Year: 2006
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Different prototypes of leaders exist in the organizations. These leadership prototypes are linked to organizational culture and accepted cultural norms. Persons are categorized as leaders on the basis of the per-ceived match between their behavior and the prototypic attributes of a preexisting leader category in the mind of the followers. These categories are modeled by the organizational culture and societal practices. The main goal of this study consists on finding individual differences between military and civilian environments on implicit leadership theories. It was also analyzed individual differences between people placed in leadership posi-tions (leaders) and subordinates (followers). The last goal was to verify whether implicit leadership theories are influenced by organizational cul-ture perception. Participants in the study were: a) Civilians: 1003 male adults and women (31%, leaders and 69%, followers). B) Military cadets: 488, mostly males (37%, leaders and 63%, followers). Instruments used were a list of adjectives internationally used to assess implicit leadership theories, a questionnaire to describe organizational culture (Bass & Avolio, 1992). Results confirmed individual differences between military and civil contexts, for leaders and followers. Military cadets perceived the ideal mili-tary leader as a more self oriented person, making decisions without taking consideration of followers¿ opinions. Civilian followers considered that an effective leader had to be participative, democratic, with high consid-eration of the follower. These characteristics resulted much less important for military than for civilian population.
Author: Alejandro Castro Solano
Institution: Universidad de Murcia
Language: Spanish
Subfield: Strategy and Management
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2156568152