Leadership Across
Cultures
LSS 2003-MODULE 8
Leadership Across Cultures
The specific objectives of this module are:
1. DESCRIBE the basic foundation and styles of managerial leadership
2. EXAMINE the attitudes of managers toward leadership practices
3. COMPARE and CONTRAST leadership styles
4. Differences in Middle Eastern and Western Management
What is Leadership?
Leadership is the ability to develop a vision that
motivates others to move with a passion
toward a common goal.
Leadership vs. Management
Leadership vs. Management
Foundation for Leadership
Philosophical Background:
Theories X, Y, and Z
Theory X Manager
 A manager who believes that
people are basically lazy and
that coercion and threats of
punishment often are
necessary to get them to work.
Foundation for Leadership
Philosophical Background:
Theories X, Y, and Z
Theory X Manager
Theory Y Manager
 A manager who believes that
under the right conditions
people not only will work hard
but will seek increased
responsibility and challenge.
Foundation for Leadership
Philosophical Background:
Theories X, Y, and Z
Theory X Manager
Theory Y Manager
Theory Z Manager
 A manager who believes that
workers seek opportunities to
participate in management and
are motivated by teamwork
and responsibility sharing.
Foundation for Leadership
Leadership Behaviors and
Styles
Authoritarian
Leadership
Paternalistic
Leadership
Participative
Leadership
The use of work-centered
behavior designed to ensure
task accomplishment.
The use of work-centered
behavior coupled with a
protective employee centered
concern.
The use of both work- or taskcentered and people centered
approaches to leading subordinates.
Leader–Subordinate Interactions
Authoritarian Leader
Subordinate
Subordinate
Subordinate
One-way downward flow of information
and influence from authoritarian leader to
subordinates.
Adapted from Figure 13–1: Leader–Subordinate Interactions
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Leader–Subordinate Interactions
Paternalistic Leader
Subordinate
Subordinate
Subordinate
Continual interaction and exchange of
information and influence between leader
and subordinates.
Adapted from Figure 13–1: Leader–Subordinate Interactions
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Leader–Subordinate Interactions
Participative Leader
Subordinate
Subordinate
Subordinate
Continual interaction and exchange of
information and influence between leader
and subordinates.
Adapted from Figure 13–1: Leader–Subordinate Interactions
McGraw-Hill/Irwin
© 2006 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Recent Findings and Insights About Leadership
Entrepreneurial Leadership
and Mindset
Key personal characteristics of entrepreneurs and
strong leaders
◦ Appear to be more creative and innovative than non-entrepreneurs
◦ Tend to break the rules and do not need structure, support, or an
organization to guide their thinking
◦ See things differently and add to a product, system, or idea value
that amounts to more than an adaptation or linear change
◦ Are more willing to take personal and business risks, and to do so in
visible and salient ways
Recent Findings and Insights About Leadership
Entrepreneurial Leadership
and Mindset
Key personal characteristics of entrepreneurs and
strong leaders
◦ They are opportunity seekers and are comfortable with failure,
rebounding quickly to pursue another opportunity
◦ They are characterized as adventurous, ambitious, energetic,
domineering, and self-confident
Entrepreneurial leaders operating internationally must possess cultural
sensitivity, international vision, and global mindset to effectively lead their
venture through challenges of doing business in other countries.
Differences in Middle Eastern
and Western Management
Table 13-5 explains the differences. Look at the worksheet.
Leadership in the International Context
How do leaders in other countries attempt to direct or
influence their subordinates?
Are their approaches similar to those used in the UAE?
Research shows that there are both similarities and
differences – most international research on leadership has
focused on Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, and
developing countries such as India, Peru, Chile, and
Argentina.
Leadership in the International
Context
Leadership in the Middle
East
There may be much greater similarity between Middle Eastern leadership styles
and those of Western countries
Western management practices are evident in the Arabian Gulf region due to
close business ties between the West and this oil-rich area as well as the
increasing educational attainment, often in Western universities, of Middle
Eastern managers
Organizational culture, level of technology, level of education, and management
responsibility were good predictors of decision-making styles in the United Arab
Emirates
There is a tendency toward participative leadership styles among young Arab
middle managers, as well as among highly educated managers of all ages
Differences in Middle Eastern
and Western Management
Differences in Middle Eastern
and Western Management