Navigating Cultural Dimensions: The Impact of Leadership Styles on Workforce Diversity in Higher Education Institutions

This study seeks to explore the intricate relationship between national culture and leadership styles within higher education institutions (HEIs). It also examines the pivotal role that leaders play in navigating workforce diversity within this context. Conducting in-depth interviews with 35 participants from seven different nationalities across six universities in North Cyprus, from August 2020 to June 2021, we employed a descriptive thematic analysis to extract relevant themes from the qualitative data. Our findings reveal that transactional and transformational leadership styles predominantly shape the leadership landscape in these HEIs. Moreover, we aimed to validate the applicability of transformational leadership within managerial frameworks in multicultural university settings, particularly in the context of effectively managing workforce diversity. The results illuminate how national culture significantly influences leadership styles, with a notable emphasis on transactional leadership approaches. The study contributes to the understanding of cross-cultural leadership dynamics in higher education, highlighting the importance of cultural considerations in leadership effectiveness and diversity management.