Effects of leadership on performance: A cross-cultural meta-analysis

Abstract

We investigated the correlation between leadership types and performance in different national cultural contexts and across sectors through a meta-analysis of 79 studies published between 1995 and 2020 using a random effects model. Although the analysis indicated that the type of leadership has only a medium-level effect on performance, our moderator analysis of the national culture variable found that the effect of leadership on performance was significantly higher in vertical-collectivist cultures, in healthcare and production and for the democratic leadership type. Our results also indicated a relationship between performance types and the effect of leadership on performance. As such our analysis contributes to our understanding of the relationship between leadership and performance in different national contexts and across sectors, in that national culture is an important moderator in the relationship between leadership and performance. Although only focusing on quantitative correlation studies, our work paves the way for more detailed qualitative research that can further focus on the nature of leadership and its relationship to performance in different cultural settings.