Lessons from Collaborating in International Leadership Studies from Iran

International collaborations are seen as one of the most efficient means to build research capacity and to create learning opportunities for researchers (Kim, 2006).The benefits of international collaboration are widely acknowledged. For researchers in countries with less developed science infrastructure, international collaborations can also promote access to expertise, new techniques, learning opportunities, networking, better access to funding and equipment, and national and international recognitions (Confraria et al., 2020).

International collaborative research is especially advantageous for behavioral science and psychology because it helps to expand the data pool outside Western, European, and North American countries, and extends the range of applicability of existing research across cultures and languages (American Psychological Association, 2015). Despite the clear advantages of international collaborative research, there are also challenges to its successful implementation. These include ensuring valid cultural adaptation of research materials, negotiating transnational relationships and logistics, and, in many cases, navigating through political and institutional constraints. In this paper, I describe my experiences as an Iranian participant in two international projects as a way of illustrating some of the opportunities and challenges of international collaboration. Before turning to my own experiences, however, it is important to present a brief overview of the research context of Iran.

Geographically, Iran is located in West Asia and borders the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Gulf of Oman. Iran has long served as a connection for trade and culture between East and West. While located in the Middle East, Iran’s culture is closer to South Asian countries such as India and Malaysia than to its Arab neighbors (Dastmalchian et al., 2001).

Iran is a traditional and religious society. The vast majority of the around 83 million Iranians are Muslim. As a country, Iran has been subject to geopolitical hardships including sanctions that have impacted its economic development. Iran’s cultural and geopolitical situation may create good research opportunities in psychology and social behavior, and doing comparative studies may lead to expanding the knowledge and generalizability of social and behavioral characteristics and processes. Additionally, Iran’s economic problems and political issues may be good illustrations of some of the challenges and obstacles for international research collaborations.

MehravarGigloo et al. (2020) reviewed the literature (25 Iranian studies conducted between 2001 and 2017) related to challenges to international research collaborations in higher education in Iran. The most important barriers to international collaboration identified included political, cultural, policy, communication and information technology; financial and infrastructure, individual, and language factors.

Overall, Iranian sciences engage in international collaborations. According to Hayati and Didegah (2010), geosciences, engineering, chemistry, and materials science are the fields with the most international collaboration and visibility, but there is also international collaborative work in psychology and organizational behavior. Also, the top collaborating countries are Canada, the UK, the USA, and China.

I was very interested in the field of psychology and leadership studies considering diversity and cultural differences, and what I gained by reading the published works was not exhilarating enough for me. I wanted to know more about designing and conducting research, extending the range of applicability of existing literature, extending existing research to other populations such as Iran, and how to facilitate sustainable solutions to leadership problems. To do this, I reached out to the authors; gradually, I stated my willingness to participate in joint research. I decided to share what I experienced along the way and what the challenges I faced were. Recently, I received information about the special issue of the “trends in psychology” journal through a member of the ILN team from Canada, and I have written this paper about my experience for this journal.

The Need for International Studies on Leadership

As population diversity and mobility increase, leaders need to be prepared to lead a diverse workforce in ways that are culturally responsive and competent in meeting the needs of a growing multicultural population (Chin, 2009, 2010). Western styles of leadership currently dominate the leadership literature; a new global and diverse perspective should include greater emphasis on non-dominant views across groups, cultures, and countries (Chin et al., 2017). In particular, understanding culture is a crucial competence for international leaders to enable them to identify and recognize differences and to support and leverage the unique mindsets and skillsets of teams. So, conducting international research in this area and using data from other countries and cultures is essential more than any other time.

I have collaborated in two international leadership projects. I was invited to join the International Leadership Network by its co-founder, Dr. Jean Lau Chin, after an exchange of correspondence about her published work. I collaborate in translation/back translation of the instrument, data collection, data analysis, analyses of the results, and preparation of journal articles and book chapters based on the findings of this project. While I was working with the ILN team, I found the GLOBE project on Resarchgate, and I became interested and volunteered to collaborate. I applied to join the project. After providing my CV and my academic background, I received an invitation letter and signed an agreement including details of the project plan and timelines. As a country co-investigator (CCI) in GLOBE 2020, I had a significant role in the conduct of the on-site research activities such as data collection in Iran, translation/back translation of the instrument, and providing help in interpreting the findings from Iran. I will be given the opportunity to review and update the findings and co-author published papers. In the following, I explain the details of the projects.

