How can relational leadership contribute to effective cooperation in global and local networks? What can be learned from concrete application examples about the success factors of leadership in complex realities? Against the background of these questions, this book presents the results of a Transcultural Student Research Group from 2019 as a project of the Transcultural Caravan that involved more than 30 young researchers from Brazil and Germany working together on the topic of Relational Leadership and its applications to Brazilian contexts. Based on case studies of cooperation partners from the fields of business, social entrepreneurship, higher education and civil society, located in different regions of Brazil, the participants carried out field research on site in four Brazilian-German sub-groups and analysed the common overall theme from multiple perspectives. It is this transcultural format and the diversity of disciplines and backgrounds within the group that provide a multi-faceted, comprehensive picture of the success factors of relational leadership in Brazil and that distinguish this project and the results collected in this book.

Particularly important in this respect is the fact that the concrete cooperation experience of the researchers involved in the project enables them to develop precisely those competencies that are described in the literature on Relational Leadership as being crucial to productive cooperation across geographical and cultural borders. Juxtaposed with insights for the further elaboration of the concept of relational leadership and for its empirical application, this book therefore also attempts to provide insights into innovative academic methods for preparing future leaders to work in complex, heterogeneous and dynamic global environments.