Iranian Leadership Ideals: a Culturally-Based Leadership Approach Azadeh Davari University of San Diego
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University of San Diego Digital USD Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2018-05-20 Iranian Leadership Ideals: A Culturally-based Leadership Approach Azadeh Davari University of San Diego Follow this and additional works at: https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, Business Commons, Education Commons, and the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Digital USD Citation Davari, Azadeh, "Iranian Leadership Ideals: A Culturally-based Leadership Approach" (2018). Dissertations. 113. https://digital.sandiego.edu/dissertations/113 This Dissertation: Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Digital USD. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital USD. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IRANIAN LEADERSHIP IDEALS: A CULTURALLY-BASED LEADERSHIP APPROACH by Azadeh Davari A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2018 Dissertation Committee Afsaneh Nahavandi, Ph.D. Zachary Gabriel Green, Ph.D. Touraj Daryaee, Ph.D. Kaveh Abhari, Ph.D. University of San Diego © Copyright by Azadeh Davari All Rights Reserved 2018 University of San Diego School of Leadership and Education Sciences CANDIDATE’S NAME: Azadeh Davari TITLE OF DISSERTATION: IRANIAN LEADERSHIP IDEALS: A CULTURALLY-BASED LEADERSHIP APPROACH APPROVAL: _____________________________________, Cha ir Afsaneh Nahavandi, PhD- _____________________________________, M ember Zachary Gabriel Green, PhD - _____________________________________, M ember Touraj Daryaee, PhD _____________________________________, Member Kaveh Abhari, PhD - ABSTRACT In light of many current financial and ethical crises, scholars have called for looking beyond our existing Western-based approaches for innovative leadership practices. Recent research about the success and unique management practices of Indian corporations (Cappelli et al., 2010) shows a unique style based on both people and profit and one that blends capitalist profit-based structures with caring for people and community. That research has been the basis for suggestions for the existence of a distinct Indo-European leadership (IEL) style (Nahavandi, 2012a; Nahavandi & Krishnan, 2017) with philosophical roots in Iran and India and provides impetus for looking beyond Western models of leadership. The Iranian culture, a member of the Indo-European family, has developed over the past 25 hundred years. Contacts with many nations and cultures, continuous interactions with Western societies and the influences of Zoroastrianism and Islam have resulted in significant cultural transformation and diversity in the country. However, many cultural elements have survived in spite of profound social challenges and changes and a distinct culture has evolved with unique ideals of leadership which are clearly reflected in Iran’s rich literary traditions. This study, which is part of a long-term research agenda, relies on that literary tradition along with recent research that suggests ideals of Iranian and Indo-European leadership to explore the existence and practice of ideals of Iranian leadership (ILI). Through document analysis, and a two-phase mixed-methods design that included 6 pilot interviews with Iranian leaders from different disciplines and a survey of 335 Iranian leaders who reside both in Iran and elsewhere in the world, the purpose was to identify what Iranian leaders endorse as culturally-based ILIs, and the extent to which they practice culturally-based ILIs in their organizations. Results indicate distinct ILIs and differences between endorsed and practiced culturally-based ILIs. The factors that impact ILIs and their practice were further explored. The application of ILI to other cultural settings and limitations of this study are also presented. DEDICATION To the pursuit of a more globally conscious and connected leadership, to the discovery of our roots and what shapes the soul that lives within us. And to my parents who with love, planted seeds of integrity, wisdom, compassion, and freedom in my life. