Emerald & EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards

The 2023 winner of the Emerald and EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Awards is Sherri Kong, whose insightful study investigated the management approach of multicultural leaders to sustainability work.

Dissertation title: How multicultural leaders approach identifying and responding to problems in sustainability: A qualitative study
Institution: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
PhD obtained at: North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University

Individuals who grow up in multicultural surroundings often find themselves navigating the complexities of their mixed identities.

While a multicultural upbringing presents several challenges to overcome, it can also shape individuals in interesting ways. Dr. Sherri Kong’s research explores how leaders from multicultural backgrounds approach the problems related to sustainability.

"As a mother of bicultural children and having lived overseas myself, I recognised the complex thinking skills that emerge from navigating one’s identity between cultures. I was curious about how these cultural experiences could help a leader working in sustainability, since all sustainability issues cross borders," Dr. Kong explains.

Dr. Kong’s research illustrated how experiences negotiating one’s cultural identity prepares leaders for sustainability work in several ways. Multicultural leaders tend to emphasise cultural and historical understanding when addressing issues. They also prioritise collaborative problem-solving efforts and find opportunities to include underrepresented voices in uncovering solutions. Additionally, they leverage language abilities and empathy to build connections with others.

"The main implication of my research is that leaders from multicultural backgrounds have the cultural understanding and insight to navigate complex situations. We had participants share examples of how they used their cultural knowledge and language skills to facilitate dialogue, generate ideas, and influence behavior change," observes Dr. Kong.

During her interviews with multicultural leaders, Dr. Kong documented several inherent benefits they experienced in the work environment. Notably, the multicultural qualities of these leaders provided them with greater access to people and discussions in the field.  Dr. Kong notes that “Participants told stories of being accepted into different cultures because of their appearances, language abilities, and even minority status. These new relationships gave them levels of insight into problems that they otherwise would not have been privy to."

During her interviews, Dr. Kong observed that navigating one’s identity between cultures can result in a person focusing on differences and how they are not fully part of one culture or another. Many of these leaders are largely unaware of the advantages of their multicultural backgrounds unless they are prompted to articulate them. "Several participants commented that they had never thought about their cultural background as advantageous until they reflected on it during the interviews. I know it would be meaningful for these leaders if their stories inspired others from similar backgrounds to pursue careers in sustainability," Dr. Kong notes. "I hope that more people from bicultural and minority backgrounds recognise that their unique abilities are needed to address sustainability-related issues."

Leaders with a multicultural upbringing bring valuable skills to the companies they work for. Skills such as fostering collaborative action and building connections with workers are highly sought-after in sustainability work. Therefore, companies may stand to benefit by integrating more multicultural leaders into their teams. "Sustainability education programs are incorporating activities to build cross-cultural and intercultural competencies in their students. My research suggests that graduate programs and companies would benefit from actively recruiting individuals from multicultural backgrounds who already possess these competencies" Dr. Kong concludes.