A road for achieving an international measure and understanding on leaders' behaviors

Abstract

Purpose

This research aims to report the findings of an exploratory survey administered in the USA, Spain and Costa Rica on leaders' behavior. The purpose of the survey is to understand any differences in transformational leader behavior in three different countries.

Design/methodology/approach

This research used a survey instrument applied to USA (113 responses, 35.5 percent response rate), Spain (168 responses, 66 percent response rate) and Costa Rica (100 responses, 40.0 percent response rate). The researchers used different statistical analyses such as structural equation modeling (using AMOS), and ANOVA.

Findings

The findings suggest that there is an international measure of leader behavior. When comparing measurement models of leader behaviors in the three countries, differences were found to be more notorious between Spain and both Costa Rica and the USA. However, the individual geographies, histories and vantage points of the Anglo‐Saxon country (USA) versus the Spanish‐Speaking countries (Costa Rica and Spain) seem to have created some differences in leader behaviors.

Originality/value

The research provides insights into the growing body of knowledge on leader behavior. It first shows an international measure of leader behavior and then compares the three countries.

Citation

Quesada, G., González, M.E. and Kent, T. (2008), "A road for achieving an international measure and understanding on leaders' behaviors", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 29 No. 8, pp. 678-692. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437730810916631