This paper focuses on cross-cultural management and leadership. In particular, it aims at universal leadership studies and attributes. By using a comprehensive literature review and some relevant examples from various sources it shows that the amount of leadership as well as leadership styles might significantly vary across countries and occupations. Moreover, the aim of the paper is to describe applicability of the leadership styles across nations. We show that while democratic, consultative or even inclusive leadership styles are beneficial in low power distance cultures, they might cause problems in the high-power distance countries. It appears that a very important aspect of the leadership style is the style of follower which, among others, is also dependent on the country of origin. The inconsistency of the styles of leaders and followers may lead to mutual misunderstanding, conflicts and loss of effectivity. Therefore, our study confirms that sufficient training of managers in multicultural management might be necessary for achieving growth and success in the volatile and globalised business environment of the 21st century.
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