The agency paradox: What personality and multirater- assessment data tell us about leader success in Japan.

Abstract

Organizations need to ensure the international data on which they make personnel decisions are compiled with fairness and are accurately interpreted. But sensitivity to cross-cultural variance should not come at the expense of an evaluation model's predictive qualities. We sought to advance the understanding of individual differences in leader performance and the effects cultural norms may have on perceptions of leadership. We investigated the extent to which agency and conscientiousness predict ratings of achievement motivation in a country where a low level of agency tends to predominate. We identified incumbent Japanese leaders and collected personality and matched multirater-assessment results on each. The resulting sample included 213 rated managers and 1,546 rating supervisors and direct reports who represented a diverse cross section of industry and company affiliations. We provide recommendations to inform best practices for international mid-to senior-level talent-management programs. What's It Mean? Implications for Consulting PsychologyThe foundations of a talent-management program designed to support leader success in Japan are often compelled to rely on conclusions drawn from North American or European data. This research offers practical insight for those questioning the efficacy of such programs. Our results can benefit organizations that experience disparate outcomes when leader-evaluation models are applied across countries.