Learning to lead global changes in local cultures: Designing a computer-based simulation for Thai school leaders

The process of globalization is carrying educational policies across borders to an extent and at a pace never seen before. This has in turn led to a global focus - for the first time - on the training of school leaders. A key issue in the design and delivery of training and development for school leaders concerns the knowledge base for school leadership. This article presents the results of a research and development project that has sought to understand the cultural basis for educational change in Thai schools. The research found that leading change in Thai schools bears similarities and differences from educational change in the West. This article focuses on the cultural adaptation of a computer-based simulation for use with Thai school leaders. It describes the methodology employed in the cultural adaptation of the simulation, highlighting successful change strategies grounded in Thai culture.