Does Each Country Have A Unique Style Of Leadership - Essay Example

Does Each Country Have A Unique Style Of Leadership? Provide Evidence to Support Your Position Table of Contents Introduction 3 Australian Unique Style of Leadership 4 American Unique Style of Leadership 6 6 Indian Unique Style of Leadership 8 China’s Unique Style of Leadership 9 Japan’s Unique Style of Leadership 11 South Africa’s Unique Style of Leadership 12 Nigeria’s Unique Style of Leadership 15 Conclusion 16 16 References 17 Introduction Leadership is a complex process which includes the participation of leaders, followers and varied situations. Leaders are individuals who set strategies, motivate the team members and create a strong organisational mission. Leadership is about influencing the subordinates’ behaviour and persuading them during the course of action. In this regard, it can be stated that effective leadership plays a vital role in the success of an organisation. However, the style of leadership differs as per the situation and personality of the people along with the need of the country. The unique style of leadership is useful in transforming the potential into reality. It is the ultimate action which brings into success all the current potentials that an organisation and the allied people have into reality. Leadership is about changing the mind-set of the people to accomplish the desired goals and to move the organisation or the country forward. Nevertheless, it is important to explore the fact that there is no one best way of leadership (IAAP, 2009; Hogan & Kaiser, 2005). The need of every area is different and the style of leadership depends on various factors. An organisation might be effective by following a democratic style of leadership and the other by transformational approach. This is because the demographics of every country and organisation are different with dissimilar objectives. Hence, similar form of leadership might not be effective and lead to the failure of the organisation. Furthermore, leadership is based on strong effective pillars which include commitment, character along with increasing the level of consciousness. Leadership is unique and effective only when it brings about desired results for the enrichment of the people (Goleman, 2000; Drinon, n.d.). Leadership is about building interpersonal skills, competencies, along with influencing and building teams for the accomplishment of the desired level of standards. Uniqueness of leadership is of significance for the effective performance of an organisation. With these considerations, the essay intends to explore the uniqueness of the style of leadership that different countries namely America, Australia, India, China, Japan, South Africa and Nigerian leaders demonstrate as per the situation and the need. The evaluation of the unique traits of the leaders can enable to reach a justified conclusion regarding whether each of these countries demonstrate a unique style of leadership. Australian Unique Style of Leadership Leadership style revealed in Australia is based on the unique qualities of the leaders keeping in view the Australian environment. Australia has a unique style of leadership which is dissimilar from that of the United States and other major countries. In accordance with certain researchers, the Australian style is classified into four dimensions which include mate ship, one of us, the underdog and the tall poppy syndrome. The Australian leaders value tall poppy the most in their style of leadership. It is observed that the leaders are inspiring, with high level of performance and they can be termed as visionary as well. However, the leaders are not very charismatic but are effective and have the attitude wherein the Australians are able to present their views. The leaders have a “can do” attitude and they try their hard to attain the set out goals with full effectiveness. Moreover, the leaders consider cultural homogeneity to maintain peace and ethics but as per the demographic factors it is observed that the males are dominating with less interaction with the minority. Leaders value the male gender more than the females and hence reflect biasness. The style of leadership is multicultural and depicts a strong sense of social connection. The Australian leaders give value to egalitarianism which implies that they value the concept of equality. On the contrary, when it comes to leaders, the Australian leaders are majorly male portraying male domination. The leadership style of the leaders incorporates the facets such as humbleness, simplicity and they have the attitude of problem solving without being arrogant and hence the people value their leadership. However, the Australian leaders demonstrate a negative aspect as they believe themselves to be the best. Nonetheless, this attitude provides them with world recognition and success in the global platform. The concept of mate ship is followed by applying the fellowship style in the Australian environment in order to get a good name. A few of the leaders have fellow ship as a natural trait and a few have to adapt it to be of value in the eyes of the Australian people. The leaders must be trustworthy and respectable as an individual which are the key elements of the leadership style in Australia. The leaders of Australia value the transformational style of leadership in order to have proper coordination, information sharing and enrichment of the organisation along with the country. Correspondingly, it can be stated that the characteristics of the Australian Leaders are different from that of the other leaders of the countries (Rymer, 2008). The leaders are non-elitist in nature which implies that the people are treated equally and all their issues are taken into consideration without any discrimination. This implies that the leaders value the concept of harmony and peace