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have always believed that somehow magically, I have been given a lot in my life. For all that I am humbled and grateful, and I too must give back to the world. Looking back at my life journey, from where it all began, to where it has unfolded itself so far, from beautiful little town by Caspian Sea in Iran to the shores of Pacific Ocean in San Diego, there are many people, experiences, and moments I am thankful for. I would not be who or where I am without them. However, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for people who have supported this part of my journey, my education, and this research. For their invaluable guidance, I express deep gratitude to my dissertation committee: Dr. Afsaneh Nahavandi, Dr. Zachary Gabriel Green, Dr. Touraj Daryaee, and Dr. Kaveh Abhari. To my dissertation chair, Dr. Afsaneh Nahavandi, you have been an inspiration to me. Your wisdom, dedication to work, care, compassion, and positivity created a strong personal and professional foundation in me. Thank you for everything that you have done for me in the last four years. Dr. Zachary Green, thank you for believing in me and for seeing parts of me that I yet have to discover. I am grateful for how you continue to challenge me, inspire me, and empower me to do the deeper purposeful work and for helping me expand beyond self to community and to the world. Dr. Touraj Daryaee, thank you for your invaluable insights and guidance that led me to better understand the historical roots of my country and culture. Dr. Kaveh Abhari, thank you for your ongoing support, guidance, and invaluable gift of friendship. You reinforced my curiosity to comprehend and interpret findings of my study. vii For the gift of true friendship, I thank Dr. Arash Rashidi. Arash, you stood by me as a friend, mentor, and teacher in every step of the way. Thanks for having faith in me. I could have never created leadership programs in Iran and the Middle East without your continuous support and partnership. I am forever grateful for what you have done for me to reach this milestone. I also thank the late Dr. Hossein Ghassemi; you left us too soon but you are always remembered and admired by me for all your encouragements and powerful vision through the toughest stages of my growth. I thank you Ted Bartmaans for your continuous support and friendship. I remember when we first talked about this research long before I started my PhD program. With you, I started the path to be a trainer and coach and expanded my global perspective. It is my honor to be a Roshan Cultural Heritage Institute fellow that illuminated my consciousness about Persian culture. I am eternally thankful to the founder of the institute, Dr. Elahé Omidyar Mir-Djalali. Her powerful inspiration, continuous mentorship, and dedication is one of the main reasons I chose to study my culture more deeply. Additionally, I want to thank the faculty and staff of School of Education and Leadership Sciences at University of San Diego (2013-2018) who have had a profound influence in my learning. I also appreciate Nonprofit Institute for offering me a valuable experience during my study. My classmates and colleagues, Kim, Crystal, Michelle, Jodi, Juan Carlos, Elissa, John, Mariko, Ebtesam, and Dave, we have reflected, studies, prepared, grown, and went through ups and downs through this journey together. I am thankful for each and every one of you and what you have taught me. viii When I moved to San Diego to start the program, I did not have any friends. Now, every day, I am thankful for friends who turned into family in my new home. Faith, Michelle, Courtney, Laura, Neda, Karen, Jodi, Coletta, and Alicia you are my chosen family. You gave me so much inspiration, love, strength and sense of belonging. I also am grateful for my small group of Iranian friends in San Diego, with whom I shared the complexity of immigration, and integrating in a new country while celebrating our cultural identity. My family are my roots. No matter how far we live from one another, we are deeply connected. This reminds me of Rumi’s poem “Maybe you are searching among the branches, for what only appears in the roots.” Mina and Davood, my dear parents, you keep teaching me faith, hard work, love, and integrity. You empowered me to become a strong independent woman but reminded me to keep love and care for others at my core. There is no word I can express my gratitude for you. Andisheh, you are not just my beautiful sister; you are my best friend, my jix! Your love is with me everywhere in every step. We may live in two different hemispheres, but we nourish from the same source. Having you in my life is the evidence of a dream coming true. I couldn’t begin to imagine my life without you. I thank you, Soheil and Belfie for being part of my journey. Arash, you are a loving partner and best friend. You made the last two years of graduate school much smoother with bringing good music, laughter, and many magical moments into my life. I am so thankful for all that you taught me, challenged me, and inspired me to be, and for constantly reminding me of my strength and capacities. I would like to end ix by thanking my best furry friend, Charlie, who patiently sat with me through many hours of reading and writing and made the flow of my work soft and silky filled with love. x TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................................