162.Leadership Across Cultures

8/3/2019 162.Leadership Across Cultures

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Leadership across Cultures

Dr. Carol Reade

Bus 162


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Introduction

Companies, as global corporate citizens,strive to attain their organizational andsocial missions.

Corporate leaders are expected to motivateand inspire employees in ways thatcontribute to the success of the corporation

as a global entity.

Question: To what extent does leadership

vary across culture?


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Learning Objectives

Review the basic philosophic foundation andstyles of leadership

Examine research findings regardingleadership across culturesAssess leadership differences and

similarities across cultures

Discuss leadership trends


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What is Leadership?

The process of influencing people to directtheir efforts toward the achievement ofsome particular goal or goals.

Effective leadership involves the ability toinspire and influence the thinking, attitudes,and behavior of people.


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Managers versus Leaders


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Leadership Vision

Leaders help to shape the vision of anorganization (future-oriented), whereasmanagers attempt to carry out the current

vision (present-oriented)

The questions global leaders address areuniversal; the answers are often culturallyspecific (Adler, 2008)


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Leadership Vision

Corporate visions tend to reflect thevalues and goals of a particular society

In the present time, corporate visionsneed to go beyond the domestic contextand encompass the world, whileimplementation of strategies needs to takeinto consideration cultural variation


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Leadership Foundations

Philosophical Background:Theories X, Y, and Z

A manager who believes that

people are basically lazy andthat coercion and threats ofpunishment often arenecessary to get them to work.

Theory X Manager


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under the right conditionspeople not only will work hardbut will seek increasedresponsibility and challenge.

Theory Y Manager

Theory X Manager


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workers seek opportunities toparticipate in management andare motivated by teamworkand responsibility sharing.

Theory Z Manager

Theory Y Manager

Theory X Manager


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LeaderSubordinate Interactions

McGraw-Hill/Irwin 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Adapted from Figure 13

1: Leader

Subordinate Interactions

Authoritarian Leader

Subordinate Subordinate Subordinate

One-way downward flow of informationand influence from authoritarian leaderto subordinates.


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1: Leader


Paternalistic Leader


Continual interaction and exchange ofinformation and influence betweenleader and subordinates.


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1: Leader


ParticipativeLeader


Continual interaction and exchange ofinformation and influence betweenleader and subordinates.


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Leadership Behaviorsand Styles

ParticipativeLeadership

AuthoritarianLeadership

Paternalistic

Leadership

The use of work-centered

behavior designed to ensuretask accomplishment.

The use of work-centeredbehavior coupled with a

protective employee centeredconcern.The use of both work- or task-centered and people centeredapproaches to leading

subordinates.


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Leadership Style

What is your leadership style?


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Leadership in the International Context

How do leaders in other countriesattempt to direct or influence theirsubordinates?

Are their approaches similar to thoseused in the United States?

Research shows that there are both similarities anddifferences most international research onleadership has focused on Europe, East Asia, theMiddle East, and developing countries such as India,

Peru, Chile, and Argentina.


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Rankings of

Leadership Attributes


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Both US and Chinese managers supportTheory Y, but for different reasons.

In US, Theory Y managers believe thatsatisfaction of higher order needs is amotivator

In China, Theory Y managers believe that all

employees should rise together botheconomically and culturally, in line withphilosophy of Chairman Mao.


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Leadership in the International

Context

Leadership in China

a study

Measured by the importance of societal

harmony, virtuous interpersonal behavior, and

personal and interpersonal harmony

Individualism

Collectivism

Confucianism

Measured by willingness to subordinate

personal goals to those of the work group withan emphasis on sharing and group harmony

Measured by importance of self sufficiency andpersonal accomplishments


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Leadership in the International

Context

The New Generation group scored significantlyhigher on individualism than older generation

They also scored significantly lower on collectivismand Confucianism

These values appear to reflect the period of relative

openness and freedom, often called the SocialReform Era, in which these new managers grew up

They have had greater exposure to Western societalinfluences may result in leadership styles similar tothose of Western managers

Leadership in China

results of study


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Japan is well known for its paternalistic approach to

leadership

Japanese culture promotes a high safety or security need,which is present among home countrybased employees

as well as MNC expatriates Japanese managers have much greater belief in the

capacity of subordinates for leadership and initiative thando managers in most other countries only managers in

Anglo-American countries had stronger feelings in this area

Leadership in Japan


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Recent Findings and Insights

Transformational, Transactional, and CharismaticLeadership

Transformational leaders are visionary agents with a senseof mission who are capable of motivating their followers to

accept new goals and new ways of doing things.

Charismatic leadership focuses on the individual abilities ofthe leader to motivate and inspire followers.

Transactional leadership refers to leaders who exchangerewards for effort and performance, a something for

something basis.


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Transformational leaders are asource of charisma and enjoy theadmiration of their followers.

They enhance pride, loyalty, and

confidence in their people, andalign these followers by providinga common purpose or vision thatthe latter willingly accept

Transformational leaders are characterized by fourinterrelated factors:

Idealized Influence


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These leaders are extremelyeffective in articulating theirvision, mission, and beliefs inclear-cut ways, thus providing an

easy-to understand sense of

purpose regarding what needs tobe done


Idealized Influence

Inspirational Motivation


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Transformational leaders areable to get their followers toquestion old paradigms and toaccept new views of the world

regarding how things now need

to be done


Idealized Influence


Intellectual Stimulation


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Transformational, Transactional, and CharismaticLeadershipTransformational leaders are characterized by four

interrelated factors:

These leaders are able todiagnose and elevate the needs ofeach of their followers throughindividualized consideration, thus

furthering the development of

these people

IndividualizedConsideration

Idealized Influence


Intellectual Stimulation


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Bernard Bass examined transformational,charismatic, and transactional leadershipbehavior across cultures

Bass found some differences across cultures For instance, transformational leaders in Honduras

would be more directive than their counterparts inNorway.

Concluded that there is far more universalism

in leadership than believed previously


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Creating a Positive Future

Kofi Annan, former United Nations SecretaryGeneral, challenges business leaders toreposition business to help the world:

Let us choose to unite the power of marketswith the strengths of universal ideals let uschoose to reconcile the creative forces of privateentrepreneurship with the needs of thedisadvantaged and the requirements of futuregenerations.

Bottom-of-the-pyramid business strategies


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Summary Points

Studies vary on the extent to which USleadership approaches are acceptable in othercultures

Globalization is resulting to some degree in aconvergence of work values.

Global leaders must show flexibility in theirapproach when working across national

borders Global companies and their leaders have a

growing responsibility to be good globalcitizens, to align corporate goals with the

needs of society and the environment

162.Leadership Across Cultures

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