Abstract
This study seeks to investigate the influence of personality traits on leadership effectiveness of Indian expatriates working in the United Arab Emirates. Survey data were collected from 152 Indian expatriates, who currently work in different organizations in the United Arab Emirates. In order to find out the relationship between leadership, personality traits and personal characteristics, Pearson’s correlation (two tailed) matrix methods was used and considered only 1% and 5% statistically significant results for interpreting the relationships. It was found that there was an association between personality traits and leadership effectiveness skills. Analysis demonstrated that the traits relating to pro-activity, extroversion and enthusiasm were the most significant predictors of leadership skills. The sample size of Indian Expatriates is small in relation to the population it represents. Given the large expatriate workforce in the UAE, results of this study can be used in training and development when trying to enhance leadership capabilities in industries heavily staffed by expatriates. When expatriates are appraising themselves they may benefit from having a more realistic picture of their own capabilities. The findings will suggest initiating leadership and personality development programs to assist in developing the leadership areas in need of enhancement, and additionally the need for more appropriate succession planning within organizations. Established research on the connection between personality of expatriates and its effectiveness has been limited. This study is the first of its kind in the UAE and was conducted in a highly diverse work environment.
Highlights
Recent events in the Arabian Gulf have increased interest in the number, occupations and living conditions of the expatriates in Gulf countries which constitute a significant proportion of the world’s migrant workforce
This study seeks to investigate the influence of personality traits on leadership effectiveness of Indian expatriates working in the United Arab Emirates
The labor policy with regard to foreign workers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) follows the “guest worker” model, where foreign workers are hired on a temporary basis and are concentrated in jobs and economic sectors, where local skills and expertise are lacking or work is unattractive to citizens for various reasons
Summary
Recent events in the Arabian Gulf have increased interest in the number, occupations and living conditions of the expatriates in Gulf countries which constitute a significant proportion of the world’s migrant workforce. Limited research has been conducted examining the influence of personality on leadership effectiveness in an environment where the workforce consists of a large percentage of expatriates This is a gap that this paper attempts to fill. Vol 7, No 18; 2012 advanced infrastructure, modern investment laws, and the availability of a young and wide pool of expatriate professionals a significant proportion of whom tend to be highly skilled, many are skills-limited and become laborers The majority of these workers come from the Indian subcontinent (51.3 percent), the wider Arab region (37.4 percent), Eastern and Western Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand (2.2 percent) (Ministry of Planning, 2003).The Indian subcontinent and Arab nationals consist of the largest grouping of expatriates in the UAE. Expatriates are very diverse in terms of professions and nationalities; the expatriate’s personality traits and leadership skills will likely differ due to their cultural and educational backgrounds and this influence the ways in which they attempt to meet the requirements of their contracts
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