Appropriateness of using similar style of leadership in the European Union - Essay Example

Appropriateness of using similar style of leadership in the European Union The appropriateness of using the same style of leadership in the countries of the European Union is discussed with respect to different countries of the union having different cultures and organizational backgrounds in their organizations. Introduction The style of leadership is nevertheless an area whereby there is a requirement of cultural intelligence is immense and it is also an area whereby the cultures of different localities have an integral part to play.

After the unification of the European states to form the European Union, a need for unification of leadership came up which called for an effective leadership style which can be applicable and adaptable all over the European Union. However, it has been experienced in the past that since the countries of Europe comprise of different civilizations and cultures, this may remain to be a dream to establish a unified leadership trend. Appropriateness of Unified leadership style The need for the unification of leadership style is immense as there are people across the borders of different countries who have the ability to lead companies across the Europe but the complexities in the languages, organizational cultures and the style of leadership which organization of particular country adopt keeps them from making a move.

Some individual belonging to certain countries hold different and diverse beliefs regarding their preferred leadership style. Altogether, the cultures possess unstable and diverse inclinations for a particular style of leadership. For example, a participative or democratic style of leadership, where the hierarchy is comparatively flat and there are lesser levels of managers, whereby the managers and the heads let others participate in the judgments and decision making was analyzed to a vital approach of performing the work amongst the Dutch organizations. (Budrina) On the other hand, the same approach was taken as a limitation and drawback among many organizations belonging to Romania, where the strength was viewed to be a more authoritative approach of leadership.

Furthermore, French also preferred a style which was very autocratic and decisions were preferred to be made independently. Research carried out by Smith and Patterson in European countries proved that the leaders in various countries of Europe derived greater satisfaction when they had to work with greater discretion and participation while numerous other studies confirmed that few leaders were more culture specific and autocratic than democratic and participative. Conclusion It’s an accepted fact that it is impracticable to be effective in all cultures and adapt all the norms and values of every culture of a given organization or country, but successful leader necessarily requires adjustment in the approach.

Therefore, it is a difficult exercise to establish a unified style of leadership all over the Europe but cultural intelligence can aid the recruiting of people from other countries across the border. However, with the differences among the cultures being there, there still remains a need for leaders to adopt a combination of the two styles which can be adopted and welcomed by all the cultures alike. Bibliography Budrina, I. Managing a diverse workforce – a major test of leadership. Smith, P.B. and Peterson, M.F. (1988).

Leadership, organization and culture. Sage Publications: London.