Title: A cross-cultural perspective on creative leadership and change management: a case study of the influence of Barack Obama's early years

Authors: Grant J. Rich

Addresses: Juneau, Alaska 99801, USA

Abstract: Though his public life as the 44th president of the USA is well known, this article examines the early life of Barack Obama as a case study with implications for better understanding the influence of early multicultural experience on leadership and change management. Using a strengths-based positive psychology perspective, Obama's development will be explored through the use of primary sources such as his books (Obama, 2004, 2006), existing scholarly analysis of his childhood and youth (e.g., Gielen, 2013; Sharma, 2011; Sharma and Gielen, 2014), and information from various news media.

Keywords: cross-cultural perspectives; multicultural experience; developmental stages; political psychology; creativity; qualitative methods; lifespan; creative leadership; change management; case study; Barack Obama; early years; early life; USA; United States; strengths-based positive psychology.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTCS.2016.076035

International Journal of Teaching and Case Studies, 2016 Vol.7 No.1, pp.15 - 23

Received: 24 Sep 2015
Accepted: 26 Sep 2015

Published online: 22 Apr 2016 *

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