Distinct leadership styles and differential effectiveness across culture: An analysis of South African business leaders

Abstract

Orientation: While some deem business leadership practices as universal, others judge them to be specific to a cultural context, arguing that certain leadership styles are specific to, for example, those from an African or a Western cultural background.Research purpose: The goal of the research was to assess whether the leadership styles of South African leaders differ based on cultural background and whether the effectiveness of these leadership styles is judged differently by subordinates.Motivation for the study: South Africa is sometimes presented as country divided across cultural lines. This research was motivated by the need to assess the extent of this divide and the impact thereof on perceived effectiveness.Research approach and method: A cross-sectional survey was collected from 1140 respondents across 19 organisations. Leadership styles and leader effectiveness was measured, and race was used as a proxy to cultural background. Mean scores on leadership styles and leadership effectiveness were calculated per race and mean score differences were tested.Main findings: The result of this study suggest that leaders in South Africa are perceived to behave similarly in terms of their leadership styles and the effectiveness thereof. Thus, those African and Western cultural backgrounds act similarly, and the outcomes (effectiveness) was comparable.Managerial implications and value add: The cultural divide within the context of leadership styles and effectiveness is small in South Africa, and the results supports the notion that organisations and leaders should set aside culturally based stereotypes when engaging in leadership issues.

Is retail leadership what the economy needs today? Key factors for effectiveness

“…While an effective leader can establish a healthy and successful workplace, being an effective leader takes a certain combination of skills and leadership traits that develop over time Carson, 2011;Sun, Chen & Zhang, 2017;Lerutla & Steyn, 2022). Leadership effectiveness is predicated upon a strong balance of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills.…”

“…According to Lowder (2007), certain leadership styles and behaviours result in specific organisational outcomes, and therefore leadership and organisational performance are in a highly correlated cause-and-effect relationship. Leadership effectiveness has been linked to a leader's need for powersuch leaders have a high level of leadership motivation and a strong desire to guide and influence others (Josef & Helena, 2022); emotional and cultural intelligence (Edelman & Knippenberg, 2018;Lerutla & Steyn, 2022) and leadership styles Baig et al, 2021;Ramchunder & Martins, 2014;Solomon & Steyn, 2017). A review of the literature on the qualities of effective leaders revealed that these can be classified into the five categories of attributes as displayed in table 1 below.…”

“…Among leadership researchers there are various schools of thought with regard to what leadership effectiveness is and how this construct should be measured. Some scholars have used organisational outcomes such as job satisfaction, employee commitment, and increased performance (Weaver, 2015;Riaz et al, 2017;Albrecht et al, 2018), while others have used the leadership styles, traits and qualities of leaders Zagorsek et al, 2008;Baig et al, 2021;Lerutla & Steyn, 2022). Lowe, Kroeck and Sivasubramaniam (1996) suggest that the two most effective ways to measure leader effectiveness are through (1) assessing subordinate perceptions…”

Unraveling the effect of differential leadership on employee performance: Evidence from China

“…The treatment of employees by their leaders is influenced by their leadership style and the cordiality between the leader and his employees (Lee and Farh, 2019). Leaders will unintentionally treat employees within their vicinity differently because of the differential cordiality of relationships; then they try their best to find a balance between "differentiation" and "prioritization" (Lerutla and Steyn, 2022). We not only examine the impact of differential leadership on employee performance but also revise strategies for balancing the differences between coworkers.…”

Producing Transformative Leaders in Africa through Education Pipelines

“…While education systems are the backbone of the leadership development pipeline in Africa, less than 1% of those who enter the system get a leadership education (Igué, 2010). The select few who are taught leadership in tertiary institutions learn it from western perspectives that encounter historic, contextual and cultural adaptation challenges that clash with local ethics, values, virtues and community belief systems (Lerutla & Steyn, 2022).…”