Leadership styles and information security in small businesses

Abstract

Purpose

The objective of this study is to examine information security issues within small businesses and determine whether and to what degree any relationship exists between leadership styles and the level of concern for information security problems.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper presents an empirical study of 122 small business owners from the state of Hawaii with regards to their leadership styles and information security concerns.

Findings

The results of this study showed a significant correlation between transactional and transformational leadership styles and the level of concern towards information security problems within small businesses.

Practical implications

This research suggests that small businesses leaders need to demonstrate more than one leadership style to broaden their preparation against a range of information security issues and problems.

Originality/value

The findings may be applicable to small business leaders who proactively search for a cost‐effective and optimal combination of leadership styles, technologies, and policies that will mitigate the evolving threats of cybercrime and information security problems.

Citation

Bhattacharya, D. (2011), "Leadership styles and information security in small businesses", Information Management & Computer Security, Vol. 19 No. 5, pp. 300-312. https://doi.org/10.1108/09685221111188593