Building the Tower of Babel: How and When International Experiences Foster Effective Leadership

As globalization rises, individuals and organizations increasingly value international experiences. It is widely assumed that international experiences foster individuals’ leadership effectiveness, yet limited research has tested this assumption. We develop a model to theorize how and when international experiences increase leadership effectiveness. Using survey and field data, Study 1 and 2 revealed that individuals with broader international experiences were rated as more effective leaders because of their greater communication competence. Analyzing a 25-year archival panel of soccer managers, Study 3 not only replicated the positive effect of broad international experiences on leadership effectiveness with an objective measure of leadership effectiveness (i.e., team performance), but also provided quasi-experimental causal evidence for this effect via instrumental variable analysis. Moreover, this effect was moderated by team national diversity: managers with broader international experiences were particularly effective when leading more multinational teams. We discuss the implications of international experiences for leadership effectiveness in an increasingly globalized world.