Influence of leader behaviors on creativity: a comparative study between South Korea and the United States

Abstract

This study investigates what are the relationships between different leader behaviors (i.e. supportive, participative, and controlling leader behaviors) and follower creativity, and whether the relationships differ between South Korea and the United States. Although creativity research suggests that supportive leader behaviors tend to enhance follower creativity, and controlling leader behaviors are likely to inhibit follower creativity, the majority of the research was conducted only in Western contexts. However, cross-cultural leadership research notes that the effectiveness of certain leader behaviors is contingent on cultures. On the basis of theoretical linkages among the constructs, a conceptual model and hypotheses were established. The sample was drawn from academic advisors and their graduate advisee students, whose study fields are Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math at four South Korean universities and a large U.S. university. The hypotheses were tested using hierarchical regression analysis. The results suggested that none of supportive, participative, and controlling leader behaviors had significant relationship with follower creativity both at South Korean universities and at the U.S. university. However, participative leader behaviors were found to have positive relationship with intrinsic motivation, an important creativity-related factor, of all student groups in the study. In terms of job satisfaction, supportive leader behaviors were important to student groups at South Korean universities whereas participative leader behaviors tend to increase, and controlling leader behaviors tend to decrease job satisfaction of student groups at the U.S. university.