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Implicit leadership theories in J apan and the US
Author(s) -
Kono Tomoe,
Ehrhart Karen Holcombe,
Ehrhart Mark G,
Schultze Tressa
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
asia pacific journal of human resources
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.825
H-Index - 33
eISSN - 1744-7941
pISSN - 1038-4111
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7941.2012.00026.x
Subject(s) - advertising , business , marketing
Research on implicit leadership theories ( ILTs ) has shown that cultural values play a role in individuals' images or prototypes regarding leaders' behavior and attributes. We examined individuals' ILTs in J apan and the U nited S tates with regard to potential cultural differences in the variability and mean levels of ILT dimensions. We collected data from 133 participants in the US and 164 participants in J apan and examined the standard deviations and means of 15 dimensions of ILTs . There was some support for our hypothesis that J apanese participants would have lower variability in their ILTs . With regard to mean levels of ILTs , US participants had higher mean scores than J apanese participants for 11 of the 12 ILT dimensions that showed significant mean differences. We interpret our findings in light of the two countries' levels of individualism/collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, and cultural tightness, and we provide research and practical implications regarding leadership in global companies.