Cultural Effects on the Leadership Styles - America and India - Research Paper Example

America and India Abstract In this study the different aspects of cross-cultural effects on the leadership styles of the countries have been discussed. The objective was to draw a difference between USA and India’s national culture on their leaderships and their characteristics. The concept of followership has also been expressed in this study with respect to its relationship with leadership and the culture of the country. A comparative analysis has been done between UAS and India to explain the points clearly. Further a comparative study on the various leadership styles have been stated based on the behavioral pattern and the cultural influence of UAS and India. Examples of eminent leaders from UAS and India have been cited to explain the nature of the leadership style better. Lastly the universal leadership traits or qualities have been listed and explained in order to evaluate the global culture that works when it comes to selection of a leader. Table of Contents Overview of National Culture - USA and India 3 Effect of National Culture on Leadership Style 4 Effect of National Culture on Followership 5 Leadership Styles in USA and India 6 Universal Aspects of Leadership 8 Conclusion 8 References 10 Overview of National Culture - USA and India The study aims at throwing light on the cross-cultural affects of USA and India on their leadership styles. It is evident that culture affects the human resource practices and even followership and leadership styles of the leaders or managers in organization. The organizations sometime do have a glimpse of their national culture, which also includes the employees and the leaders. So the study would begin with an overview of the national cultures of USA and India. Both of these countries have a very different cultural background, so a striking contrast could be seen during the comparison. Further, the effect of these cultures on the leadership style and fellowship would be evaluated and a comparison would be drawn. The various leadership styles prevalent in both these countries would be discussed and a few universal aspects in culture and leadership would also be stated to highlight the similarities too. This would be concluded by a short summary of the learning in the study. USA has a western culture, which is influenced from the native culture of America. English is the major language spoken in the country, including other languages such as Spanish, etc. Americans are mostly Christians and visit churches regularly, but they have the freedom to follow any religion of their choice. In terms of education, the Asians are the maximum who visit US for higher studies. USA had seen the world’s greatest writers such as Mark twain. The country celebrates the traditional American holidays. The majority of people in America fall under the middle class and the societies here are fragmented based on income, occupation, status, age, etc. The families are mainly nuclear or very small; joint families do not exist. Being one of most developed countries, it is technologically well-equipped (Luedtke, 1992, p. 145-147). India is a land of culture, religion, beliefs, traditions, arts, ceremonies, food, music, dance, etc. It is a place was diverse cultures meet and stay together in harmony. Spirituality and religious beliefs are very important in India. Hinduism is the major religion followed in the country, including many others. In India joint families play a significant role, though small and nuclear families are also there. The tradition of the country is to welcome guests with folded hands. The country celebrates various festivals based on their cultural norms, as there are many different cultural norms even among Hindus. The country has 28-29 states, the language and culture is different in all these states. It is a democratic country and has a very prominent global presence (Kalman, 2009, p. 4-8). Effect of National Culture on Leadership Style Now the question is that, does national culture of any country affects the leadership style. The answer is yes because the concepts of leadership have evolved from the principles and psychological theories of human behavior and perceptions. It has been noticed that culture of a nation endorses differences in the leadership styles that might affect any foreign manager in a different manner. However, evidences have been seen to draw a relationship between leadership and cultural concepts (Brodbeck et al., 2000, p. 2-3). According to Thiemann, April, and Blass, there are two major ways were the culture and leadership converges. The first theory states that culture is a derivative of the economic performance and the developments of the country that ultimately share a parallel cultural behavior or values of the nation. This convergence theory basically depends on the local traditions and the religious practices of the nation. The second approach is based on cross-vergence theories. This would include a combination of traditional models and it explains that though individuals are bringing about societal changes, but it is still based on the traditional thinking. Now, a balance point of would be an approach for the leaders to balance modernization and traditional sensibilities for the best outcome. With the increasing globalization of organization, the need for understanding the influence of culture on the organizational practices and leadership has increased. Situations are such that leaders would be facing highly complex and constantly changing situations in the global market. It was found that the attributes and the behavior of the effective leaders differ from the ineffective leaders. The difference is the values and morals of the place from which the person belongs. Leadership qualities are closely related to the traits or characteristics of the leader himself/herself. This trait or feature is further influenced by the culture of the native place of the leader. These traits can be better explained through the help of Hofstede’s 5 D model, to be discussed further in this study (Theimann, April, & Blass, n. d., p. 1). Effect of National Culture on Followership Followership is a relatively new approach, so there is not adequate research analysis available for the same. Traditionally followers were regarded as something passive. However, the new concepts of leadership and empowerment have altered and transformed the traditional view points. The importance of followership in case of leadership has also increased a lot. Leadership is incomplete with followership because a good leader always follows his followers. There are many types of followers, such as active, passive, independent, dependent, critical, uncritical, effective, ineffective, dynamic, self-centered, courageous, credible and