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SAM ADVANCED MANAGEMENT JOURNAL
Leadership Styles Of Africans: A Study Using Path-Goal Leadership Theory
Bennett Annan
Citation: Annan, B., (2022). Leadership Styles of Africans: A Study Using Path-Goal Leadership Theory. SAM Advanced Management Journal, 87(1),4-18. https://doi.org/10.52770/RCEJ9995
Abstract
This study examined the impact of western culture on Africans, and how this cultural impact affects Africans from easily adapting to the participative style of path-goal leadership theory (House, 1971). According to Hofstede (2001), Africans generally tend to be more directive/autocratic and people from the industrialized nations more participative. This conflict of leadership style contributes to the overall success gap between the people of industrialized nations and Africans. The research adopted a quantitative method approach, using the Path-Goal Leadership Questionnaire developed by House and Mitchell (1974) and including demographic data on the participants who completed it. Data was collected via SurveyGizmo and analyzed in accordance with House’s (1971) theoretical framework. The findings show that Africans in general, whether living and working outside Africa or within Africa, are substantially more directive/autocratic, slightly more supportive, more participative, and substantially more achievement-oriented than their American counterparts. However, Africans use the directive/autocratic leadership style most often, followed by the supportive leadership style, then the achievement-oriented leadership style. Participative leadership is the style least used by African leaders. If African managerial leaders can use the participative leadership style most often as their counterparts do in the industrialized nations, it will improve the effectiveness of African leaders; subsequently, it will decrease poverty, increase standard of living, and change the way Africans think and act at the institutional and personal level. For Africa to advance, it must evolve its own managerial leadership philosophy, one that is rooted in African culture.
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