Humanistic leadership in Thailand: a mix of indigenous and global aspects using a cross-cultural perspective

Abstract

Purpose

To explore how leadership behavior in Thailand relates to humanistic leadership through indigenous and cross-cultural lenses.

Design/methodology/approach

Analogically based and semi-structured interviews were used. The primary focus was on factors associated with expatriate success in leading Thais in a Thai context. As such, the main sample included 24 expatriates. Two local Thai leaders were also interviewed. Qualitative interviews were analyzed inductively using NVivo.

Findings

Five interrelated themes emerged from the data: guiding, bridging, emotionally supporting, socializing and indirectly communicating. These themes relate to Asian holistic thinking, Thai culture and humanistic management. Evidence for humanistic leadership was found, albeit in culture-specific ways.

Research limitations/implications

Researchers may benefit from studying local, indigenous leadership practices and determining if and how they fit etic concepts such as humanistic leadership. Limitations of this study include a small sample from only one country.

Practical implications

To be successful, leaders should engage in humanistic leadership practices that fit the Thai context. Human resource departments may wish to focus their talent recruitment, selection and development on these behaviors.

Originality/value

This paper adds to the nascent literature on humanistic leadership by providing an indigenous as well as cross-cultural lens to understanding humanistic leadership in the context of Thailand.

Citation

Vora, D. and Kainzbauer, A. (2020), "Humanistic leadership in Thailand: a mix of indigenous and global aspects using a cross-cultural perspective", Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 665-687. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-01-2020-0008