A cross‐cultural investigation of the extended full‐range of leadership model

ABSTRACT The present study analyzes the relative importance of the four extended Full‐Range of Leadership constructs (eFRLT) transformational, transactional, laissez‐faire, and instrumental leadership as predictors for leadership effectiveness in seven countries. The aim of this study is to gain knowledge on the effectiveness and variation of eFRLT leadership styles in different countries and to explore whether the so far rarely examined strategic‐oriented instrumental leadership style is effective beyond the traditional FRLT leadership styles. A total of 3182 employees in Brazil, China, France, Germany, Iran, Poland, and Russia were surveyed using validated questionnaires at two measurement points (t1: eFRLT leadership styles, and t2: outcome criteria job satisfaction and affective commitment). Relative weight analysis shows that transformational leadership and instrumental leadership were most important for explaining variance in job satisfaction and affective commitment. The findings provide evidence that both instrumental and transformational aspects of leadership may be effective across cultures, thereby meriting greater attention in cross‐cultural management research.