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Leader–member exchange (LMX), paternalism, and delegation in the Turkish business culture: An empirical investigation

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Abstract

Although businesses increasingly operate across cultures, there is a paucity of research that examines the influence of national culture on leadership practices. This study uses a structural equation modeling approach to investigate relationships among leader–member exchange (LMX), delegation, paternalism, and job satisfaction in Turkish business organizations. Results from a survey study of N=185 full-time employees from Turkish companies support the relationship of LMX to delegation and job satisfaction. However, the effect of LMX on job satisfaction is mediated by paternalism, an emic cultural dimension. Results suggest that delegation might not be an effective management tool in the Middle Eastern context.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the ’Editor-in-Chief‘ Arie Y Lewin and the two anonymous JIBS reviewers for their helpful comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.

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  1. Department of Management, School of Business Administration, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA

    Ekin K Pellegrini & Terri A Scandura

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  1. Ekin K Pellegrini
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Correspondence to Ekin K Pellegrini.

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Accepted by Arie Y Lewin, Editor-in-Chief, 16 June 2005. This paper has been with the author for two revisions.

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Pellegrini, E., Scandura, T. Leader–member exchange (LMX), paternalism, and delegation in the Turkish business culture: An empirical investigation. J Int Bus Stud 37, 264–279 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jibs.8400185

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