As a result of globalization and increase interdependence of the world economies, people from different cultures are interacting more frequently. However, most problems and misunderstandings occur when members of one culture assumes that their own unconscious values and beliefs are equally appropriate in other cultures. Typically, this is more prominent in an international business setting where companies are increasingly operating outside their usual working environment and interacting more with people belonging to other cultures. Even though, there are a huge number of studies which have focused on assessing the behaviours prevailing in different cultures and countries, we have noticed that there is a lack of literature aiming to find the leadership behaviours and styles becoming prevalent when there is a shift from one culture to another. More specifically, we have observed that there is a theoretical gap in the literature for understanding the behaviours which leaders adopt when they move from a high power distance culture to operate in a country classified as low power distance. Additionally, even on the basis of the extensive literature review conducted, it has been noticed that there are no studies which have aimed to find out the reasons behind adopting the prevailing leadership behaviours and styles. To achieve the purpose of this study, a qualitative research design and semi structured interviews were conducted with twelve managers in two different companies. Typically, a French and a Japanese company (both classified with high power distance index) operating in Sweden (classified with low power distance index) were selected. The data was analyzed using grounded theory and appropriate coding (open and selective coding) was adopted to generate sub-categories and categories which would help to explain the phenomenon being studied. As a result of the analysis undertaken, we have found out that both companies belonging to the high power distance culture have adopted distinct leadership styles. Basically, the French company has adopted a directive leadership style owing to the increasing influence which it receives from the home culture whilst the Japanese company has adopted a participative leadership style. It has also been found that the prevailing leadership behaviours are because of a number of factors like; the management cultural beliefs, labour laws, local employees, decision making process, monitoring and supervision process and influence from the host culture.

This research explores the leadership constructs of global leaders and Chinese managers in multi-national corporations (MNCs) in order to understand whether their constructs are misaligned, and if so, in what ways. To address these questions, data was gathered via repertory grid test interviews with 31 global leaders and 59 Chinese managers in six MNCs’ China organizations. Analysis subsequently revealed that global leaders rely upon twelve key constructs to define global leadership capability and potential. These are: creative, drive to improve, communication skill, collaborative style, charisma, professional knowledge and experience, visionary, cross culture, flexibility, confidence, team development and emotional intelligence. Crucially however, half of the global leaders’ key constructs were not identified as important to Chinese managers; furthermore, most of the missing constructs resonate with charismatic and transformational leadership characteristics, indicating a gap between the two groups’ leadership concepts. Subsequently, both groups of leaders’ leadership constructs were compared with their respective companies’ Leadership Competency Frameworks. The results again revealed gaps, suggesting reliance upon headquarter-developed leadership frameworks to communicate leadership expectations and develop local leaders is either deficient, or inappropriate. The global leaders and Chinese managers’ perspectives on Chinese managers’ career barriers were also explored, with the evidence indicating that perceptions of both groups are influenced by their own cultural assumptions. As the global leaders’ perspectives aligned with their own leadership constructs but Chinese managers were not aware of the importance of those constructs, it seems to support the contention that a bias may exist when global leaders evaluate Chinese managers’ leadership capability and potential.

National cultures play a critical role in effective leadership and organisational success in international businesses. Contemporary organisations are therefore challenged by cross-cultural leadership needs to address increasing diversity. In the past decades, there has been a growing interest in studies of non-Western leadership. Recent papers have focused particularly on leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. This paper compares leadership in China and New Zealand, based on the data collected by using the GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organisational Behaviour Effectiveness) project leadership questionnaire. In addition, the paper reviews the main findings of previous research in order to investigate the similarities and differences in preferred leadership behaviours/characteristics in both cultures, while attempting to examine the consistency of current findings against the previous GLOBE studies. Significant differences of leadership behaviours between China and New Zealand have been identified. This paper generally supports the findings of previous GLOBE studies that charismatic/value-based leadership is the universally contributing factor towards outstanding leadership and self-protective leadership is the universally negative factor against leadership excellence. Findings in this paper may contribute to further understanding of leadership practice in these two countries. Future research should be undertaken to examine the effects of cultural differences on organisational practice by a more comprehensive research method.

