Leadership in a Global Society - Habits of Mind, of Heart, and of Action

Oct 15, 2026

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If the world is flat, the educational responsibilities of leaders must be rethought for the twenty-first century. The work connects concepts such as collaboration, peer networks, and global organizational transformation to a leadership model grounded in habits of mind, habits of heart, and habits of action, drawing on counsel from global business leaders and scholarship on leadership and organizational systems.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

A New Alexandrian Meets the Flat World

Ideagoras and Leadership Questions

Transforming Organizations and Leadership Habits

Embracing the Flat World

Educational Leaders: What They Must Know and Be Able to Do

Leadership in a Global Society: Habits of Mind, of Heart, and of Action Elizabeth C. Reilly Pepperdine University Abstract: If the world is flat, what, then, are the implications for and obligations of educational leaders? Leaders in Bangalore, India offer habits of mind, of heart, and ofaction that can serve as the bases for a model of educational leadership for the twentyfirst century. A New Alexandrian Meets the Flat World Thebestandnoblestgiftsofhumanitycannotbethemonopolyofaparticular race or country. —Rabindranath Tagore Ideagoras, The NewAlexandrians,Prosumers,Peer Networks, Weapons for Mass Collaboration, Mash-ups (Tapscott & Williams, 2006) . If these terms seem to be little more than Greek, then consider these questions: What must I know and be able to do to lead in a global society? What must those whose scholarship and learning I guide know and be able todo? How do I, as a leader, prepare a generation of children for a world that I will not see? Clearly, no multiple guess answers to these questions Volume 19, Fall 2007 139 exist. While on its face there may seem to be little relationship between ideagoras and the questions of leadership in a global society, I submit that they are inextricably linked. The clarity of their convergence, however, will require some background context. Less than two years ago as I began preparing to teach a doctoral course for educational leaders on transforming organizations in a global society, a triptych of themes emerged. First, implicit in the notion of transforming organizations was the idea of leadership—the habits of mind, of heart, andofaction that a global leader would embrace. Second, there was the organization itself—the attributes of one that embodied global perspectives. Finally, there was the matter of a global society—its meaning and its implications for leadership and for organizations. I examined any research that seemed to address these questions. I sought the counsel of leaders of global organizations and began to consider the work that these individuals did, seeking possible analogues to serve the educational community. President and Chief Executive Officer Samuel R. Starr of Sterling Commerce, Inc. suggested I read Tom Friedman’s, The world is flat (2005) . Friedman (2005) posited that in only the past several years, ten forces have served to flatten the world and,“It is this triple convergence—of new players, on a new playing field, developing new processes and habits for horizontal development—that…is the most important force shaping global economics and politics in the early twenty-first century”(pp. 181-182) . As I began poring through Friedman’s book and considering his thesis, a model for leadership emerged that spoke to the needs of educational leaders of the twenty-first century. The questions that resulted were: 1. If we embrace the assumption that the world is flat, then what are these new rules, new roles, and new relationships of which we must be aware to be successful? a. What must young people know and be able to do? b. What must educational leaders know and be able to do? 2. What are the implications of these new rules, new roles, and new relationships for the nations of the world? a. How should this knowledge serve to inform educational policy in our nation? b. How should this knowledge serve to inform the training of educational leaders in our nation? In an effort to begin exploring these issues, I considered the role that 140 Educational Leadership and Administration two emerging powerhouses—China and India—were playing on the global stage. I initially found India to be the more compelling of the two, for it was the world’s largest democratic nation state. The third question that emerged then was, If we look at leaders in India, are there habits of mind, of heart, and ofaction that can help us understand these new rules, new roles, and new relationships? When Sam Starr (personal communication, January 10, 2006)

FAQs

What central leadership question does the document raise about a “flat world”?

It asks what educational leaders must know and be able to do to lead effectively in a global society, and how they should prepare a generation for a world they will not see.

Which leadership habits are emphasized as foundations for global educational leadership?

The document emphasizes habits of mind, habits of heart, and habits of action as the bases for a leadership model suited to the twenty-first century.

How does the document use organizational theory to inform leadership practice?

It draws on quantum physics and chaos theory to suggest that leaders should look for patterns and wholeness rather than relying on endlessly finer measurement of isolated system parts.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by moss~