Article | Management area | Year 2020 | |
Humanistic Leadership in Thailand: A Mix of Indigenous and Global Aspects using a Cross-Cultural Perspectiveby Astrid Kainzbauer; D. Vora | |
Cross Cultural and Strategic Management 27(4), p.665-687 |
AbstractPurpose – 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
Keywords: Humanistic leadership, Expatriates, Qualitative methods, Thailand |