Leadership and Governance within the Igorot Diaspora

Abstract

Igorots, the indigenous people of the Cordillera in the Northern region of the Philippines, have participated in global migration flows over the last fifty years. The impact of their relocation is significant for all Igorot migrants, their host countries and the Philippines. Migrant Igorots have actively created an impressive network of organisations aimed at preserving and enhancing their unique identity at the regional level as well as the international level as witnessed by the launch of the Igorot Global Organisation's bi-annual international consultation (i.e. conference) that has been held since 1995. In Europe, Igorots organise bi-annual consultations. It is within these organisations that leadership and governance processes are developed and are modified as a result of the exposure and interaction with leadership and governance processes that are typical of the host country. Igorot identity, as expressed through these organisations, would not be possible without the work of the organisation's formal and emergent leaders. These processes that underpin the Igorot diaspora have yet to be studied. This research aims to directly address this oversight. It evolved out of the researcher's own indigenous heritage, the leadership and governance experience she derived with the New Zealand-based Igorot organisation and a keen desire to keep the Igorot culture alive. This qualitative research study investigated the various ways in which Igorot leaders go about preserving the Igorot culture within the diaspora, with a focus on the leaders' perspectives on their role in the leadership and governance of Igorot organisations located within the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. The study examined the evolution of the organisations within the Igorot diaspora from their founding in the United State of America; subsequent expansion in Canada and the United Kingdom, and recent emergence in Australia and New Zealand. A combination of research methods was used to elicit preliminary data from hard copy and on-line documents and generate primary data using in-depth interviews and story-telling methods. The data were analysed by coding Igorot identity, values, and issues as vital aspects of their leadership roles. The analysis of the themes shows how the leaders' identity and values are transformed within the diaspora. They also changed their style of leadership to a hybridised form which drew on both indigenous and western styles of leadership. Furthermore, the study identified future-oriented issues such as leadership succession, governance models, and the long-term sustainability of the organisation as Igorot become increasingly assimilated to their host countries. This research provides an important first base for further research on the Igorot diaspora as leaders address the issues and transmit indigenous knowledge to succeeding generations of Igorots within the diaspora.