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1. Introduction

Student organizations are part of the history of many countries’ higher education with the main purpose from inception to express the student’s voice. They encouraged students to manage their free time through engagement in social, political and extracurricular activities. In addition, Amirianzadeh et al (2011) argue, that student organizations were established with the aim of enhancing the political, social, ethical, cultural and scientific levels of growth among students across the world. The significant role of student organizations was observed in the 18th and 19th centuries when students initiated rebellions against restrictive policies (Novak, 1977). In particular, student activism became a crucial function of the associations during the era of Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X with the aim of conquering racial discrimination in the United States. The two leaders (Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm x) inspired many African American youths to pursue their dreams in leadership. Today, student organization can be defined as an organization, led and operated by group of students at an educational institution with the purpose of pursuing common interest.

1.1 Background

The history of western higher education has witnessed many student movements owing to the unique nature of its campuses. In each period, there have been unique protests for students’ rights which represent the dynamic nature of these organizations (Broadhurst, 2014). The tactics used to attain student’s goals have shifted from the use of violence to the use of negotiations led by student leaders. In this sense, it’s clear that modern student organizations provide a better opportunity to nurture leaders.

Recently, the role of student associations has grown beyond political activism to growing interactions and nurturing leaders through exchange programs. The communication between students in these organizations aids the creation of diversity in universities and the inclusion of different viewpoints from students (Altbach, 1989). In addition, the rise in international student organizations has provided a platform where student leaders from different nationalities can interact and experience leadership on an international scale. This implies that there’s a possibility of developing multinational leaders using international student organizations.

Student development can be traced back in 1936 - a period associated with the beginning of American student organization involvement. In this context, universities played the role of facilitators for the perfection of human skills via attainment of maturity among students. Miller (1997) articulated that student leadership development was an important part of a student’s life to be provided by colleges and universities. It was basically the process in which an individual was subjected to changes that went on to elicit a somewhat complex behavior as a result of the capability to overcome the increasing life challenges (Astin, 1984). To this effect, Astin (1984) proposed that the universities and colleges played a critical role in the development of student leadership.

Similarly, Boyer (1987) argued that student development is one of the most significant experiences of university students and was, therefore, a duty of the higher learning institutions. In this context, he exhibited that the time spent by students in the university and the number of participatory activities characterizing their stay in the university had the potential to affect the quality of leadership experiences. In more specific terms, Astin (1993) showed that there was a positive relationship between student leadership development and certain critical environmental factors. These factors were: interaction between students, student to faculty interaction, volunteering activities, provision of tutoring service to other students, intramural sports, participation in group class projects, making presentations in class and fraternity membership. Astin (1993) reinforced the development of student leaders through student organizations via his findings that students thrive when universities work together to enhance involvement in co-curricular activities. The leadership outcomes were more pronounced when students engaged to practice what they learned in classrooms or service learning projects that had a direct relationship with class work. This means that student organizations could only yield leaders if the students enrolled for leadership courses in their respective colleges.

According to Astin (1984), students who involve themselves in university organizations or associations and those who assume leadership positions in university activities or in-class sessions have a higher chance of developing leadership qualities. The period of time that students spent on involvement in student activities had positive effects on the development of leadership (Astin, 1993). Consequently, students are likely to develop more leadership traits when they spend more hours in student associations (Guido-Dibrito and Bachelor, 1988).

However, the research work mentioned above may not be applicable to the new realities of a modern world. The scientific evidence from early 1990s should be reviewed and critically appraised in order to provide relevant and valid insight on the research matter. Additionally, a recent research by Aymoldanovna et al. (2015) suggests that for all leadership levels, student leaders are provided with training programs, retreats and workshops to enhance leadership development. In this way, it could be assumed that student organizations contribute to not only develop future business leaders but also nonprofit leaders and leaders for the local communities. Thus, we believe that in the era of globalization, the role of the student organization has changed. As a result of this change, a new and different leadership traits and skills are required and should be developed among individuals.

