Cultural variation of leadership prototypes across 22 European countries

Abstract

This study sets out to test the assumption that concepts of leadership differ as a function of cultural differences in Europe and to identify dimensions which describe differences in leadership concepts across European countries. Middle‐level managers (N = 6052) from 22 European countries rated 112 questionnaire items containing descriptions of leadership traits and behaviours. For each attribute respondents rated how well it fits their concept of an outstanding business leader. The findings support the assumption that leadership concepts are culturally endorsed. Specifically, clusters of European countries which share similar cultural values according to prior cross‐cultural research (Ronen & Shenkar, 1985), also share similar leadership concepts. The leadership prototypicality dimensions found are highly correlated with cultural dimensions reported in a comprehensive cross‐cultural study of contemporary Europe (Smith, Dugan, & Trompenaars, 1996). The ordering of countries on the leadership dimensions is considered a useful tool with which to model differences between leadership concepts of different cultural origin in Europe. Practical implications for cross‐cultural management, both in European and non‐European settings, are discussed.

An Investigation of the Influence of the Worldwide Governance and Competitiveness on Accounting Fraud Cases: A Cross-Country Perspective

“…These evidences also suggest it is worth monitoring the quality of governance across and within individual countries for better development over time. From another point of view, the existing financial challenges regarding, i.e., debt enforcement, risk management [41], organizational culture [42] and trust [43], etc. represent a respectable opportunity for further research in the case of accounting fraud analysis.…”

Leaders Enhance Group Members' Work Engagement and Reduce Their Burnout by Crafting Social Identity

“…In this way, this research suggests that leaders' ability to exert influence over other people derives in part from actions aimed at (a) defining the boundaries of 1 Here, it is noteworthy then that the term leader prototypicality (or prototypes) has also been used within leader categorization theory (Lord, Foti, & De Vader, 1984). Yet, as a point of difference, while leader prototypes as discussed above refer to those attributes that are characteristic of a particular group in question (e.g., a particular community, department, or organization), in terms of leader categorization theory leader prototypes (or stereotypes) refer to those attributes that are seen to be leader-like (i.e., characteristic of the group of leaders in general that are more or less variable across cultures, see also Brodbeck et al, 2000;House, Hanges, Javidan, Dorfman, & Gupta, 2004). group membership (e.g., by making people feel who falls inside and outside ingroup boundaries) as well as (b) shaping what it means to be a member of the group (e.g., developing an understanding of the norms, values, and ideals that define the ingroup; Reicher et al, 2005). These aspects then have bearing upon the scope as well as direction of influence (i.e., by determining who will be influenced and to what ends).…”

The reception of Anglo leadership styles in a transforming society: the case of American companies in Vietnam

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“…Successful adaptability on the part of the leader requires the elimination of this ethnocentrism -or at least a reduced imposition of one's frame of reference on others, and a re-examination of the belief that one's cultural values are the same as everyone else's (Ayman and Korabik, 2010). In other words, foreign managers who maintain ethnocentric leadership schemata and exhibit ethnocentric leadership characteristics are more likely to behave in ways deemed inappropriate within the host country, and are less likely to be successful (Brodbeck, 2000).…”