Leadership, individual differences, and work-related attitudes: A cross-culture investigation

This study builds on previous exploratory research (Walumbwa & Lawler, 2003) that examined allocentrism as a moderator of transformational leadership-work-related attitudes and behaviors. Based on survey data collected from 825 employees from China (n = 213), India (n = 210), Kenya (n = 159), and the US (n = 243), we found that individual differences moderated the relationships between leadership and followers' work-related attitudes. Specifically, allocentrics reacted more positively when they viewed their managers as being more transformational. Idiocentrics reacted more positively when they rated their managers as displaying more transactional contingent reward leadership. The pattern of results was stronger for transformational leadership in more collectivistic cultures among allocentrics and stronger among idiocentrics in individualistic cultures for transactional contingent reward leadership. Implications of these findings for practice and research are discussed.