The current study investigated how individual level cultural values (horizontal individualism, horizontal collectivism, vertical individualism, vertical collectivism, power distance, masculinity/femininity, uncertainty avoidance, and long/short term orientation) relate to the perceived effectiveness of authentic leadership. To ensure cultural diversity, data was collected from participants via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk).The participant pool included 184 participants from the United States, India, and 10 other countries around the world. Of these, 68 (37%) participants identified themselves as female and 116 (63%) identified themselves as male. In order to provide a sample that is more representative of a working population, all participants were employed for an average of at least 20 hours a week in a workplace outside of the home. Data was collected using an online survey. Participants completed measures for individual level cultural values (Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism Scale, and Individual Cultural Value Scale), the perceived effectiveness of authentic leadership (modified Authentic Leadership Questionnaire), and demographics. Participants were compensated $0.65 on average for completing the survey.The perceived effectiveness of authentic leadership was found to have significant positive correlations with horizontal individualism, horizontal collectivism, and long/short term orientation and a negative correlation with power distance and masculinity. In a final hierarchical regression model, age, power distance, long term orientation, and horizontal individualism were found to significantly predict 34% of the variance in perceived effectiveness of authentic leadership. The results help to provide a better understanding of hierarchy perceptions in the workplace. They suggest that individuals who value self-expression, less status differences between leaders and follower, and internal perseverance are more likely to endorse an authentic leadership style as being effective in the workplace. These results imply that congruence between employee and supervisor values may be an important factor in determining whether or not authentic leadership is perceived as being effective in the workplace. Further, managers and organizations may want to consider hiring individuals with cultural values that best fit their own values and leadership style. In the future researchers could investigate individual level cultural values as moderators between leadership and workplace outcomes, such as job satisfaction.

Cultural leadership has been a key concept in cultural policy and training since 2002. Most closely associated with the UK’s Clore Leadership Programme, it has been developed through various courses and initiatives domestically and internationally, initially as a response to crises of financial management and governance within major cultural institutions. This emergence of cultural leadership coincided with growing political interest in the social benefits of the arts and the economic potential of the creative industries. However, the concept is rarely clearly defined or critically analysed, while the political and economic environment in which the cultural sector operates has been transformed since the term was coined. This research investigates the evolution of cultural leadership as a discursive formation in these contexts. It traces the short history of the term itself and situates it within longer trajectories of cultural policy. Through critical discourse analysis the research questions the relationship between ‘cultural leadership’ and ‘cultural leaders’, asking who creates the circumstances in which art is produced and culture shaped. Leadership itself is reconsidered theoretically as an aspect of political action. Detailed interviews with influential cultural sector professionals are analysed as an empirical complement to literature around cultural history, policy and artistic leadership. The analysis reconfigures cultural leadership as a dynamic process arising from relationships between creative practice and social, political and organisational development. Outlining the respective roles of government, the public and the sector, it proposes a framework for understanding leadership through the interplay of action and influence within and beyond the cultural workforce. Indicating that cultural leadership has a vital critical role to play in democratic society, the research argues for more effective engagement between sectoral leaders, including artists, and questions of policy and cultural value. Its findings are significant for the future study and development of cultural leadership nationally and internationally.

The main objective of the thesis was to define and analyze key aspects of managerial work in multicultural environment, in one of the Shared Services Center department, of multinational company based in Prague, Czech Republic. Further thesis aimed to define essential competencies of the successful manager and leader driving performance of multicultural department and provides recommendations to improve managerial performance in key aspects of manager s work such as communication, motivation, performance management and cross-cultural leadership. It is argued that presence of intercultural interactions between managers and their subordinates, impacts effectiveness of the managerial performance. Thesis consists of theoretical and practical part. First part of the thesis explores theoretical concepts regarding culture, communication, motivation and leadership with respect to multicultural environment specifics. In the second part, used research methods, conducted research analysis and outcomes are presented. Further in practical part recommendation towards analyzed aspects of managerial work that would lead to higher overall department performance are defined.

