Relationships between Culture and Personality Structures – Comparison of Finnish and American Managers.

Abstract

Global businesses need effective leaders; comparing managers and cultures of different countries can provide valuable information for recruiters and management trainers. This thesis aimed to determine the differences in between Finnish and American managers by examining managers’ personality structures. Further, logical explanations were sought from cultural dimensions. Research question was: Can culture explain why certain types of people become managers in Finland and U.S.?

In the theoretical part, Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Program’s cultural dimensions are presented and their relevance to other central cultural dimensions evaluated. Personality of managers was measured with Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Earlier studies of personality, leaders and culture were consequently focused on.

Significant differences were found in personality structures and in cultural dimensions of Finnish and American data. Personality structures’ distributions were statistically compared using SRTT software. For example; E, S, J, SF, ESFP and Tdom were overrepresented amongst Finnish managers and I, N, P, NT, INTP, INFP, Ndom and Sdom amongst American managers. Managers in U.S. were more often Ns, NTs and Ndoms. Findings can be logically explained with different cultural dimensions; especially with differences in Uncertainty avoidance, Performance orientation, Assertiveness, Future Orientation, Power Distance and Humane orientation.

Indications to recruiting and leadership training are discussed in final chapter. But most importantly; understanding which cultural aspects can have an influence on our leaders and organizations will be helpful when designing organizational changes through managers.