ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the applicability of paternalistic leadership (PL) to private businesses in the People's Republic of China (PRC). It analyzes the context of China's private sector and present hypotheses about the relationships between PL dimensions and subordinate responses. The chapter describes tests of these hypotheses using a sample of 292 employees from 52 PRC private enterprises. It demonstrates the importance of subordinate dependence on supervisor for resources as a key variable conditioning the effects of PL on subordinate outcomes. The chapter employs multiple regression analysis to test the effects of PL on subordinate outcomes, regressing each of these on the three PL components: authoritarianism, benevolence, and morality, while controlling for subordinate demographics, position level, traditionality, and dependence. It also employs covariance structure analysis to test an overall causal model of PL effects on subordinate outcomes. The chapter constructs a path model that shows tentative causal relationships between paternalistic leadership dimensions, subordinate psychological reactions, and attitudinal/behavioral outcomes.
