Cross-cultural experiences and self-protective leadership: A multi-country comparison of managerial perception

In this study, we examine the effect of cross-cultural experiences on perceptions of the effectiveness of self-protective leadership (SPL). We use survey data from 15 non-western countries collected in the second wave of the GLOBE leadership project to analyze the relationship between the global experiences of non-western managers and the leadership schemas they hold. We examined three types of global experience – working in a multinational corporation, being trained in western management practices (WMP), and living abroad – and the leadership schema of self-protective leadership (SPL). These results show that prior work experience in a multinational company and receiving training in WMP are associated with more negative perceptions of SPL, whereas having lived abroad has a more complex relationship with SPL. These results provide empirical evidence for the link between global experiences and cognitive schemas about leadership. Non-western managers with international work experience and training hold SPL schemas that are significantly different from the SPL schemas of their peers with no such experience. Further, consistent with Implicit Leadership Theory (ILT) and recent research that links leadership effectiveness to expectations about behaviors associated with gender stereotypes, we find that SPL, a leadership style that encompasses behaviors that are traditionally associated with a male stereotype (conflict inducement, procedure orientation, status enhancement), is viewed more negatively by female managers compared to their male counterparts. Practical implications of our findings are provided.