The intensity of the knowledge revolution can be seen in the rapid growth of knowledge broker AlphaSights, who are currently the third fastest growing company in the UK. .
In the last twenty years the amount of people participating in the global economy has escalated from one billion to around four billion (Larocco, 2012). Driven by international deregulation and the communications revolution (Jovanovic, 2010), knowledge and resources have become dispersed around the world, and for leaders to thrive in 2020 they must embrace a globalising business environment. Successful leaders will need to think globally instead of locally, and demonstrate a collaborative mind-set so they can work comfortably in a networked environment. Cultural awareness and a diverse mentality are pivotal in supporting a global reach (Meister, 2010), and managers will need to adjust business cultures, for example changing work hours.
To manage across borders and boundaries leadership must influence situations were they are not in control (Pettigrew, 1987). Leaders have a role to play as interconnectors and bridge builders (Wittenberg, 2005), so they can build international relationships and solve big problems. The success of future leaders will be heavily influenced by their ability to balance the paradox of direction and articulate a vision for people of different backgrounds and experiences (Petriglieri and Petriglieri, 2010). This requires a level of co-operation, diplomatic skill and understanding of foreign government's economic policies and strategies. A starting point for equipping future leaders of Northern Ireland with these skills lies within universities. Currently only one out of thirteen final year modules available to final year students at Ulster Business School has a direct international focus and more needs to be done to reset this balance. .
Amplified access to global markets is facilitated using increased technologies (Goldman, 2009) i.