by treating every individual equally. The leaders are innovative in nature and they support different ideas of the people for the benefit of the organisation and the country at large. The leaders have adaptive nature and value change as they believe that change is inevitable. They motivate the people to earn more profit and increase the level of sustainability. The leadership style is transparent and the leaders are effective open communicators. With the changing and technically sound environment, it is important for the leaders to be technically competent and value innovation along with technicality to be competitive in the global platform. The best uniqueness that the Australian leadership has is that they are competent of dealing with ambiguity and can provide equal opportunity to every culture and belief. The leaders place more emphasis to the emerging value and ethics in their style of leadership (Rymer, 2008). The leadership style does not value the thought of giving negative feedbacks to the people and they value diversity. The Australians have more multi-ethnic approach in their style of leadership making it different and unique from the others. Subsequently, one of the greatest leaders of Australia demonstrating the traits of reformation and multiculturalism is Bob Hawke. He worked for the betterment of the people and transformed the society through his style of leadership as the Prime Minister (Rule, 2013). American Unique Style of Leadership The American style of leadership is different from the other countries especially Australia. Americans follow a wide range of leadership styles in order to bring effectiveness and create value for the people in the organisation and the people of the country. Americans follow the directive, participative, empowering and charismatic styles of leadership majorly in the organisational sector to attain the organisational goal and value the opinions the people. It is commonly observed that the leaders of America have a few key characteristics which make them effective in their environment. The leaders are energetic, ambitious and self-driven and likewise they initiate changes for the betterment of the people and the organisation at large. Moreover, they are determined, focused and have clear vision to what is to be attained and how it would benefit the people. Intelligence and integrity are the key features which are observed in the American style of leadership. The approaches of the leaders of America are different and they generally have a holistic approach which makes them unique when dealing with the situations. They leverage their cultural strength in order to build a competitive advantage (Estes, 2012). The American leaders follow the staunch approach which makes them distinctive and successful from the others. The leaders support individualism, freedom and open-mindedness in their approach. It is reflected that the leadership styles is considered on the basis of the religious views and the philosophical considerations. The American leaders work in such a way so that they derive success keeping in mind key thoughts of the Americans which include ”time is money” and “Americans live to work; they don’t work to live”. This facet implies that they value leaders who are effective in managing the country and the organisation with proper time management (Estes, 2012). The leaders valuing the thoughts of the American people are successful because of their staunch behaviour and personality traits. The leadership style is used by the leaders to bring change through their charismatic approach which is beneficial to influence the people at large. Moreover, the leaders set direction, collaborate with the people and have the power to motivate the people in order to bring success. The leaders are energetic in nature and value changes in order to encourage the people to attain their desired goals. The leaders of America are highly energetic, empowering and transparent in their approach and are motivational. These aspects can be well defined by stating the example of one of the greatest leaders of America, President Barack Obama. He is a transformational leader who has the power to inspire people and influence them. He is changing the outlook of the American people in the global front with the help of his inspiring, motivating and innovative approach. His speech reflects his enthusiasm, charisma and the power to enhance commitment of the people in order to derive success. He influences the relationship with his confidence, openness and decision making process (Burrell & Burrell, 2009). Indian Unique Style of Leadership India is a democratic country with people of different views and cultures. The approach of leadership in India, a developing country, is complex due to the presence of multi-cultural people. In general, the leaders of the Asian countries are systematic and disciplined in their approach of leadership. Leadership in India is reflected as a relationship which is of significance to create positive changes. The Indian perspective of leadership reflects that the nation is driven by the culture and values for prosperity. The reason for such assumption is that the society is collectivist and conservative in its thought. The style of leadership in India is based on the concept of Paternalism which implies protectiveness. Transformation is one of the key characteristics of the Indian style of leadership which is important to motivate the people. The leaders are more focused and require inspiring people to achieve the organisational goals. However, the aspect of personal relationship is given more importance in the Indian leadership approach. Leadership is influenced more by family and political connection reflecting a common site in India. The common traits of the Indian leaders are their ability to think strategically, their disciplined and analytical