Abstract
Kazakhstan’s recent history has transitioned from that of nomadic clans to domination by Russia to today’s independent nation. During these 20 years of independence, universities often educate leaders by translating and adapting traditionally Western models and research instruments. This article will report the findings of three such instruments on leadership, career management, and stress tolerance that were administered to graduate students at the University of International Business in Kazakhstan within the past year and consider their importance for the future of leadership development that is rich with technology.
TopIntroduction
Within the past century, Kazakhstan has seen the suppression of its long history of nomadic clans by the Russians, then emerged as an independent nation after the fall of the U.S.S.R. Globalization has created a conflict between the infiltrating western thought and traditional mentalities. Within the past twenty years of independence, this nation of rich and complex histories has begun to develop models within its universities to educate leaders for all areas of government and industry in a world of rapid change and technology integration. This is consistent with the transitions of countries around the world as they have gained independence and emerged with their own identities. They follow a pattern of building infrastructures, capacity and skills with leadership development the most important for sustainable growth. But the psychological foundation demanded of leaders in a USSR dominated country is very different than that required of leaders in an independent nation. As a transitional activity, they have translated and adapted the traditionally Western models for human resource development and leadership. Today, technology has facilitated access to these models. These models and the research instruments associated with them are used to educate emerging leaders
The article is co-authored by Dr. Parker and Dr. Tazhina. Dr. Tazhina has been a visiting scholar at Teachers College/Columbia University during the Spring semesters of 2009 and 2010. During this time, she participated in Dr. Parker’s classes and began discussions about research collaboration in areas of common interest. This was the beginning of the work which is the foundation of this article.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Leadership: The ability of an individual or group to promote the ideas and to guide the vision of a group or organization.
Organizational Culture: The culture attributed to an organization and usually associated with the values of the founders and leaders.
National Culture: The culture associated with a geographical/political region and its inhabitants.
Technology: the application of scientific advances usually involving electronic advances.
Culture: the shared attitudes, beliefs, practices and values that characterize a group.
Career Anchor: “a person’s career anchor is his or her self-concept consisting of 1) self-perceived talents and abilities, 2) basic values, and most important, 3) the evolved sense of motives and needs as they pertain to the career”. (Schein, 1996, p. 80).
Cultural Dimensions: the characteristics of a national culture usually associated with those dimensions defined in Hofstede’s work.