Leadership, Work Motivation and General Happiness: A 12-country Explorative Study

Since 2000, a new model of leadership has emerged, based on Social Identity Theory (SIT, Tajfel & Turner, 1979). This approach to leadership argues that the effectiveness of a leader depends on their capacity to represent their group, which has been confirmed in multiple studies (Van Knippenberg & Hogg, 2003). Moreover, three others dimensions of the leader identity have been identified (Haslam, Reicher, & Platow, 2011): identity entrepreneurship (creating a group identity), identity advancement (acting for the group) and identity impresarioship (embedding group identity). In this research, we explore cultural differences in the relationships between leadership based on the social identity approach to leadership, individual perception of the work environment (perception of supervisor fairness, psychological contract, work motivation, job performance) and general happiness. 2640 participants across 12 countries (Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, UAE and United States of America) are due to take part to this online survey. Cross-cultural differences will be presented at IACCP.