honest. Before defining and differentiating the type of followership preferred in USA and India, we should first identify the leadership styles that is generally preferred or followed in these countries (Evans, 2003, p. 13). The American generally appreciates two kinds of leadership styles where the leader delegates authority on the subordinates and also offers them autonomy. These are generally the transactional leaders. Based on this assumption it can be stated that the followers are generally dynamic who is held responsible for his or her job. He is rewarded for his good performance and the negative effects of his deeds are also borne by him. They share a very professional relationship with their leaders or superiors in the organization. This can be also considered as a cultural influence. Similarly in India, the importance of charismatic leader is more, that is the leaders who infuse energy among the team members. They have a magnetism effect on the followers, so the followers in such cases are efficient, courageous, and honest. In this case also we see the cultural influence of the country, India. Relationship is given more importance than just profession. Leadership Styles in USA and India In this section a comparative analysis of the different leadership styles would be described, based on the cultural differences of the country, USA and India. Here we are segregating the preferable leadership styles in USA and India based on their national culture. In USA the autocratic leaders, task-oriented leaders, transformational leader, and transactional leaders would be preferred. The autocratic leadership style is such in which the leader takes the decision alone and has the total responsibility. This is good for those followers who need constant supervision. So bearing in mind the professionalism and the fast development in the country, this style is assumed. A good example would be George W. Bush. Similarly task-oriented leadership style and transactional leadership also consist of leaders who are highly focused on their and their subordinate’s tasks. They are very goal and performance oriented people for who relationship, values and emotions are not the part of professional culture, such as Steve Jobs. Transformational leaders prefer communication for achieving goals and are far sighted, such as Barrack Obama. They plan the big picture and look for ideas. After an analysis of the US leadership styles, let us move to the Indian leadership styles. Based on the cultural pattern of India, leadership styles such as charismatic leadership, democratic leadership, people-oriented leadership, servant leadership, and environmental leadership is generally seen. Charismatic leaders are those who have a magnetic personality, such as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. People followed their aura and adapted whatever they preached. Democratic leadership involves providing freedom to the subordinates to express oneself in the organization. Here we can cite the example of Mahatma Gandhi. In people-oriented leadership style, the effectiveness, efficiency, relationship, and development of human resource is more important than the task. Similarly in case of servant leadership, the leader becomes a mediator for the followers to command their voice. Finally, an environmental leader is the one who nurture his organization and followers with emotional values and psychological perceptions, such as Jamshedji Tata. So all these leadership styles represent the basic culture of India, that is building a close knitted society were relationship between leaders and followers would be strong. Universal Aspects of Leadership After stating a contrast between the leadership styles of two countries, based on their culture, we will discuss the similarities or universal approaches to leadership. There are certain features or traits which are expected in the leaders all round the world irrespective of their national culture or economic condition. Some of the traits are: a) trustworthiness, honest and just. This is also known as integrity, b) fare-sighted and planning for the big picture. This quality is known as charismatic visionary, c) being positive, encouraging, dynamic and motivating. This is called charismatic inspirational, d) should be a good communicator, have the ability to co-ordinate well. This form is called team builder. The people who are loners, get easily irritated or are non-cooperative, and have an autocratic approach do not stay as leaders for a long period of time. A leader must have a collective approach, are not so conscious of their status and are risk-takers are appreciated universally (Robbins, & Coulter, 2008, p. 103). Conclusion Leadership means influencing people. It signifies creating a change in the society and in the minds of people and directs them towards achieving a goal. The person possessing these qualities is considered a leader. A leader has certain important leadership traits such integrity, self-confidence, intelligence and determination. Steve Jobs possessed all these qualities. Not only did he possessed them but also utilized them to integrate others too. Style in leadership signifies the behavior of the leader. The style of leadership focuses mainly on the activities and the ways of approaching them. It includes not only the nature like the traits but also the actions of the leaders and their followers. Researchers have studied that there are various styles of leadership. This study includes the relationship of culture and leadership, and it also discussed in which way the national culture of a country influences the leadership styles. Here a comparison between UAS and India has been done based on their national culture and also the difference between the followership has also been mentioned. References Brodbeck, F. C., Frese, M., Akerblom, S. V., Audia, G., Bakacsi, G., Bendova, H.…… Wunderer, R. (2000). Cultural Variation of Leadership Prototypes across 22 European Countries. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 73, 1–29. Evans, G. (2003). Leadership and Followership in a Changing Public Service. Warwick: University of Warwick. Kalman, B. (2009). India: The Culture. (3rd ed.). Canada: Crabtree Publishing Company. Luedtke, L. S. (1992). Making America: The Society and Culture of the United States. Carolina: UNC Press Books. Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2008). Management. (9th ed.). New Delhi: Pearson Education India. Theimann, N. M., April, K., & Blass, E. (no date). Context Tension: Cultural Influences on Leadership and Management Practice. Retrieved from http://www.ashridge.org.uk/website/IC.nsf/wFARATT/Context%20Tension:%20Cultural%20Influences%20on%20Leadership%20and%20Management%20Practice/$file/ContextTensionCulturalInfluencesOnLeadershipAndManagementPractice.pdf. Read More