outlook to attain the objectives of the organisation by motivating the employees. The leaders in India are diplomatic in their approach to deal with the various situations. However, the core value of India is collectivism and respect for the level of hierarchy might at times affect the success. In keeping with a survey conducted by Hay Group, leadership style pursued in India is coercive, which is one of the unique features of the Indian style of leadership (Sinha, 2013; Milton, n.d.). The reason for this uniqueness is due to the fact that India has diversified culture with people having different behaviours and attitudes. In order to be productive and have a strong global presence, it is important for the leaders to be strong headed in their approach. The success story depicting the traits of the Indian leaders can be well reflected by mentioning the name of JRD Tata. He was one of the greatest leaders who initiated the need for change and achieved success. JRD Tata was a simple person who was approachable, diplomatic and realistic in his approach. The realistic strategic relationship building was depicted through his leadership in India which is still being followed. He was compassionate and manipulated the people for better and innovative results. He valued the cultures and demonstrated a sense of responsibility through his style of leadership. The coercive nature of Tata along with analytical skill made him successful globally representing a unique style (Menon, n.d.). China’s Unique Style of Leadership The success of the Chinese leaders and their sustainable business progression is primarily due to the moral along with social responsibilities they possess. The leadership style of China is unique from the western culture and approach as they value discipline, organised way of leading and they believe in the statement which emphasizes that ‘know your enemy/know your friends’. The leaders have strong knowledge regarding their market and the competitors in order to strategize their policies. The leadership style of China is unique due to various features which state the ability to hear what is unspoken, commitment, and humility along with valuing reality. The leaders of China understand the values of the people which include valuing the family by maintaining a strong connection. Family is important for the people of China and this attitude is reflected in the leadership style of successful leaders. They value the concept of bonding amid the people in the organisation and the society to be productive in nature. The leadership style of China is different from the western countries as they have the unique skills which strengthen their level of competencies. The strength of the Chinese leaders is based on the social responsibility, harmony and self-improvement which enhance the corporate image of the organisation and the competitive edge. The leadership style is such that it does not allow corruption to prevail in the organisation. The style of leadership is complex but is effective by depicting harmony and commitment in their approach (Bernthal & et. al., n.d.). The leaders are systematic in their approach and respect the cultural tradition which is represented through the term guanxi which implies to the connection amid the people. The uniqueness is based on the concept of guanxi which implies good connection. The leadership style is different as it follows the ideologies of Confucius, reflecting the fact that leadership is learnt through mistakes. The leadership skills of Chinese give more emphasis to motivation, building trust, holding the talent and high performance. The leadership of Chinese leaders are based on four themes which include getting results, managing performance, relationship management and coaching along with training. The leadership style of China and its uniqueness can be depicted by stating the example of Zhang Ruimin, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Haier. The style of leadership followed has been very disciplined and transactional in nature. The concept of togetherness, trust and empowerment were expressed in his style of leadership. The traditional Chinese culture is valued in his form of leadership by offering wisdom (Ivy, 2005). Japan’s Unique Style of Leadership The leadership style of Japan is different in several ways from the countries such as the United States of America. The leadership style has little uniqueness which makes it different from the Western culture. The Japanese leadership is majorly based on group orientation, paternalistic approach and is concerned with the personal life along with employee work. The leadership approach is not competitive in nature and is not enthusiastic in nature as well. The leaders in Japan value shared opinions and every decision is taken by consulting with the people. This implies that the leaders value the opinion of others and create a sense of quality with focussing on collectiveness. The approach of leadership is methodological, analytical and respects patience. Due to the difference in the culture, the style of leadership is not similar to most of the leadership styles of the world. The leaders express their caring attitude towards the people and maintain harmonious working relationship with the people. Team bonding which reflects the participative form of leadership is of significance in Japan (Cozens, 2009; You Sigma, n.d.). The key traits of the leaders include motivation, sacrifice, dedication and sharing of the vision so that the views of the people are also valued at a large extent. The leaders of Japan are more charismatic which implies that they are visionary, inspirational and decisive and also performance oriented. The people of Japan want their leaders to follow the higher relationship behaviour along with higher task behaviour depending on the situation (Slide Share, 2010). The