‘Leading with cultural wisdom’: egalitarian women’s leadership at three universities in Malaysia and Indonesia

Abstract

This research presents experiences and views on egalitarian women’s leadership based on cultural wisdom, at three universities in Indonesia and Malaysia. The purpose of this article is to review the achievements of egalitarian women leaders, at three universities in Malaysia and Indonesia, who uphold the principles of local culture, as basic values for personal and organizational development. This article analyzes data collected through interviews, media observations, and literature reviews. The study emphasizes that women’s leadership is not just a managerial practice, but also a commitment to building equality through the application of Indonesian and Malay cultural values. The approach to Indonesian and Malay cultural values in egalitarian women’s leadership practices is used to identify egalitarian women’s leadership in realizing the university’s mission towards an internationally reputable campus. Thus, even though in terms of organizational structure women’s leadership is not yet proportional, their influence is large at three universities in Malaysia and Indonesia. This study recommends future research to use a more exploratory approach, towards egalitarian women’s leadership based on cultural wisdom, but also as a basis for building more women-friendly and inclusive international universities.

Keywords

• Women’s leadership
• egalitarianism
• cultural wisdom
• university
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