Adapting leadership to a different cultural context : Finnish business leaders in China
Javanainen, Mikko (2021-08-25)
Javanainen, Mikko
25.08.2021
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021082544177
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi-fe2021082544177
Tiivistelmä
Several studies have shown that when leadership is taken to a different cultural context, its verbal and non-verbal communications may disrupt partly due the incorrect leadership style; therefore, achieving commonly shared objectives becomes difficult. Despite the multitude of theories examining leadership styles and generally approved explanatory models introducing cultural differences, it is yet understudied how culture influences leadership style when a leader is adapting to a different culture. This thesis aims to study the impact of cultural elements on leadership styles and the concurrent adaptation of leadership styles to match the conditions of different cultural elements.
The theoretical framework of this study consists of two main chapters on leadership and culture,
that provide the theoretical standpoints needed for carrying out the research and further analysis of the findings. Specifically, the theoretical part of this thesis introduces the history of leadership styles to present, discusses on the role of communicating leadership, and examines how the motivation of employees can be observed. Further, it presents different cultural dimensions that can be used to conceptualize and compare cultural differences, heading into special characteristics of Chinese culture. The research methodology selected for this study is qualitative, as it provides suitable tools for grasping highly contextual features of the studied phenomenon.
This study has found that the most prominent cultural elements influencing leadership styles
were the strong hierarchy, high competition, the importance of status and social recognition,
and fear of failure. Also, the communication between Finnish business leaders and Chinese employees was found to be difficult due its complex nature, difficulty of Chinese language, and the need for highly specific instruction giving. This thesis proposes the Contextual leadership adaptation model, which covers the adaptation mechanisms of leadership style into a different culture that can be applied and studied also in different contexts. The practical implications of this study are aimed especially to future Finnish business leaders who can benefit from the specific knowledge from this thesis. Also, scholars studying leadership styles in different contexts can benefit from the derived model.
The theoretical framework of this study consists of two main chapters on leadership and culture,
that provide the theoretical standpoints needed for carrying out the research and further analysis of the findings. Specifically, the theoretical part of this thesis introduces the history of leadership styles to present, discusses on the role of communicating leadership, and examines how the motivation of employees can be observed. Further, it presents different cultural dimensions that can be used to conceptualize and compare cultural differences, heading into special characteristics of Chinese culture. The research methodology selected for this study is qualitative, as it provides suitable tools for grasping highly contextual features of the studied phenomenon.
This study has found that the most prominent cultural elements influencing leadership styles
were the strong hierarchy, high competition, the importance of status and social recognition,
and fear of failure. Also, the communication between Finnish business leaders and Chinese employees was found to be difficult due its complex nature, difficulty of Chinese language, and the need for highly specific instruction giving. This thesis proposes the Contextual leadership adaptation model, which covers the adaptation mechanisms of leadership style into a different culture that can be applied and studied also in different contexts. The practical implications of this study are aimed especially to future Finnish business leaders who can benefit from the specific knowledge from this thesis. Also, scholars studying leadership styles in different contexts can benefit from the derived model.