leadership style followed in Japan can be well depicted by observing the leadership style of Toyota and its success story. The core principle followed by Toyota was continuous improvement and sharing of information with every level to get better output. This reflects the fact that harmonious working relation is maintained by the leaders to be effective in the global platform (Basu & et.al, 2001). South Africa’s Unique Style of Leadership The history of South Africa reflects various phases of leadership styles. The people of Africa have been educated to respect the people as they believed in the concept of Ubuntu leadership which implies humanity. This is the unique style of leadership which is followed by the leaders of South Africa at large. The central theme of the South African leaders is “Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabuntu” which implies that every person depends on the other person in order to be effective and successful in the global platform (Lesch, 1999). The leadership which is effective in Africa is the transformational form of leadership depicting a few differences from that of the American style. Moreover, the modern leadership of Africa has a combination of three leadership approaches which include transactional, transformational and servant leadership. The people and the leaders of South Africa support development, higher growth, employment and reduction in poverty by creating a strong friendly environment. The leadership style of South Africa largely respects the sense of community which refers to interdependence. The leaders following the Ubuntu leadership rely on the strong bonding amid the individuals and the group of people where every individual is valued and respected (April & Peters, n.d.). Humanity is the core principle of the leadership style of South Africa making it distinctive from the other leadership styles followed in the global environment. One of the greatest leaders of South Africa reflecting the unique leadership style had been Mr Nelson Mandela. Mandela was one of the revolutionary leaders who helped the people in getting back their rights and self-respect. Mandela valued the concept of humanity and through his experiences changed his style of leadership from servant to transformational as per the changing situations. The value of Mandela and the Ubuntu leadership are similar as the key values are survival, compassion, solidarity, respect and dignity (Ripka, 2013). Harmony, peace, brotherhood, unity and mutual respect for the people irrespective of the cultural aspect were the key approach of leadership. The journey of Nelson Mandela reflected the style of leadership followed in South Africa from the history to the modern scenario. The leadership style of Mandela was charismatic because of the uniqueness in his behaviour which was due to the fact that he believed in the central theme of Ubuntu. He was peaceful, spiritual, humble yet alert as a leader. His behaviour and the styles of leadership changed as per the situation but the uniqueness i.e. humanity and equality were the base of the leadership. The democratic style was followed by him along with the transformational leadership as he was one of the reformers. Therefore, it can be stated that South Africa has over the years followed various styles of leadership based on the situation which would influence the society and define the level of commitment of the people. South Africa thus reflects a strong unique style of leadership which is followed by the people in order to promote humanity at large (Stubbs, 2011). Nigeria’s Unique Style of Leadership Leadership in Nigeria reveals a unique set of properties which cannot be ascertained in any other culture in the world. In the present day context, democratic style of leadership is prevalent in Nigeria. In such type of leadership, the leaders work in accordance with the needs and the demands of the people. It will be vital to mention that in such leadership approach the role of people is of paramount importance as they indirectly decide the conduct of the leaders. The leaders motivate and give equal importance to the people irrespective of their caste and creed for the success of organisation and the overall welfare of the nation (NMN, 2013). The leadership style is of influential nature for the betterment of the people of the country. The style of leadership in the modern day is based on the attributes of aggressiveness and discipline along with calmness in order to bring revolution. The style of leadership is dynamic, practical along with participatory which implies that the leaders value people (College of Education and Human Sciences, 2013). The leadership style of Nigeria can be stated by reflecting the example of President Olusegun Obasanjo. He followed the democratic style of leadership for the betterment of the people. He worked for the people of the society as he believed in the concept of patriotic and nationalistic method (Ayobolu, 2014). Conclusion The style of leadership is different in every country as per the need of the people along with the organisations. The theme of leadership style followed in every country has one core value which is the welfare of the people in the changing environment. The leadership style usually followed by every organisation is based on the situation in order to increase the effectiveness. However, it is observed that the Asian leaders’ at large are given value as leaders and they give importance to their status. On the other hand, the American leaders are valued due to their charismatic approach. The leaders give importance to success and authority. Conversely, the South African leaders have a unique feature i.e. Ubuntu leadership style. These different approaches make the style of leadership effective for every country and organisation. 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