Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-t5tsf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T15:59:33.540Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A within-country study of leadership perceptions and outcomes across native and immigrant employees: Questioning the universality of transformational leadership

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 March 2017

Ann-Louise Holten ,
Anne Bøllingtoft ,
Isabella Gomes Carneiro  and
Vilhelm Borg
Ann-Louise Holten*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Anne Bøllingtoft
Affiliation:
Department of Management, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Isabella Gomes Carneiro
Affiliation:
National Cancer Registration and Analysis Service and Cancer Research, London, England
Vilhelm Borg
Affiliation:
The National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
*
Corresponding author: ann-louise.holten@psy.ku.dk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This study investigates the universality of transformational leadership with respect to employee perceptions and three outcomes: job satisfaction, self-rated health, and well-being. We do so among employees of different national and cultural backgrounds, yet within a shared national and sectorial setting. Our study has a repeated measures design based on survey data from 2,947 employees (2,836 natives Danes and 111 immigrants) in the Danish elder care sector. While we find no difference between native Danes and immigrants in their perception of transformational leadership, we find that transformational leadership is not a universal predictor of outcomes. Although transformational leadership predicts change in none of the outcomes for immigrants, it does predict change in job satisfaction and well-being for native Danes. Based on our findings, we suggest applying a combination of universalistic and contingency paradigms when leading composite employee groups.

Keywords

transformational leadershipimmigrantsglobal leadershipuniversality
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Management & Organization , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , January 2018 , pp. 145 - 162
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and Australian and New Zealand Academy of Management 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Antonakis, J. (2012). Transformational and charismatic leadership. In D. V. Day, & J. Antonakis (Eds.), The nature of leadership (2nd ed., pp. 256–288). Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.Google Scholar
Antonakis, J., Avolio, B. J., & Sivasubramaniam, N. (2003). Context and leadership: An examination of the nine-factor full-range leadership theory using the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. The Leadership Quarterly, 14(3), 261–295.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ardichvili, A., & Gasparishvili, A. (2001). Leadership profiles of managers in post-communist countries: A comparative study. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 22(2), 62–69.Google Scholar
Arnold, K., Turner, N., Barling, J., Kelloway, E., & Mckee, M. C. (2007). Transformational leadership and psychological well-being: The mediating role of meaningful work. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 12(3), 193–203.Google Scholar
Avery, D., Tonidandel, S., Volpone, S., & Raghuram, A. (2010). Overworked in America? How work hours, immigrant status, and interpersonal justice affect perceived work overload. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25(2), 133–147.Google Scholar
Avolio, B. J., Reichard, R. J., Hannah, S. T., Walumbwa, F. O., & Chan, A. (2009). A meta-analytic review of leadership impact research: Experimental and quasi-experimental studies. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(5), 764–784.Google Scholar
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. New York: The Free Press.Google Scholar
Bass, B. M. (1997). Does the transactional–transformational leadership paradigm transcend organizational and national boundaries? American Psychologist, 52(2), 130–139.Google Scholar
Bass, B. M. (1999). Two decades of research and development in transformational leadership. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 8(1), 9–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1989). Potential biases in leadership measures: How prototypes, leniency, and general satisfaction relate to ratings and rankings of transformational and transactional leadership constructs. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 49(3), 509–527.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bass, B. M., & Bass, R. (2009). The Bass handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications. New York, NJ: Free Press.Google Scholar
Bech, P., Olsen, L. R., Kjoller, M., & Rasmussen, N. K. (2003). Measuring well-being rather than the absence of distress symptoms: A comparison of the SF-36 Mental Health Subscale and the WHO-Five Well-Being Scale. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 12(2), 85–91.Google Scholar
