Abstract

Previous research on cross-cultural leadership has examined the effects of leadership-society congruence withoutexplaining how positive outcomes might result when there is a fit between leadership and societal culture, andvia which mechanisms the effects of such congruence are transmitted. We fill this gap by developing a culturallycontingency model of leader-society value congruence effects. First, we provide an account of the mechanismsthat help understand the relationships between leader-society value congruence and outcomes. Next, we developpropositions to suggest how differences in societal values provide bases for predicting the strength of thesemediating mechanisms.

Highlights

  • Cross-cultural leadership research has long recognized that managerial processes and leadership styles are expected to be differentially effective depending on congruency with the societies’ culture (Dorfman, Javidan, Hanges, Dastmalchian, & House, 2012; Elenkov, 1998; Hofstede, 2001; Javidan, Dorfman, de Luque, & House, 2006; House, Wright, & Aditya, 1997; Pasa, Kabasakal, & Bodur, 2001; Robert, Probst, Martocchio, Drasgow, & Lawler, 2000; Schuler & Rogovsky, 1998)

  • Previous research on cross-cultural leadership has examined the effects of leadership-society congruence without explaining how positive outcomes might result when there is a fit between leadership and societal culture, and via which mechanisms the effects of such congruence are transmitted

  • It has been argued that the congruency between leadership behaviors and the societal norms and expectations is an important determinant of the leadership success (Dorfman, Sully de Luque, Hanges, & Javidan, 2010)

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Summary

Introduction

Cross-cultural leadership research has long recognized that managerial processes and leadership styles are expected to be differentially effective depending on congruency with the societies’ culture (Dorfman, Javidan, Hanges, Dastmalchian, & House, 2012; Elenkov, 1998; Hofstede, 2001; Javidan, Dorfman, de Luque, & House, 2006; House, Wright, & Aditya, 1997; Pasa, Kabasakal, & Bodur, 2001; Robert, Probst, Martocchio, Drasgow, & Lawler, 2000; Schuler & Rogovsky, 1998). A closer look at this body of work reveals that various mechanisms, i.e., interpersonal attraction, predictability, and interpersonal communication (Edwards & Cable, 2009; Meglino & Ravlin, 1998) that provide the basis for understanding the relationships that link value congruence to outcomes might account for the effects of leader-society congruence This suggests that the focus of cross-cultural leadership research need not be limited to practice-culture fit, because followers who are subject to managerial processes and leadership behaviors are affected more by what they sense than by what they see and hear (Fu, Tsui, Liu, & Li, 2010). Our conceptual framework gives a more sophisticated view of the interaction effects of societal level values and mediating mechanisms to predict how positively the leader-society value congruence will be related to communication between leader and followers, the degree of leader predictability, and the degree of leader attraction in different cultural settings

A Value Congruence Perspective of the Culturally Congruent Leadership
Communication
Predictability
Attraction
Cultural Differences and the Strength of Mechanisms
Limitations and Directions for Future Research
Findings
Practical Implications
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