With our research work, we intend to explore the new opportunities for a student to develop those leadership traits and skills based on the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) organization. Founded on 16th October 1989, ESN grew significantly as an international student organization to become the largest student association in Europe which develops and promotes student exchange programs. The choice of the organization was influenced by several factors. First of all, being the biggest student organization in Europe, it is represented in over a 1000 higher education institutions in 39 countries. With over 40.000 active members ESN offers its services to a relatively large number of students (approximately 350.000 students per year). Secondly, ESN being an international student organization, with the aim of supporting the needs and rights of international students studying abroad, will provide us with a diverse team of research subjects for the thesis. We believe that the choice of this particular student organization will add value to the significance of the results of this study.

1.2 Discussion

Due to the unique challenges of the 21st century, universities train student leaders to adapt to the complex social, cultural and technological changes. This should enable them to confront the contemporary societal challenges. The long-term focus of the ecological leadership theory has on the future makes it suitable for the process of developing student leaders. It mainly focuses on the responsibility of the individual, development of capabilities, a long-term perspective, adaptation, and harmonization.

Student leaders require a platform for self-development in order to attain essential leadership skills. However, the coursework, which mainly focuses on theory, puts little emphasis on practical leadership skills. In an ideal environment, the exposure to distinct personalities and different behavioral styles through the mentors involved in international student organizations should motivate students to identify their pathways in leadership in order to take the steps needed to attain multinational leadership behaviors. For example, the student leaders are likely to encounter Kronz’s (2014) behavioral styles that range from the analyzer to the socializer, the director, and the relater. Based on their preferred leadership personalities, the students can recognize specific areas that need improvement.

Secondly, leadership competencies such as knowledge of business, the desire to lead, drive, self confidence, honesty and emotional stability are compulsory for effective leaders. Being part of any organization around the globe, a person could gain a set of skills that help him to develop his or her leadership traits. Student organizations are one of the opportunities for students to explore and test their leadership abilities. However, many researchers do not provide enough attention to the role of student organizations in supporting and improving the development of knowledge, skills and competencies in students.

As mentioned earlier, globalization require organizations to come up with resonant leaders who can counter the challenges of a fast changing business environment. One of the characteristics of resonant leaders is cultural sensitivity which could be acquired via participation in international student leadership organizations. In this case, the organizations can produce open-minded leaders who can manage diverse teams by accommodating different points of view. These types of leaders can, therefore, be in a position to perceive the needs of others and to appreciate them. The multicultural engagement among the students should give them the right leadership skills to practice in the complex environment of the 21st century. The experiences of engaging with students from different nationalities have the potential to empower them with the skills required to work in different countries across the globe.

1.3 Research question

It is argued, that specific and relevant research question can play an essential role in the whole research process. Consequently, a well-developed research question may support the focus of our study and provide a clear path for the research process and procedures. The main interest of our study is the significance of taking a leadership role in international student organization to the leadership development of a person. Therefore, our research is intended to answer the following main research question: How taking a leadership position in a student organization affect the leadership development of an individual?

In order to answer the main research question of our study, we developed two sub-questions, which we believe will provide a better insight on the ways in which a broad term of leadership development can be understood:

1. What leadership competencies could be learned by the students as the result of participation in a student organization;

2. How/In what ways can students get an insight into global cultures and develop cultural sensitivity through the participation in international student organization.

The responses by the participants of the study will be analyzed via content analysis to determine whether involvement in the organization was positively related to the development of leadership skills. We believe the research questions explained above are clear, focused, and specific and give us an opportunity to achieve the objectives of our study research.

1.4 Purpose of The Research

The purpose of this research is to gain a deeper understanding on the opportunities for leadership development of students and the role of the student organization in a modern student’s life. Therefore, the study is intended to take an exploratory approach in order to provide new insights on the ways of leadership development of an individual based on the experiences of the board members of Erasmus Student Network organization in Sweden.