Bennis, W. G. (2009). On becoming a leader. New York: Basic Books.Google Scholar
Bjorner, J. B., Fayes, P., & Idler, E. (2005). Self-rated health. In: P. Fayers & R. Hays (Eds.), Assessing quality of life in clinical trials (2nd ed.) (pp. 309–323). Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Boal, K. B., & Hooijberg, R. (2001). Strategic leadership research: Moving on. The Leadership Quarterly, 11(4), 515–549.Google Scholar
Borrell, L. N., & Dallo, F. J. (2008). Self-rated health and race among Hispanic and non-Hispanic adults. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 10(3), 229–238.Google Scholar
Braun, S., Peus, C., Weisweiler, S., & Frey, D. (2013). Transformational leadership, job satisfaction, and team performance: A multilevel mediation model of trust. Leadership Quarterly, 24(1), 270–283.Google Scholar
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper & Row.Google Scholar
Carless, S. A., Wearing, A. J., & Mann, L. (2000). A short measure of transformational leadership. Journal of Business and Psychology, 14(3), 389–405.Google Scholar
Collins, J. (2006). Level 5 leadership: The triumph of humility and fierce resolve. In D. Mayle (Ed.), Managing Innovation and Change (3rd ed., pp. 234–248). London: Sage.Google Scholar
Conger, J., Kanungo, R. N., & Menon, S. (2000). Charismatic leadership and follower effects. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21(7), 747–767.Google Scholar
Day, D. V., & Antonakis, J. (2012). Leadership: Past, present, and future. In D. V. Day, & J. Antonakis (Eds.), The nature of leadership (2nd ed., pp. 3–25). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Day, D. V., & Antonakis, J. (2013). The future of leadership. In H. S. Leonard, R. Lewis, A. M. Freedman, & J. Passmore (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell handbook of the psychology of leadership, change and organizational development (pp. 221–236). Oxford: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Den Hartog, D., House, R., Hanges, P., Ruiz-Quintanilla, S., & Dorfman, P. (1999). Culture specific and cross-culturally generalizable implicit leadership theories: Are attributes of charismatic/transformational leadership universally endorsed? The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 219–256.Google Scholar
DeSalvo, K. B., Fan, V. S., McDonell, M. B., & Fihn, S. D. (2005). Predicting mortality and healthcare utilization with a single question. Health Services Research, 40(4), 1234–1246.Google Scholar
Dickson, M., Castaño, N., Magomaeva, A., & Den Hartog, D. (2012). Conceptualizing leadership across cultures.Journal of World Business, 47(4), 483–492.Google Scholar
Dinh, J. E., Lord, R. G., Gardner, W. L., Meuser, J. D., Liden, R. C., & Hu, J. (2014). Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and changing perspectives. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 36–62.Google Scholar
Druskat, V. U. (1994). Gender and leadership style: Transformational and transactional leadership in the Roman Catholic Church. The Leadership Quarterly, 5(2), 99–119.Google Scholar
Eagly, A. H., Johannesen-Schmidt, M. C., & Van Engen, M. L. (2003). Transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles: A meta-analysis comparing women and men. Psychological Bulletin, 129(4), 569–591.Google Scholar
Engelen, A., Schmidt, S., Strenger, L., & Brettel, M. (2014). Top management’s transformational leader behaviors and innovation orientation: A cross-cultural perspective in eight countries. Journal of International Management, 20(2), 124–136.Google Scholar
Ergeneli, A., Gohar, R., & Temirbekova, Z. (2007). Transformational leadership: Its relationship to culture value dimensions. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 31(6), 703–724.Google Scholar
Fiedler, F. E. (1986). The contribution of cognitive resources and leader behavior to organizational performance. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 16(6), 532–548.Google Scholar
Gardner, W. L., Avolio, B. J., Luthans, F., May, D. R., & Walumbwa, F. (2005). ‘Can you see the real me?’ A self-based model of authentic leader and follower development. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 343–372.Google Scholar
Gerstner, C. R., & Day, D. V. (1994). Cross-cultural comparison of leadership prototypes. The Leadership Quarterly, 5(2), 121–134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamlin, R. G. (2007). In support of universalistic models of managerial and leadership effectiveness: Implications for HRD research and practice. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 15(2), 189–215.Google Scholar
Hanges, P., Lord, R., & Dickson, M. (2000). An information‐processing perspective on leadership and culture: A case for connectionist architecture. Applied Psychology, 49(1), 133–161.Google Scholar
Hersey, P., & Blanchard, K. H. (1969). An introduction to situational leadership. Training and Development Journal, 23, 26–34.Google Scholar
