Local Heroes Leadership: A Key for Nurturing Climate Village Program Initiatives in High Power Distance Culture (Case Study in Talangbubuk South Sumatera)

Abstract

Indonesian government has launched national community-based program called the Climate Village Program (ProKlim), which aims to increase community and stakeholder involvement, to enhance adaptation capacity to climate change impacts. Today, ProKlim is currently being integrated with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This perspective is also shared by Pertamina, the largest SOE in Indonesia. Pertamina has initiated this integrated CSR programs in Talangbubuk, South Sumatera. Local leadership is a strategy that needs to be nurtured, considering the unique culture of Indonesia, which can be classified as having a high power distance. This culture leads Indonesians to believe that certain individuals are superior to others. Currently, Pertamina appoint several “Local Heroes”, a local person who is designated as a leader for ProKlim. The method of research used to determine the variables influencing Local Heroes leadership style is qualitative research with a case study technique. Data collection was carried out through interviews with three Local Heroes, four neighborhood association (Rukun Tetangga) leaders, and one elder figure who is highly respected in Talangbubuk. The study's findings indicate that local heroes leadership must possess certain characteristics, such as being mindful, willing to engage in self-core evaluation, and having a high level of agreeableness, in order to achieve the desired effectiveness in leadership.