Differences in leadership styles and behaviour across hierarchical levels in UK organisations

摘要

Several studies have examined the leadership styles and behaviour of managers across hierarchical levels to see whether or not the styles and behaviour are similar. The present study collected data from over 400 managers in the UK to research the topic. It found that generally there are significant differences in the leadership styles between senior and first-level managers, but not between senior and middle-level managers or between middle and first-level managers. The study suggests that differences in the kadership styles practised by managers may be blurred in organisations with short chains of command, while it will tend to be pronounced in organisations with long chains of command, other things being equal Overall, while there was a weak but statistically significant difference between the kadership styles of senior and first-level managers, the differences in their kadership behaviour was statistically strong. The implications of these results are explored.