Cross-cultural comparison of leadership prototypes

Abstract

Despite the recognized importance of leadership in organizational contexts, relatively few studies have examined the concept of leadership in various cultures. To better understand cross-cultural leadership, this study compares leadership prototypes across several countries using an attribute-rating task. Subjects (N = 142) from eight countries rated a list of 59 attributes according to how well each fit their prototype of a business leader. Results indicate significant differences among the ratings provided by subjects from different countries of traits identified as high, medium, and low in prototypicality. Subsequent multidimensional scaling aggregated across trait ratings yielded a three-dimensional configuration of countries. The relative distances between countries are discussed with respect to Hofstede's (1980) dimensions of national culture. Potential implications for selection and training of expatriate managers are discussed.