Page 400 - Fundamentals of Management Myths Debunked (2017)_Flat

CHAPTER 12 • Leadership and Trust 399
effective in France or Canada. For instance, one study of Asian leadership styles revealed that
Asian managers preferred leaders who were competent decision makers, effective commu-
50
nicators, and supportive of employees. Another study of leadership in Sub-Saharan Africa
found that charismatic leaders can help overcome cultural problems of corruption, poverty,
tribalism, and violence. 51
National culture affects leadership style because it influences how followers will respond.
Leaders can’t (and shouldn’t) just choose their styles randomly. They’re constrained by the
cultural conditions their followers have come to expect. Exhibit 12–6 provides some findings
from selected examples of cross-cultural leadership studies. Because most leadership theories
were developed in the United States, they have an American bias. They emphasize follower
responsibilities rather than rights; assume self-gratification rather than commitment to duty or
altruistic motivation; assume centrality of work and democratic value orientation; and stress
52
rationality rather than spirituality, religion, or superstition. However, the GLOBE research
program, which we first introduced in Chapter 2, is the most extensive and comprehensive
cross-cultural study of leadership ever undertaken. The GLOBE study has found that there are
some universal aspects to leadership. Specifically, a number of elements of transformational
leadership appear to be associated with effective leadership regardless of what country the
53
leader is in. These elements include vision, foresight, providing encouragement, trustworthi-
ness, dynamism, positiveness, and proactiveness. The results led two members of the GLOBE
team to conclude that “effective business leaders in any country are expected by their subordi-
nates to provide a powerful and proactive vision to guide the company into the future, strong
motivational skills to stimulate all employees to fulfill the vision, and excellent planning skills
54
to assist in implementing the vision.” Some people suggest that the universal appeal of these
transformational leader characteristics is due to the pressures toward common technologies
and management practices, as a result of global competitiveness and multinational influences.

Becoming a STAR ✯ leader

How does emotIonaL InteLLIgence aFFect LeadersHIp? We introduced emo-
tional intelligence (EI) in our discussion of emotions in Chapter 9. We revisit the topic here
because of recent studies indicating that EI—more than IQ, expertise, or any other single
factor—is the best predictor of who will emerge as a leader. 55

Exhibit 12–6 Cross-Cultural Leadership

• Korean leaders are expected to be paternalistic toward employees.
• Arab leaders who show kindness or generosity without being asked to do so are seen
by other Arabs as weak.
• Japanese leaders are expected to be humble and speak frequently.
• Scandinavian and Dutch leaders who single out individuals with public praise are likely
to embarrass, not energize, those individuals.
• Effective leaders in Malaysia are expected to show compassion while using more of
an autocratic than a participative style.
• Effective German leaders are characterized by high performance orientation, low
compassion, low self-protection, low team orientation, high autonomy, and high
participation.
Sources: Based on J.-H. Shin, R. L. Heath, and J. Lee, “A Contingency Explanation of Public
Relations Practitioner Leadership Styles: Situation and Culture,” Journal of Public Relations
Research (April 2011): 167–90; J. C. Kennedy, “Leadership in Malaysia: Traditional Values,
International Outlook,” Academy of Management Executive, August 2002, 15–17; F. C.
Brodbeck, M. Frese, and M. Javidan, “Leadership Made in Germany: Low on Compassion,
High on Performance,” Academy of Management Executive, February 2002, 16–29; M. F.
Peterson and J. G. Hunt, “International Perspectives on International Leadership,” Leadership
Quarterly, Fall 1997, 203–31; R. J. House and R. N. Aditya, “The Social Scientific Study of
Leadership: Quo Vadis?” Journal of Management 23, no. 3 (1997): 463; and R. J. House,
“Leadership in the Twenty-First Century,” in A. Howard (ed.), The Changing Nature of Work
(San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1995), 442.