TULSA, OK--(Marketwire - Jan 8, 2013) - In the next three decades, China is expected to replace the U.S. as the world's largest economy. As multi-national organizations continue to expand into China, and Chinese companies establish operations around the world, more employers will find themselves having to integrate both Chinese and Western perspectives into their organizational leadership roles. Understanding the inherent differences in leadership styles and how they play out in cross-cultural environments is essential for successful talent management programs.
In a recent book chapter, Hogan Assessment Systems' Jarrett Shalhoop and Michael Sanger explore the nature of Chinese leadership through the lens of personality and values and explain how these differ from leadership styles of three countries with large trade interests in China -- the U.S., Germany and Australia. For organizations that must select managers for cross-cultural assignments, recognizing the divergent traits and behaviors inherent in Chinese managers, and how they play out with their manager, direct reports and colleagues at a similar level, is needed to ensure that individuals are placed into the right management roles.
To conduct the research, Hogan analyzed survey responses of 992 Mainland Chinese managers, and compared them to the responses from managers in the U.S., Germany and Australia. Using a variety of leadership assessment tools, Hogan quantified and interpreted the differences between leadership styles. Key findings of this research include:
- The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) assessment shows the Chinese managerial style to be more collaborative with decision making and supportive of team efforts than the Western style, as well as more task-oriented and process-driven.
- In terms of derailment characteristics, the Hogan Development Survey (HDS) identified four scales distinguishing Chinese managers from others (Excitable, Reserved, Bold and Dutiful) that emerge during crisis periods, when making important decisions or in other stress-inducing situations.
- According to Hogan's Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI), Chinese managers show a high score on altruism, indicating a greater concern for group welfare and a belief that their work is part of a larger enterprise or initiative.
- Chinese managers scored highly on the Aesthetics scale of the MVPI, signifying a higher concern and vigilance about how personal appearances, physical surroundings and reputation reflect on their status.
"Although organizations tend to favor a one-size-fits-all approach to talent management, such a strategy fails to account for the numerous -- and significant -- differences that Chinese managers display in their leadership styles," said Jarrett Shalhoop, senior consultant, Global Alliances for Hogan Assessments and co-author of the research. "When selecting leaders for cross-cultural assignments, it is integral to understand these differences to ensure that the right leader is placed into a position for which their management style will bring about positive results for their team and the organization as a whole."
About Hogan Assessment Systems
With more than 30 years of experience, Hogan is the global leader in providing comprehensive, research-based personality assessment and consulting. Grounded in decades of science, Hogan helps businesses dramatically reduce turnover and increase productivity by hiring the right people, developing key talent, and evaluating leadership potential.