Chapter 14

Cross-Cultural Leadership and Diversity

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Why Cross-cultural Research is
Important
• Globalization
• Need to influence people from other cultures
• Validate leadership theories in other cultures
• Broader range of variables and processes
• Validate taxonomies in other cultures
• Culture-dependent situational variables
• Methodological challenges

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 Types of Cross-Cultural Studies
Types of research questions:

• Behavior, skills and traits

• Beliefs about effective behavior, skills and traits
• Differences in leadership patterns
• Relationships between leadership and subordinate
outcomes

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 Methodological Problems

• Equivalence of meaning for measures

• Confounding effects of demographic or situational
variables
• Response bias
• Representative sample
• Level of analysis

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Cultural Influences on Leader
Behavior
• Internalized values influence unconscious ways
• Cultural values and societal norms
• Cultural norms and societal laws
• Cultural conformity
• Organizational values versus cultural values
• Non-exposure to different types of leadership
• Change in values and traditions over time

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 Cultural Value Dimensions

• Power distance
• Uncertainty avoidance
• Individualism versus collectivism
• Gender egalitarianism
• Performance orientation
• Humane orientation
• Culture clusters

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 Research Evaluation

• The GLOBE project

• Many unexamined research questions

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 Gender Issues in Leadership

• Sex-based discrimination
• Glass ceiling explanations
• Feminine advantage theories
• Research findings on gender differences
• Research limitations on gender differences
• Identifying causes and reducing discrimination

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Findings in Research on Gender
Differences

• Debate and scholarly disagreement

• Gender differences on leadership behavior
• Gender differences on leader effectiveness

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 Managing Diversity

Steps can be divided into two categories

• Fostering appreciation and tolerance

• Providing equal opportunity

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