ILN Project

The International Leadership Network-Global and Diverse Leadership project was organized by Dr. Jean Lau Chin,^{Footnote 1} professor of psychology at Adelphi University, New York, USA. It began in 2017 in collaboration with Division 52 (International) of the American Psychological Association. Research ethics approval from Adelphi University was obtained for the project. Thirty researchers make up the leadership network. This project tries to present a conceptual model for leadership that reflects the multiplicity of languages, cultures, social and economic structures, histories, and psychologies of people around the world.^{Footnote 2}

Data have been collected from leaders in the countries of network collaborators (USA, Canada, Australia, Spain, Hong Kong, and Iran) through interviews and questionnaires. The goal is to develop a global perspective of how leadership is exercised by a diverse sample of leaders including White and non-White, Western and Eastern, women and men, minority, indigenous, and dominant group members. I have done 30 interviews with leaders from different groups and sectors in Iran. Also, I did the second stage of coding and data analysis of all women’s interviews (45) from different countries using the MAXQDA software and sent the reports to the ILN team.

We used the LDS questionnaire (Leadership Dimensions Survey-quantitative, developed based on examining diverse leadership styles and how leadership is exercised across different groups, cultures, etc. (Roh, 2019). This instrument consists of 30 dimensions with 107 items and added social justice advocacy subscale. I had more than 100 Iranian participants (leaders) who have responded to questionnaires on Qualtrics. All data have been collected and housed on the servers at Adelphi University.

GLOBE Project

The GLOBE Project^{Footnote 3} (The Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness), started in early 1990s. The president of the project was Dr. Ali Dastmalchian,^{Footnote 4} professor of management, organization studies and international business in the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University, Canada. In the year 2004, the GLOBE project examined the relationships among societal culture, leadership, and organizational practices in collaboration with more than 200 researchers from 62 societies.

GLOBE 2020 is an extension of over 20 years of collaborative work conducted by the GLOBE research team. This project examined the relationships among societal culture, leadership, and organizational practices in collaboration with many researchers from 167 societies. The uniqueness of this project lies in the fact that there was no project in the field linking many different countries considering diversity, culture, and leadership; hence, this project is of great relevance for many diverse leaders who are growing in numbers. The meta-goal of the GLOBE research program is to develop an empirically based theory to describe, understand, and predict the impact of cultural variables on leadership and organizational processes and the effectiveness of these processes (GLOBE project website 2022).

All data have been collected and housed on the servers at Simon Fraser University, Canada for the duration of the project. The collected data in each country are owned by the GLOBE Foundation. Upon completion of data collection, each collaborator receives an approved and finalized copy of their country data. We are free to publish our country data as a single-country study. The GLOBE questionnaire includes more than 200 items. We used translation/back translation procedure for preparing the Persian questionnaire. Finally, we had more than 420 Iranian participants (leaders) who have responded to questionnaires on Qualtrics. I had university permission and ethics approvals for my work from my university as an institutional supporter.

Information technology and communication system improvements (particularly the internet) have facilitated the rapid and extensive exchange of information, expertise, and ideas across political, linguistic, and cultural barriers. In particular, we communicate for research activities, share ideas, questions, and concerns, and receive updates through email, WhatsApp group, and virtual meetings (conference forum) through Zoom. Google Group has been beneficial in promoting access to team members from different parts of the world. Google Drive also helps us to save project files and documents and access them online. Besides, online facilities and social media like WhatsApp and Telegram facilitate our data collection.

I had a productive research collaboration in the leadership area for more than 4 years. Many opportunities derived from these collaborations, including meeting diverse groups of people from differing countries and cultures and engaging in the processes of research. Also, referring to this as looking at the world through a different window, international collaboration inevitably broadens my horizons, enriches my life, and provides me with both professional and personal networks for a lifetime.

I was overwhelmed by the friendly environment and the degree to which everyone was willing to share their knowledge and support each other. During collaboration, we were treated with a lot of appreciation for our roles. I came away refreshed, energized, motivated, and thirsting for the type of research and level of learning I had been exposed to.

