The influence of ethnicity on

Abstract

The objective of this report was to investigate two universal phenomena: a) Culture and b) Leadership. Its goal was to determine the relationship between these two variables and to produce a predictive model. Two international survey questionnaires, the VSM 94, and the MLQ 5X, were used to collect data from five Mauritian ethnic groups. Hofstede’s indexes along its cultural values dimensions, and Bass and Avolio’s indexes for the constituent components of the leadership styles of their model, were determined using formulae provided by the tests’ authors. It was found that the culture of Mauritian managers from some of the five ethnic groups differs along two dimensions out of the five that constitute the cultural model. Regarding leadership style, it was found that all the ethnic groups similarly perceive the transformational, the transactional and the laissez faire styles distinctively. The transformational style was perceived as the most frequently adopted style followed by the transactional style. The laissez faire style was seldom adopted. No significant or patterned influence of ethnicity on self perceived leadership style was found