Hofstede, G. (1984). Cultural dimensions in management and planning. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 1(2), 81–99.Google Scholar
Hosoda, M., & Stone-Romero, E. (2010). The effects of foreign accents on employment-related decisions. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 25(2), 113–132.Google Scholar
House, R., Javidan, M., Hanges, P., & Dorfman, P. (2002). Understanding cultures and implicit leadership theories across the globe: An introduction to project GLOBE. Journal of World Business, 37(1), 3–10.Google Scholar
Härtel, C. E., & O’Connor, J. M. (2014). Contextualizing research: Putting context back into organizational behavior research. Journal of Management & Organization, 20(4), 417–422.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Javidan, M., Dorfman, P. W., de Luque, M. S., & House, R. J. (2006). In the eye of the beholder: Cross cultural lessons in leadership from project GLOBE. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 20(1), 67–90.Google Scholar
Jepson, D. (2009). Studying leadership at cross-country level: A critical analysis. Leadership, 5(1), 61–80.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755–768.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jung, D., Yammarino, F. J., & Lee, J. K. (2009). Moderating role of subordinates’ attitudes on transformational leadership and effectiveness: A multi-cultural and multi-level perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 20(4), 586–603.Google Scholar
Jung, D. I., & Avolio, B. J. (1999). Effects of leadership style and followers’ cultural orientation on performance in group and individual task conditions. Academy of Management Journal, 42(2), 208–218.Google Scholar
Jung, D. I., Bass, B. M., & Sosik, J. J. (1995). Bridging leadership and culture: A theoretical consideration of transformational leadership and collectivistic cultures. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 2(4), 3–18.Google Scholar
Jung, D. I., & Yammarino, F. J. (2001). Perceptions of transformational leadership among Asian Americans and Caucasian Americans: A level of analysis perspective. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 8(1), 3–21.Google Scholar
Karakitapoglu-Aygun, Z., & Gumusluoglu, L. (2013). The bright and dark sides of leadership: Transformational vs. non-transformational leadership in a non-Western context. Leadership, 9(1), 107–133.Google Scholar
Klimoski, R. (2013). Commentary: When it comes to leadership, context matters. In M. G. Rumsey (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of leadership (pp. 267–287). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Kumar, R., & Chhokar, J. S. (2012). Cross-cultural leadership. In M. G. Rumsey (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Leadership (pp. 225-242). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Kuoppala, J., Lamminpää, A., Liira, J., & Vainio, H. (2008). Leadership, job well-being, and health effects – a systematic review and a meta-analysis. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 50(8), 904–915.Google Scholar
Lankau, M. J., & Chung, B. G. (2009). A comparison of American and international prototypes of successful managers. Journal of Leadership Studies, 3(1), 7–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leong, L. Y. C., & Fischer, R. (2011). Is transformational leadership universal? A meta-analytical investigation of multifactor leadership questionnaire means across cultures. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 18(2), 164–174.Google Scholar
Lonner, W. J. (1980). The search for psychological universals. In H. C. Triandis & W. W. Lambert (Eds.), Handbook of cross-cultural psychology (Vol. 1, pp. 143-204). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.Google Scholar
Lowe, K. B., Kroeck, K. G., & Sivasubramaniam, N. (1996). Effectiveness correlates of transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic review of the MLQ literature. The Leadership Quarterly, 7(3), 385–425.Google Scholar
Marin, G., Triandis, H. C., Betancourt, H., & Kashima, Y. (1983). Ethnic affirmation versus social desirability explaining discrepancies in bilinguals’ responses to a questionnaire. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 14(2), 173–186.Google Scholar
Miao, Q., Newman, A., & Lamb, P. (2012). Transformational leadership and the work outcomes of Chinese migrant workers: The mediating effects of identification with leader. Leadership, 8(4), 377–395.Google Scholar
Muczyk, J. P., & Holt, D. T. (2008). Toward a cultural contingency model of leadership. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 14(4), 277–286.Google Scholar
Nyberg, A., Bernin, P., & Theorell, T. (2005). The impact of leadership on the health of subordinates. Stockholm: National Institute for Working Life (Arbetslivsinstitutet).Google Scholar
Olesen, K., Carneiro, I. G., Jørgensen, M. B., Rugulies, R., Rasmussen, C. D., Søgaard, K., & Flyvholm, M.-A. (2012). Associations between psychosocial work environment and hypertension among non-Western immigrant and Danish cleaners. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 85(7), 829–835.Google Scholar
