduction of LEGO® Serious Play® (LSP) into live online learning. LSP is a method that uses LEGO bricks to represent ideas and concepts three-dimensionally, making thinking visible. It has been adopted by institutions such as Harvard University, MIT, and NASA. While online communication is typically limited to two-dimensional interaction, the use of physical modeling enabled students to share structures visually and engage in three-dimensional communication. This supported smoother collaboration and encouraged co-creative outcomes.
Communication among students with different native languages can be challenging, particularly in initial discussions. Using LEGO structures as mediating tools allowed students to comment on shared objects and incorporate non-verbal expression, reducing communication barriers and promoting mutual understanding. All four teams successfully achieved the project objective of identifying global commonalities in sustainability management as well as differences rooted in management culture.
Using the inquiry-based learning rubric developed in 2023, learning outcomes were compared at the beginning and end of the course. Meiji University students showed statistically significant improvement in confidence in overcoming difficulties, improvement-oriented learning behavior, and responsibility toward team roles. These results indicate that collaborative problem-solving experiences in intercultural settings produced measurable developmental impact beyond knowledge acquisition.
Expanding global leadership development through research and education
In 2025, a new international collaborative research project was launched with colleagues at Meiji University and universities in the United Kingdom. The project focuses on visualizing dynamic equilibrium in sustainability management within global firms through BST model analysis and AI-based text mining.
Specifically, the research aims to develop an evaluation rubric to measure the degree of integration of sustainability management between headquarters and overseas subsidiaries. The analytical framework is based on the BST (Balance, Structure, Trajectory) model, which examines balance, structure, and trajectory in sustainability management, together with the concept of dynamic equilibrium.
Rather than headquarters unilaterally directing policy, sustainability management in global firms requires mutual adaptation between headquarters and local subsidiaries, taking into account local cultural and managerial contexts while maintaining a dynamic balance. Clarifying the competencies needed to manage such dynamic equilibrium in sustainability management will contribute to the development of next-generation global leaders.
Opportunities to collaborate with people from diverse countries and regions will continue to expand in the business world. Beyond language proficiency and general communication skills, leaders must develop active listening skills to understand others’ intentions and emotions, as well as sensitivity to non-verbal communication. These competencies form the foundation for mutual understanding in intercultural environments and represent the essence of global leadership.
Developing such capabilities requires consistent educational support from adolescence through adulthood. Vertical development beginning at the high school level and continuing through university education is important. At the same time, horizontal collaboration with overseas universities, international organizations, and intercultural communities must be strengthened. Learning environments that expose students to diverse values and collaborative experience are essential for developing future global leaders.
Although the time I can spend working directly with students is limited, supporting their growth as future global leaders remains one of the most meaningful responsibilities of my career. Passing this work to the next generation of educators while continuing to strengthen the foundation of global leadership education is essential.
In a rapidly changing world, the ability to connect cultures, harmonize diverse values, and co-create the future is indispensable. Watching students develop the confidence to collaborate across cultural boundaries reminds me why global leadership education matters. The growth of young people with these capabilities represents a powerful source of hope for the sustainable development of global society.
* The information contained herein is current as of September 2025.
* The contents of articles on Meiji.net are based on the personal ideas and opinions of the author and do not indicate the official opinion of Meiji University.
* I work to achieve SDGs related to the educational and research themes that I am currently engaged in.
Information noted in the articles and videos, such as positions and affiliations, are current at the time of production.