We did have written guidelines for our collaborative works; they contained every detail of conducting research and the collaboration process. This clarification made work easier for me as an international researcher. Further, all of the team members were very honest and loyal to each other with good friendship, and long-term commitment throughout the collaboration. I have the same language and nationality with two of the core GLOBE team member in the US and Canada. Although we use the English language for communication, it still helps to understand the cultural context.^{Footnote 5}

The international links I have forged through research collaborations keep me positive and motivated while also providing me with support and encouragement. The personal and professional growth I have gained from these collaborative links cannot easily be measured. In practical terms, through joining the collaborations, I now have a network of people that I can call on from a range of disciplines with a diversity of interests. Recently, I received an email regarding an international research project, and they were looking for an Iranian researcher to collaborate with. I may collaborate with them in near future; also, I have put them in touch with the relevant other experts in my country.

I have been involved in deeper research by broadening my knowledge, learning new theoretical approaches and methods, and accessing tools and guidance documentation to improve the efficiency of research in the leadership area. I also use theories and results of projects for teaching purposes in leadership courses and workshops.

Publishing papers and being a coauthor are an enjoyable and exciting part of joint research that will give me an advantage that lasts my career. Our research findings will be published in books and some articles in high-quality journals jointly with all the participants. Besides, I am working on “a comparative study on Iranian and US leaders” using LDS findings in collaboration with one of the ILN team. I have prepared a book chapter, “outstanding leaders in Iran.” Moreover, I am cooperating in writing a women’s chapter with the 4 of the ILN team.

The GLOBE team plans to publish four major articles in high-quality journals within 2 years after the completion of data collection. These papers will be published jointly with all the participants. Furthermore, participants collaborate in preparing journal articles, conference publications, and book chapters based on the findings of this project.

Enhancing the global reputation of Iranian researchers and institutions is another value, GLOBE 2020 offers a valuable opportunity for Iranian researchers and institutions to enhance their global reputation. Each country's collaborators and institutional partners are provided with a customized logo, which we are encouraged to add to our signature, letterhead, and other materials to increase project visibility and advance our professional profile and career opportunities. Collaborative projects benefit my university as an institutional partner by identifying complementarities and pooling resources, building the capacity of less established research institutions, improving university rankings, increasing visibility, and impacting key areas of leadership. These projects are highly beneficial for teaching and training in research, contributing to the intellectual and disciplinary development of partners, and providing the necessary vibrancy for sustainable research networks to grow.

Our internationally and culturally diverse research projects provide valuable opportunities to advance scientific knowledge production but imply challenges and drawbacks. It is challenging working in Iran where research has not had a high academic focus, and society and organizations have not much motivation for research. International research involves building bridges between cultures and takes time, sustained effort, and considerable sensitivity throughout the process (Pinho & Reeves, 2021). Challenges we encountered include data collection issue, as data collection for both projects was a challenging process. We have to manage timely high-quality data collection of surveys from Iranian leaders and managers. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews and internet-based and paper-based surveys. Participants complained about the high number of questions (180 items for GLOBE and 107 items for the ILN project), and sometimes they refused to continue answering the questionnaire or left it incomplete. They also complained about some repetitive, incomprehensible, and vague questions even though we adhered strictly to the principles of standard translations and tried to keep the exact meaning of words.

Due to the preference of some participants in Iran, we used paper and pencil surveys along with the internet-based survey and then manually entered the data into Qualtrics and Excel format. Either way, survey data had high quality and was as complete as possible. Finding and accessing qualified participants (leaders and managers) to contribute to the survey and interview were another challenge.

Crucial to the success of projects is the high commitments that we have made to data collection methods with facing domestic constraints and pressures. We did not depart from the agreed-upon plan. The number of respondents they expect to gather surveys for GLOBE was at least 300 (and ideally 500 +) per country. Lack of trust and negative attitude toward international research in Iran and hesitation in responding honestly in interviews or questionnaires cause a limited number of participants with questionnaires, so we used the following strategies for increasing respondents and we obtain 420 Iranian middle managers who had a complete response to the GLOBE questionnaires and 110 to LDS.

• Directly contact organizational administrators to reach qualified organizational leaders/managers to participate in the research so that managers who directly report to them will complete the survey

• Advertise and send a survey to WhatsApp contacts and groups and friends/school alumni

• Directly contact known managers found in our emails and phone contacts

• Contact relatives or friends working in other organizations to email surveys to colleagues

• Share survey with professional associations and engaged organizations

Moreover, our collaborations take longer than promising time. Data collections had some delays due to the coronavirus pandemic and the death of the ILN chief, and both projects were flexible and extended the time of data collection. We also lost Dr. Dastmalchian, president of GLOBE. After this significant loss, the GLOBE board of directors did not let things change and the project to be disrupted. They took up his responsibilities completely by choosing a substitute (Dr. Mansour Javidan^{Footnote 6}) as a new president.

