Cultural variation of leadership prototypes across 22 European countries

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.

Jorge Correia Jesuino | Felix C. Brodbeck | Celeste P.M. Wilderom | Majken Schultz | Jette Schramm-Nielsen | Martin Lindell | Phillippe Castel | Mary A. Keating | Deanne N. Den Hartog | Gillian S. Martin | Michael Frese | Paul L. Koopman | Christopher Leeds | Simon Booth | Muzaffer Bodur | Hayat Kabasakal | Nancy Papalexandris | Stanisław A. Witkowski | Henk Thierry | Erna Szabo | Edvard Konrad | M. Frese | P. Koopman | M. Schultz | Erna Szabo | H. Thierry | C. Wilderom | F. Brodbeck | D. D. Hartog | N. Papalexandris | G. Bakacsi | S. Booth | M. Bodur | Hayat Kabasakal | M. Lindell | M. Keating | J. Weibler | S. Witkowski | Jette Schramm-Nielsen | J. Jesuino | Gyula Bakacsi | Alexandre Kurc | José Prieto | G. Martin | Ingalill Holmberg | Staffan Åkerblom | Staffan Akerblom | Giuseppe Audia | Helena Bendova | Domenico Bodega | Klas Brenk | Gemma Donnelly-Cox | Mikhail V. Gratchev | Ingalill Holmberg | Slawomir Jarmuz | Ravaz Jorbenadse | George Kipiani | Alexandre Kurc | Jerzey Maczynski | Jeremiah O'Connell | Athan Papalexandris | Boris Rakitski | Gerhard Reber | Argio Sabadin | Camilla Sigfrids | Marie Vondrysova | Jürgen Weibler | Rolf Wunderer | Gerhard Reber | H. Bendová | E. Konrad | Domenico Bodega | Klas Brenk | M. V. Gratchev | S. Jarmuż | C. Leeds | A. Papalexandris | J. Prieto | B. Rakitski | Argio Sabadin | Camilla Sigfrids | Marie Vondrysova | R. Wunderer | J. Maczynski | G. Audia | Phillippe Castel | Gemma Donnelly-Cox | Ravaz Jorbenadse | George Kipiani | J. O'Connell | D. N. Hartog | Slawomir Jarmuz

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