Cultural differences in perception of leadership between the U.S. and Japan.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to investigate cultural differences in leadership perceptions for effective management in the u.S. and Japan. Hofstede's framework of cultural dimensions was utilized to find out the differences in the Leadership Perception Questionnaires. 128 American participants from 17 industries in the u.S. were compared with 203 Japanese participants from 34 industries in Japan. Results indicated that American scores were more homogeneous than Japanese scores, and the American participants scored higher on most of the items of the Leadership Perception Questionnaire, regardless of the cultural dimensions. Exploratory studies revealed that American participants perceived personality characteristics as more important for leadership, whereas Japanese participants felt skills and behaviors were more important for leadership. Some of the implications for research and application of cross-cultural leadership were discussed.