This research aimed to explore how heads of departments at LNU manage cultural differences in their teams. The study addressed the main research question and two sub-questions to uncover effective strategies for navigating cultural disparities in team settings. An exploratory design was employed, utilizing qualitative methods such as interviews and content analysis. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a limited number of participants from diverse departments at LNU. Thematic analysis was used to identify key themes and findings. Several significant themes emerged from the analysis. The first theme highlighted the importance of recognizing and addressing cultural differences within teams through open dialogue, communication, building trust, and fostering inclusivity. The second theme emphasized the significance of cultivating cultural intelligence and competency as cross-cultural leaders, including the development of cultural competency and adapting communication styles to accommodate diverse team members. The third theme focused on effective communication, emphasizing the need to overcome language barriers and establish open channels for promoting understanding and inclusivity. The fourth theme highlighted the value of embracing cultural diversity, viewing it as an asset, and leveraging unique perspectives and strengths within teams. The fifth and final theme emphasized the continuous learning and development of cultural competency and cultural intelligence to effectively manage cultural disparities. This study contributes to our understanding of how heads of departments at LNU manage cultural differences in their teams. The findings underscore the importance of recognizing cultural differences, cultivating cultural intelligence, promoting effective communication, embracing cultural diversity, and fostering continuous learning and development. These strategies enhance the capacity of organizations to navigate cultural disparities and foster inclusivity in multicultural environments. The study was conducted within an academic setting, limiting generalizability to other organizations. The research relied on a limited number of interviews due to time constraints and non-responsiveness of some participants, therefore the complexity of the issue may not have been fully captured. This study fills a gap in the literature by exploring the strategies employed by heads of departments to manage cultural differences. It provides practical implications for organizations operating in multicultural environments and enhances our understanding of effective cross-cultural leadership.

The purpose of this enquiry is to challenge and add a further dimension to cultural management, through an empirical exploration of what cultural managers do in a particular domain (theatre) and scale of organisation (micro-) within the (subsidised) cultural sector, in South West England. Working from a sensemaking perspective (Weick, 1979, 1995a, 2009), it focuses attention on what these practitioners do, rather than what they could, should or do not do. It draws on literature from cultural management, theatre and performance studies and organisation and management studies to help address the following questions: • What do cultural managers do in micro-scale theatre organisations (in South West England)? • Why do they do what they do? • How do they do what they do? • In what ways might an analysis of what they do inform talk in and about cultural management? • To what other theoretical conversations might such an analysis contribute? The subjects are three cultural managers running micro-scale contemporary theatre organisations in Bristol, Plymouth and Redruth. The study adopts a qualitative, ethnographic, multi-case study approach, with data collected through non-participant observation, informal interviews and documentary sources. Analysis is inductive, deductive and abductive. The thesis concludes with a conceptual and epistemological re-framing of cultural management as cultural managing, suggesting that what the cultural managers studied do is not only vocationally dedicated to the purpose, values and work of their organisation, but is also isomorphically inflected by them in the doing. Furthermore, it offers (a) an adjusted perspective on “high reliability organising” (Weick & Sutcliffe, 2007) orientated more towards making the best than mitigating the worst; (b) a focus on organising in theatre to colleagues pursuing the relationship between management and the arts; and (c) a challenge to traditional notions of divide between theatre managing and theatre making, particularly at the micro-scale. This is an interdisciplinary study with cross-disciplinary implications.