Indeed, international research collaboration can be more complex and time-consuming than individual research. In this sense, the ability to give and incorporate constructive feedback, negotiation, and agreement is central to researchers involved in international research to seek and ensure that the commitment made and the research work can be developed and continued.

Language Differences

Language is an issue among non-English collaborators, Although English is now widely recognized as the language of science and often serves as a common language for international collaborations, this linguistic dominance can put even fluent non-native English speakers at a significant disadvantage. Sometimes, it can be difficult for me to understand the distinctions of the discussion, more in oral exchanges than in written reports.

Using a common approach to the measurement of research competencies requires translation of an instrument and cross-cultural adaptation. The translation was a complex process. For the translation process, it is important to ensure that the content of any data instrument is free of cultural and linguistic bias. Empirical studies in the field of psychology and leadership that have to translate original questionnaires to the Persian language always face problems due to subtle as well as obvious mistakes leading to misunderstandings and inappropriate translations. We had therefore chosen to employ a set of procedures in translation/back translation and assessment of quality. We employed four qualified bilingual individuals (Persian and English) to assist in the following process: (1) two individuals for the translation (they should not work together on this process to assure independence), (2) one additional person to review and adjudicate, and (3) a final person for back-translation. During this process, we were in contact with project administrators to check the exact meaning of phrases, words, and statements that were not clear in Persian to ensure we could determine the nuances of the discussion and the correct translation. Once the Persian language version was complete and finalized, the survey began in Iran. Also, some questions like sexual orientation were omitted because of cultural issues in Iran. People in Iran cannot freely answer this question.

Language differences contribute to other challenges. The meanings of English words are not always clear in Persian and can contribute to misunderstandings among the research team. Although it is often easier for the US and Canadian team members to take the role of lead project and publication, this may not be fair to the non-US team members and can lead to a perception of the US/Canadian team dominating the reports and papers.

Time Zone Differences

Time zones are a challenge that often goes unmentioned but is of significance in international collaboration. This is particularly relevant in Iran where global time zones did not match well with the UK and many areas of the USA. For example, some virtual meetings were held at inappropriate times; researchers in Canada were having afternoon tea while talking to me when it was 3 am.

Lake of Financial Support

Funding for research can be obtained from the university, governments, non-governmental organizations, or philanthropic groups. From my experience, with a lack of official government support, funding was another challenge. There was no budget or financial support for working on projects. Grants were limited to the main countries (Canada and USA). Although some challenges are government-related, other issues are institutional or local. Our universities and research institutions endorse international collaborations, and they are encouraged in my university. But without support from those universities or department management, international collaboration rates will likely stagnate. There was a lot of bureaucratic paperwork in the administration systems of local governing bodies and a lack of opportunities and support within departments and universities.

Political Issues

International research collaboration can be greatly affected by political environments including political sanctions and academic boycotts. This is currently the case in Iran. US political and economic sanctions affect international research collaborations among Iranian researchers. Although there was an increase in Iran’s international research collaborations and publications during periods of increased sanctions, Iranian scholars were increasingly lost or denied opportunities to publish scientific findings, attend scientific meetings, or access essential technology supplies or information resources (Kokabisaghi et al., 2019).

Many argue that academic boycotts and restricted exchange of ideas violate researchers’ freedom and curtail global scientific progress (e.g., Royal Society, 2022). They are discouraging factors for Iranian researchers and universities. Fear of endangering national security with international cooperation, problems related to obtaining visas, the presence of international researchers in the foreign country, obtaining visas for Iranian researchers to study abroad, and widespread sanctions against Iran are examples of these political problems in international cooperation.

These sanctions affected my work. For the ILN project, I initially used the Qualtrics tool for recording Persian questionnaires, and data directly went to the data server in Adelphi University. However, later, the Qualtrics platform did not work in Iran due to US sanctions. Similarly, and for the GLOBE project, we had to use the Google Forms platform rather than the usual platform. If we were able to use Qualtircs, Iranian data would directly go to the GLOBE main server. Instead, we have to record data in Excel files and send these to the GLOBE team. Features of the original questionnaire on Qualtrics, such as intensive lotteries and participants’ leadership profiles, were not available in Iran.

