PurposeMalaysia is a multicultural country with a distinct mix of three major races; Chinese Indians, and Malays. This paper sets out to explore the contribution of the three main ethnic groups to leadership in Malaysia.Design/methodology/approachSummated scales for the importance of Excellent Leader (EL), Personal Qualities (PQ), Managerial Behaviours (MB), Organisational Demands (OD) and Environmental Influences (EI) were developed using most of the items categorised by Selvarajah et al. and several other items rated highly in the study. A structural model was constructed to explain the relationship in excellence in leadership.FindingsFrom the three ethnic groups, 512 managers participated in the research. The findings suggest that Malaysian managers maintain distinctive leadership behaviour along ethnic lines and a Malaysian leadership identity is still in its infant stage.Practical implicationsMalaysia is a country with three distinct ethnic population groups and is yet to forge a single Malaysian identity. The findings are important for managers on foreign assignment in Malaysia and for others who engage with Malaysia.Originality/valueMost literature discusses Malaysian culture from a national perspective. The paper contextualises leadership of an Asian Tiger economy, which has since independence in 1957 politically developed the nation within three Asian national cultural frameworks.
Behavioral statements about leadership excellence were evaluated for their importance by 289 managers from five founding ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Factor analysis revealed four factors: (1) Consideration for Others; (2) Progressive Stability; (3) Strategic Thinking; and (4) Trust in Others. Using the behaviors, a leadership excellence scale was created for each factor. Multivariate comparisons across nations showed Indonesia to have the highest and Singapore the lowest importance scores on ‘Consideration for Others’. The Philippines had the highest importance scores on ‘Progressive Stability’, ‘Strategic Thinking’, and ‘Trust in Others’. Multivariate regressions revealed ‘Consideration for Others’ to be the principal predictor of variables related to leaders’ personal qualities and managerial behavior, while ‘Strategic Thinking’ was the main predictor of leadership variables related to organizational demand and environmental influences. Results are discussed in terms of eastern (Confucian) and western (strategic) influences on the cultures studied.
Purpose -This paper explores the leadership profile of managers in China and in so doing identifies demographics factors that shape perceptions of what makes an excellent Chinese leader. Design/methodology/approach -Summated scales for the importance of Excellent Leader (EL), Personal Qualities (PQ), Managerial Behaviour (MB), Organisational Demands (OD) and Environmental Influences (EI) were developed using most of the items categorised by Selvarajah et al. and several other items rated highly in this study. A structural model was constructed to explain the relationship in excellence in leadership. Findings -The structural model confirmed that managerial behaviour was the most important construct determining leadership in China and that even with the changes in the political and social systems in the last 60 years, the Chinese belief in Confucianism is highly valued. Practical implications -China is undergoing dramatic changes and understanding China within a changing cultural context is important to international participants entering the country. Originality/value -This paper contextualises leadership within societal-cultural change
PurposeThe paper seeks to explore educational objectives and attitudes to assessment methods between Chinese and New Zealand European students.Design/methodology/approachA conceptual framework developed from the literature and feedback from the pilot study, explains the impact of factors on curriculum development in this study. This conceptual framework was designed to give preliminary insights into the subject area and form the basis of the research. Curriculum development and teaching style are seen as the product of cultural impact. The cultural impact is made up of factor inputs from demands made on the educational system. The prime data collection method was a self‐completion questionnaire. The population group was postgraduate management students at the Albany Campus of Massey University in New Zealand.FindingsThe responses from 110 postgraduate students in management studies at the Albany Campus of Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand, suggest that there is a relationship between culture and education. The study shows that the two student groups have different educational objectives and prefer different assessment methods.Research limitations/implicationsSince this research is exploratory in nature and is restricted by sample size, the analysis of the research data was restricted to univariate analysis. In developing teaching styles and assessment methods at tertiary educational institutions where there are students from other cultural backgrounds, it is necessary to understand the reasons why these students enrol in various courses. To develop assessment methods without taking into consideration the learning styles of a changing student population will limit the extent to which expected knowledge transfer takes place.Practical implicationsThis study shows that postgraduate students in management studies from different cultural backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities may respond to educational styles differently. To force students into an existing mould is problematic and does not serve well in a globalisation process that is now imposed on all nations.Originality/valueThe quality of postgraduate management courses rests in part on the diversity of the student population, which in turn enriches the educational contribution of students generally. It is left to the teaching staff and the tertiary institutions to decide how to harness this variation. Educational paradigm shifts in technologies, methods and perceptions are needed if changes in education styles are to take place. Re‐allocation of resources to postgraduate education, in line with a dynamic and changing environment, is equally important.
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