ABSTRACT
This chapter highlights the major challenges for the development of research and practices of business leaders and leadership not only in Asia, but also globally. Paternalistic leadership is one of the key characteristics of East Asian leadership style, with an emphasis on authoritarian rule as well as an ordered and, ideally, benevolent social hierarchy. Younger generations of business leaders are now more likely to obtain a Western-style business/management education during their undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Today the key Western concepts of leadership have a profound influence in East Asia. Generally speaking, transactional-oriented economic rationale underlies decision-making in the West and lays the foundation of Western leadership. The Eastern thinking of effective leadership requires absolute authority within a social hierarchy, namely paternalistic and authoritarian leadership, to rule and control subordinates – but ideally with benevolent behaviour. The leadership process focuses on effective and dependent relationships with a group orientation and a balanced way for the purpose of maintaining harmony.
