Cross-cultural leadership by Chinese managers with their South African Xhosa-speaking employees
Wang, Xingmin (2007-12)
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Purpose. This study investigates how foreign-born Chinese managers in the Cape Town area
perceive their own leadership in a cross-cultural business situation, and compares these perceptions
with how the local South African Xhosa-speaking employees perceive the styles of their foreign
managers. The study is important because of the growing private investment in Africa by people
Approach. Ten small businesses owned and managed by Chinese nationals were studied: five
retail, two wholesale, one restaurant and two Chinese supermarkets. A Likert-type questiormaire
was created by operationalising 10 of the 19 aspects of cross-cultural leadership identified by
Suutari and Riusala (2001). These ten aspects are: decision participation, autonomy-delegation,
consideration, rewarding, informing, conflict management, production emphasis, criticizing, goal
setting, and inspiration. Each aspect had four questions associated with it.
The questiormaire was given individually to the ten managers and to 20 of their Xhosa-speaking
employees, two per business. It was followed by an open interview based mainly on the
questiormaire content. The questionnaire responses were analysed statistically, first to test for the
sameness of responses of the employees as well as the sameness of responses of the managers,
using the Sign Test. Responses of the two groups were compared for each aspect. Interview
responses were used to help interpret the numbers and formulate findings.
Findings. There are clear, statistically significant differences between the perceptions of the
managers' leadership style by the two groups on all ten of the aspects. The Chinese managers show
a similar leadership approach when interacting with their employees. The Xhosa-speaking
employees have perceptions similar to one another about their managers' leadership style. Thus a
disjunction is shown between the two culturally different groups. The responses of the Chinese
managers were analysed in light of the literature on Chinese culture, and in most ways they were
seen to be managing using a traditional Chinese-based style. In general, they make the decisions
and do the planning, do not delegate much, withhold infonnation, do not reward good performance,
and are not inspirational. However, they do tend to be kind.
Research limitations. The study compared only those two ethnic groups in a small geographic
area, with small sample sizes. It also studied reported perceptions. Further research could tty to
isolate just cultural differences, and focus more on leadership behaviours.
Practical implications. Acknowledgement of the local culture and perhaps use of a more
inclusive, less authoritarian management-leadership style seem important for existing and future
Chinese managers. Culturally-based management training can be offered for them and for
potential investors, to support future small business investors in South Africa and beyond.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Doel. Hierdie studie behels 'n ondersoek na hoe buitelands-gebore Sjinese bestuurders in
Kaapstad hulle eie leierskap beoordeel in 'n kruis-kulturele sake omgewing. Hierdie sienings
word dan vergelyk met die persepsies van hoe plaaslike Suid-Afrikaanse Xhosa-sprekende
werknemers die bestuurstyl van hulle buitelandse werkgewers beoordeel. Hierdie studie is
belangrik vanweë die toenemende private belegging in Afrika deur Sjinese burgers.
Benadering. Tien klein sake-ondememings wat deur Sjinese burgers besit en bestuur word, is
ondersoek: vyf in die kleinhandel, twee in die groothandel, een restaurant en twee Sjinese
supermarkte. 'n Likert-tipe vraelys is saamgestel deur die operasionalisering van 10 van die 19
aspekte van kruis-kulturele leierskap s00s deur Suutari en Riusala (2001) geïdentifiseer. Hierdie
tien aspekte is: besluit-deelneming, outonomie-delegasie, konsiderasie, beloning, inkennisstelling,
konflik-bestuur, produksie-beklemtoning, kritisering, doelsteIling-bepaling, en inspirasie. Elke
aspek is aan vier vrae gekoppel.
Die vraelys is aan elkeen van die tien Sjinese bestuurders gegee, en aan 20 van hulle
Xhosa-sprekende werknemers, twee per sake-ondememing. Dit is opgevolg deur 'n oop
onderhoud wat hoofsaaklik op die inhoud van die vraelys gebaseer was. Die antwoorde op die
vraelys is statisties ontIeed, eerstens vir die ooreenstemming van die antwoorde van die
werknemers, sowel as die ooreenstemming van die antwoorde van die bestuurders deur middle
van die "Sign" toets. Die antwoorde van die twee groepe is met mekaar vergelyk vir elke aspek.
Die terugvoering vanaf die onderhoude is gebruik om die getalle te interpreter en om resultate te
Bevindings. Daar is helder, statistiese beduidende verskille tussen die beoordeling van die
bestuurders se leierskapstyl deur beide groepe wat betref al tien die aspekte. Die Sjinese
bestuurders toon 'n soortgelyke leierskap benadering wanneer hulle met hul werknemers omgaan.
Die Xhosa-sprekende wer1cnemers het onderling soortgelyke persepsies betreffende hul
bestuurders se leierskapstyl. Dus bestaan daar 'n uiteenlopende siening tussen die twee kulturele
groepe. Die beoordeling van die Sjinese bestuurders is ontleed in die lig van literatuur oor
Sjinese kultuur, en dit het geblyk dat hulle 'n tradisionele Sjinese bestuurstyl navolg. In die algemeen is daar bevind dat hulle die besluite neem en die beplanning doen, dat hulle nie veel
delegeer nie, dat hulle inligting weerhou, dat hulle nie goeie werkverrigting beloon nie, en dat
hulle nie werkers aanmoedig nie. Desniteenstaande is hulle goedhartig.
Navorsingsbeperkings. In hierdie studie is slegs twee etniese groepe in 'n klein geografiese
gebied, met klein steekproewe, ondersoek. Persepsies waaroor verslag gedoen is, is ondersoek.
In verdere navorsing kan daar probeer word om kulturele verskille te isoleer, en om op
leierskapsgedrag te fokus.
Praktiese implikasies. Erkenning van die plaaslike kultuur en miskien 'n meer insluitende,
minder outoritêre bestuurstyl blyk belangrik te wees vir bestaande en toekomstige Sjinese
bestuurders. Kultuur-gebaseerde bestuursopleiding kan vir hulle en voornemende beleggers
aangebied word om toekomstige klein sake-beleggers in Suid-Afrika en elders te ondersteun.
Please refer to this item in SUNScholar by using the following persistent URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/21386