Document Type

Presentation

Publication Date

1-30-2025

Keywords

libraries, global librarianship, library services, leadership, transformational leadership, organizational development, autoethnography, emotional intelligence, cultural competency, cross-cultural, multicultural, community-centered, latin america, innovation, collective wisdom

Abstract

This lecture presented at Texas Woman’s University in January 2025 examines the evolution of cross-cultural leadership in libraries through an innovative theoretical framework that synthesizes Goleman's emotional intelligence model (Goleman, 1995), Morin's theories (Morin, 2001), and Olarongbe's cross-cultural leadership paradigm (Olarongbe, 2023). Through a mixed-methods approach combining autoethnographic analysis with comparative case studies across French, Chilean, and American library systems, the study describes the emergence of my "Latin Way" leadership model mainly characterized by adaptability and community-centeredness and identifies three key dimensions of effective cross-cultural library leadership: the critical role of cultural competency in institutional transformations; the integration of traditional excellence with technological innovation; and the need for a new theoretical framework for cross-cultural library leadership able to emphasize on collective wisdom and cultural preservation. The present research contributes to library science literature by proposing hybrid leadership approaches, offering evidence-based strategies for library administrators navigating increasingly multicultural contexts. The findings suggest that effective library leadership in a globalized world requires both local cultural rootedness and global perspective, challenging traditional leadership paradigms while proposing new frameworks for cross-cultural understanding in library management.

Comments

Invited lecture at Texas Women's University. Speaking notes are available as a supplemental document.

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