Ortega, A., Carneiro, I. G., & Flyvholm, M.-A. (2010). A descriptive study on immigrant workers in the elderly care sector. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 12(5), 699–706.Google Scholar
Osborn, R. N., Hunt, J. G., & Jauch, L. R. (2002). Toward a contextual theory of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 13(6), 797–837.Google Scholar
Popper, M., & Druyan, N. (2001). Cultural prototypes? Or leaders’ behaviors? A study on workers’ perceptions of leadership in an electronics industry. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 16(7), 549–558.Google Scholar
Rosmond, R., Lapidus, L., & Björntorp, P. (1996). A comparative review of psychosocial and occupational environment in native Swedes and immigrants. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 24(4), 237–242.Google Scholar
Shamir, B. (2012). Leadership in context and context in leadership studies. In M. G. Rumsey (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Leadership (pp. 343–355). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shamir, B., House, R., & Arthur, M. B. (1993). The motivational effects of charismatic leadership – A self-concept based theory. Organization Science, 4(4), 577–594.Google Scholar
Shamir, B., & Howell, J. M. (1999). Organizational and contextual influences on the emergence and effectiveness of charismatic leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 257–283.Google Scholar
Shelton, E. J. (2007). Transformational leadership: Its impact on Hispanic immigrant workers in a production/processing plant environment. PhD dissertation, Capella University.Google Scholar
Soares, A. M., Farhangmehr, M., & Shoham, A. (2007). Hofstede’s dimensions of culture in international marketing studies. Journal of Business Research, 60(3), 277–284.Google Scholar
Steers, R. M., Sanchez-Runde, C., & Nardon, L. (2012). Leadership in a global context: New directions in research and theory development. Journal of World Business, 47(4), 479–482.Google Scholar
Stogdill, R. M. (1974). Handbook of leadership. A survey of the literature. New York: Free Press.Google Scholar
Terrell, S. R., & Rosenbusch, K. (2013). How global leaders develop. Journal of Management Development, 32(10), 1056–1079.Google Scholar
Theorell, T., Nyberg, A., Bernin, P., Oxenstierna, G., Romanowska, J., & Westerlund, H. (2010). Leadership and employee health: A challenge in the contemporary workplace. In J. Houdmont, & S. Leka (Eds.), Contemporary occupational health psychology: Global perspectives on research and practice (Vol. 1, pp. 46–58). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.Google Scholar
Topp, C. W., Østergaard, S. D., Søndergaard, S., & Bech, P. (2015). The WHO-5 Well-Being Index: A systematic review of the literature. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 84(3), 167–176.Google Scholar
Van Knippenberg, D., & Sitkin, S. B. (2013). A critical assessment of charismatic – Transformational leadership research: Back to the drawing board? The Academy of Management Annals, 7(1), 1–60.Google Scholar
Vroom, V. H., & Jago, A. G. (2007). The role of the situation in leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 17–24.Google Scholar
Walumbwa, F. O., & Lawler, J. J. (2003). Building effective organizations: Transformational leadership, collectivist orientation, work-related attitudes and withdrawal behaviours in three emerging economies. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 14(7), 1083–1101.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walumbwa, F. O., Lawler, J. L., & Avolio, B. J. (2007). Leadership, individual differences, and work-related attitudes: A cross-culture investigation. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 56(2), 212–230.Google Scholar
Walumbwa, F. O., Orwa, B., Wang, P., & Lawler, J. J. (2007). Transformational leadership, organizational commitment, and job satisfaction: A comparative study of Kenyan and U.S. financial firms. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 16(2), 235–256.Google Scholar
Walumbwa, F. O., & Wernsing, T. (2012). From transactional and transformational leadership to authentic leadership. In M. G. Rumsey (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Leadership (pp. 392–400). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Wanasika, I., Howell, J.P., Littrell, R., & Dorfman, P. (2011). Managerial leadership and culture in sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of World Business, 46(2), 234–241.Google Scholar
Wright, T. A., & Staw, B. M. (1999). Affect and favorable work outcomes: Two longitudinal tests of the happy-productive worker thesis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20(1), 1–23.Google Scholar
Yan, J., & Hunt, J. G. J. (2005). A cross cultural perspective on perceived leadership effectiveness. International Journal of Cross Cultural Management, 5(1), 49–66.Google Scholar
Yukl, G. (2002). Leadership in organizations (5th ed.), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Google Scholar