Title: Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of Entrepreneurial Leadership Traits Among Brazil and China in Small Businesses Authors: Ana Clara Mueller Meirinho and Li Mengting Level: Master Thesis, 30 hp Keywords: Entrepreneurial leadership, Leader traits, Hofstede’s 6D Model, Small Business, Cross-Cultural leadership, Brazil, China. Background: Entrepreneurship is important among all the countries for the growth and prosperity of nations due to movement of economic activities that they generate. To sustain a business, the character behind it, known as a leader, plays an important role since for guiding a business the entrepreneurs needs to provide a clear vision for the company. Entrepreneurial leaders can have different postures when leading business inside a country. Yet, when comparing between countries, their behaviors can be influenced by many aspects, mainly because of the culture of the nation. However, a study showed that appear to be a convergence of entrepreneurial leadership among the BRICS countries. Also, there have been a lack of studies of entrepreneurial leadership in emergent economies like the BRICS countries, and for that reason, Brazil and China were selected to be the main focus of this study. Furthermore, studies also lack measurements of entrepreneurial leadership traits and behaviors. Research Question: What are the predominant traits of entrepreneurial leaders of small business and which cultural aspect impact on the behaviour of leaders among Brazil and China? Sub research question: What are the similarities and differences on the way that leadership is conducted by entrepreneurs of small businesses among Brazil and China? Purpose: The purpose of this study is, therefore, to describe, explore and instigate predominant traits of leaders as entrepreneurs in small businesses that can lead to distinct behaviour, through investigations in Brazil and China. In addition, this study also verifies similarities and differences of leaders behaviour that can differ from one culture to another, due to cultural impact. This way, the authors developed a framework, to better visualize entrepreneurial leadership traits comparison between Brazil and China, giving the readers a better understanding of preferred traits in both countries, directing them to take right actions considering the cultural values. Method: A mixed method approach was used in this research. Qualitative semi-structured exploratory interviews with abductive approach were conducted with leaders who are entrepreneurs of small businesses in South Brazil and Urban China, which focuses on entrepreneurial leadership traits. Also, quantitative surveys were collected, aiming to measure cultural value and predominant traits of leaders, complementing the qualitative interview. Theoretical Framework: Articles used for this study were meticulously selected, focusing on reliable sources and quality content; also, it was given preferences to new data from well- known journals. This section covers subjects that are interesting and fit to the thematic, such as regarding of Entrepreneurial Leadership and Traits, Hofstede 6D Model, Importance of Micro and Small Businesses to Society, and economic and political facts about Brazil and China, alike as definitions and data of micro and small business characteristics in each nation, and the nations own beliefs. Particular information from the countries was brought from organizations and governmental related websites. Discussion and Conclusion: Based on the results of respondent’s surveys and the interpretation of interviews with entrepreneurs among south Brazil and China. The results are structured and analyzed in the same sequence as the surveys and interviews are designed using Hofstede 6D model, discussing first south Brazil and urban China and then a general overview about similarities and differences of both countries for each section. The study revealed that the preferred entrepreneurial leadership traits are divergence between two countries, while there appear to be a convergence of entrepreneurial leadership style that encompass more democratic, flexible, opportunity oriented yet still remaining the traits of paternalistic and authoritative leadership including directing, participative, consideration of subordinates in small businesses among both countries. Furthermore, the author presented an overview of similarities and different entrepreneurial leadership traits among two countries by categorized based on distal attributes, including personality, cognitive ability and motives values, as well as proximal attributes, including social appraisal skills, problem solving skills and expertise/tacit knowledge are shown in the end.

Closing the achievement gap is a key concern for educational leaders. Research has indicated that principals’ actions directly and indirectly influence student learning. The purpose of this case study was to explore cultural leadership in an urban Mississippi high school from an African American’s racialized perspective. The cultural competency/proficiency theory provided the conceptual framework for this study. Successful leadership practices of this African American principal were examined through the principal and through the perceptions of teachers and the assistant administrator. A researcher-developed questionnaire was content validated and given to a purposeful sample of 17 individuals: the principal, assistant principal, and the 15 full time teachers at the study site. Nine individuals––the school’s principal, assistant principal, and 7 teachers––returned the questionnaire. Using Stake’s framework for data analysis, data were organized, coded, and categorized to develop themes regarding the principal’s cultural leadership practices. Results showed that the principal used 6 practices to help a diverse student body succeed: double-dosing of subject-area test courses, pull-out tutorials, after-school tutorials, differentiated instruction, scaffolded learning, and coteaching. Based on the study findings, a professional development program was created to provide cultural leadership training for all district leaders. The findings can positively affect social change by improving principals’ cultural awareness and equipping educators with proven practices to meet the needs of a diverse student body, thus increasing students’ opportunities for academic success.