The Traditional Culture of Kazakhstan and Contemporaneousness/Globalization
Traditional Kazakh culture has historically been determined by the nomadic lifestyle and harsh living conditions of this vast territory and became a regulatory mechanism for daily life. Clan membership, a clear age hierarchy and inter-familial relationships were a priority. Elders were at the top of the hierarchy and the family was and still is in charge of resolving social and psychological conflicts. (Mаsanov, 1998). Later Akshalova (2002) clarified, that “from outset, it should be asserted that within the Kazakhstani culture, there is respect to elders and seniors and hence, all the more, father leadership should be encouraged and practiced in small business management. After all, it is a benevolent leadership style that benefits all parties concerned – the leaders, the people and the organizations”.
For this reason, from the point of view of the identity formation and managerial education, it is important to consider the impact of globalization and a joint conflict between western mind-set and traditional values (Tazhina, 2010). The latter and a number of other social phenomena led to risen demand for applied psychology, which takes form of social-psychological training of skills such as leadership, effective communication, motivation, etc.
While individual leadership is important, the context of the organization can enhance or inhibit the leadership of its members. Dorfman and House (2004) report that at the first GLOBE research conference in 1994, there was a consensus of the 54 researchers from 38 countries (of which Kazakhstan was one) about a definition of organizational leadership. “the ability of an individual to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward the effectiveness and success of the organizations of which they are members” (p. 56). GLOBE is international project, which is aimed to seek answers to questions like: in what ways can community culture and organizational culture affect behavior of leaders/managers and company’s/organization’s development, commenting on the effectiveness of both?
Contemporarily, Kazakhstan is actively involved in the processes of globalization and integration. The following are just some examples of such activity: OSCE Chairmanship of the RK in 2010 and the largest international exhibition of the decade, EXPO, is to be held in the capital of Kazakhstan in 2017. In this context the necessity of studying leadership and its development in each segment of the society and economy is evident.