Weak Connection Between the Government, Universities, and Industry

In Iran, there are weak connections among industries, economic development, and innovation. Despite the importance of this interaction, there is no effective industry-university interaction and complete exchange of knowledge in the context of partnership. Lack of trust in universities and researchers, weakness in needs assessment and selection of appropriate topics for research work, the inadequacy of academic disciplines to address the needs of society, and lack of proper planning and coordination for the implementation of joint research projects are some consequences of weak communications.

Information and Technology Issue

Problems related to information technology disturb the progress of research. These problems in Iran include low internet speed, low bandwidth, slowness of communication lines, and filtering of some sites and social messaging applications such as Telegram. We have to use circumvention tools in using them.

Lack of Training on Practices in International Collaboration

Lack of substantive information for Iranian researchers who are interested or new to the international research network on how to find and collaborate to international research or on how to manage the challenges posed by international collaboration is an important issue that should be considered.

COVID-19 Pandemic

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all spheres of human society with the large social and economic shock. The world of research and academia has been radically changed by the pandemic, and much of this will stay with us. Universities were some of the first entities in Iran to shut down operations when coronavirus began to spread across the country. With the arrival of this pandemic, tensions in society have led to a heightened people distrust of university administrations exacerbated by a failure of communications. The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on our research collaboration, too.

For the ILN project, Before COVID-19, we finished our data collection and have been analyzing our data, but due to lockdown and closure of universities, the work got slower. After a while, Dr. Jean Lau Chin (the organizer and principal of ILN) passed away on May 13, 2020 from complications of COVID-19. Jean’s death caused the project and virtual meetings to be suspended for a while, and the book preparation process was interrupted. She was very persistent, supportive, encouraging, positive, and motivating of the team. Progress slowed, some work was delayed, some team members left, and another priority was given to people. After a while, Dr. Josephine Tan^{Footnote 7} and Dr. Joseph Trimble^{Footnote 8} (they carry on the project for the purpose of publication) resumed virtual meetings, and the team members were determined to continue Jean’s valuable mission to honor her. There is a lot of flexibility in this project, and the project administrators gave more time for the book chapters.

For GLOBE, we were in the middle of collecting data, the return of questionnaires got much less, and we had to find other participants (leaders) to complete the questionnaires. The project administration was focusing particularly on facilitating flexibility and seeing sustainability in long-term planning; they kept pushing back the deadlines.

I will end this personal description with some comments on how to initiate and promote international collaboration. There are some great means to initiate contact with other researchers. You can identify potential research partners from other countries through the Internet, national and international associations, conferences, international academic centers, organizations, and networks. The best way of finding international collaboration opportunities is through contacting authors of published works in academic journals. Authors generally include their email addresses and institutional affiliations in their publications; you may initiate contact with them by expressing interest in their work and exchanging information or ideas. Professional associations often have specialty groups that you can join based on your interests (for example the American Psychology Association’s many divisions, the International Council of Psychologists’ interest groups, the International Association of Applied Psychologists’ divisions, and the like). Such interest groups offer valuable opportunities to learn from others, express your ideas, and identify colleagues who work in your area of interest.

You also may identify potential collaborators through Iranian university’s international center and professional associations that include international collaboration in their advocacy agendas. For example, if you are interested in leadership research, you may find it beneficial to review the activities supported by some university’s research center in Iran that focuses on fostering global research that can help identify potential partners outside of your country. Of course, colleagues from other countries might also contact you about working together.

For researchers who are looking for an Iranian research partner or like to collect data from Iran, the ministry of science, research and technology in Iran has an active Center for International Scientific Studies and Collaboration(CISSC). The mission of the CISSC is to encourage and support the internationalization of Iranian universities and research centers by helping Iranian scholars to engage in research programs and projects at international levels. It fosters innovative international research collaboration and expands the scope and types of international collaborative research by providing a broad range of programs (http://62.60.140.120/cissc1/en/).

Nowadays, researchers and institutions are encouraged to establish working relationships with diverse cultures in different ways. My experience of collaborations, with daily virtual interactions, has helped to build a common and shared interest in collaboration. I believe that there is no universal recipe for designing and carrying out international research collaboration. Each situation has its particular challenges, but some key features may also be similar and could be used in different situations.