Perspectives on leadership development in post-Soviet Eurasia

Abstract

Young people throughout Eurasia are looking for leadership that is different from what preceding generations experienced in the Soviet era and many people are still accustomed to, namely a less top-down authoritarian style by a solo leader reflecting the outdated ‘Great Man’ model of ‘strong’ leadership and for a more collaborative, participative style with more dispersed leadership. This implies the need for a significant cultural change. Leadership development programmes now need to refocus their philosophy, objectives and methods on ways of developing a culture of participation, trust, a sense of belonging, teamwork and accountability and the required know-how and skills in today’s and future leaders. We present two research projects and a case study that reveal these needs and how a new approach to ethical and effective leadership development that appropriately integrates Western and Eastern values can help to liberate and develop the culture and economies of the Eurasia region and thereby make Eurasia a new global powerhouse.