Introduction
Culture plays a critical role in determining leadership style preferences because people expect and behave in a certain way based on culture. They influence the behaviours and the ideas that govern the actions of the leaders within organizations. For example, while most societies appreciate respect for elders and acknowledgment of their supremacy, most leaders will embrace autocratic leadership styles, more than societies that favour equal representation of people and democracy. This paper aims at establishing a link between the leadership decision and culture with an emphasis on the Portuguese culture. It discusses some of the cultural aspects of the Portuguese culture and how they affect leadership interactions and make it global.
Cultural Values and Leadership Preferences
Cultural values refer to the beliefs, attitudes, norms assumptions, or even behaviour that differentiates a culture from another culture (Can and Aktaş, 2012) Several core business values are derived from the strong stamp of history and social development of the culture in the context of Portugal and these include; communality, traditionist, and conservative changes. Regarding leadership preferences, Portuguese culture values interpersonal relationships, loyalty, and collective well-being. It is important for a leader to first of all be authoritative and, on the other hand, to be a kind of mentor who takes care of his/her subordinates.
As a virtue, the Portuguese culture may be characterized as emphasizing the status quo, practicality, and interpersonal conformity. The values that are most esteemed in leaders are more practical; these include wanting tangible outcomes while not compromising on interpersonal relations (Silva, Babo and Guerra, 2012) In this case, contrary to the cultures that promote individualism, Portuguese culture is more collectivist; teamwork and support are valued. Hence, communal stores of decision-making, cooperation, and the general well-being of the community are forms of leadership styles that are appreciated.
Also, it is pertinent to note that the Portuguese culture advocates for adherence to tradition and strict observance of norms especially in the corporate arena where the leadership style embraces both authority and care. It seems that managers are still presented as autocratic decision-makers and at the same time, people who care about the wellbeing and careers of their subordinates. This reserved way of communication is appropriate in business and respects the culture of the English polite language and discreet attitude. Those who tend to focus on the vision of empowering people by being compassionate, culturally sensitive, and assuring social order do well with the Portuguese (De Moraes et al., 2016).
The recent social trends, however, are gradually leading to changes towards more inclusive and involving forms of leadership. While doing business in the global world, the Portuguese leadership necessarily adopts traditional values for the business with new liberal values mixed into the organization (Stephan and Pathak, 2016). In this dynamic environment, managers who show flexibility, tolerance for inclusion, and influx of change are likely to emerge as significant points of call in both the public and the private workspace.
Leadership Styles in Portuguese Culture
Considering the highlighted cultural values and preferences, several leadership styles can be described in the context of Portuguese culture. Although the Portuguese culture remains collectivist about decision-making, coupled with the recent appreciation for democracy, participative leadership is gaining more popularity all over the country. People make more decisions in this environment involving the subordinates which makes the leaders seek the opinion of all the members of a team. Although the managerial culture of Portugal can be described as central and patriarchal in the past, recent trends contributed to the change towards the values of democracy that foster creativity and motivation with mutual trust and support among the team members (Reis, Lourenço and Mendes, 2023). However, like in other contexts, this style may face some problems such as slow decision-making and the possibility of different attitudes causing conflicts.
Based on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, power distance in Portuguese culture remains relatively high; nevertheless, it is gradually changing in some specific business contexts. This change has led to the development of another subordinate and friendly form of leadership; servant leadership. Servant leadership in the workplaces in Portugal involves understanding and meeting the needs of the followers, as well as the use of participation in decision-making to involve the employees and focus on the needs of the organization. This is consistent with the Portuguese culture of equality and respect for the values of social justice that would be considerate of individuals and organizations and build trust within organizations. However, servant leadership has its shortcomings that the leaders should tackle; these include; lack of time, resistance to change, and perception of weakness among colleagues (Macedo et al., 2022).
As for, the transformations in the contemporary business environment make Portuguese organizations recognize transformational leaders as effective in stimulating changes and implementing innovations. Transformational leaders have effectively communicated the vision that is in line with the new emerging culture in the management of organizations that seek to blend corporate finesse with emerging new-fangled business outlooks. On this note, transformational leaders can bring remarkable change in an organization by inspiring the members of the team to the greatest level of self-actualization and creative thinking. They need to learn how to deal with pressure to deliver results, the resistance of people who are used to traditional forms of learning, and ethical dilemmas that would allow sustained improvement (Romana and Gestoso, 2022).
Moreover, charismatic leadership, which is defined by the excellence of a communicator and the ability to mobilize followers, is also seen in the Portuguese context. People who are driven, but genuine and unpretentious can influence everyone to follow them, making everyone motivated and feel like they are part of a common goal. However, they need to be careful of the problems like Dependency, Ethical complications, and Burnout. Due to this logic, incorporating honesty as well as a true belief in the general welfare of the people within the organizations of the Iberian nation, charismatic leaders can indeed go on as a meaningful social force (Gemeda and Lee, 2020).
Cross-Cultural Comparisons
From the perspective of cultural differences, leadership behaviours differ, and thus the differences in the link between leadership behaviour and its results (De Souza et al., 2024). Current leadership practices in the Portuguese culture bear the influence of tradition, community, and people-oriented family values as well as cultural reverence for authorities while not lagging in the face of ever-changing and growing global standards. It should also be noted that Portuguese leaders are predominantly autocratic, which means that they are directive in that they decide and lead by giving directions and embracing close-knit relationships with their subordinates. This is in contrast to leadership practices in organizations in cultures that are individualistic oriented such as the United States, where pro-entrepreneur employees and assertiveness are admired. Hence in American organizations organizational leaders are expected to be decisive, proactive, and innovative meaning that they have to take risks and question the status quo (Pothitou, Perifanou and Economides, 2025).
There is a relatively recent trend for Portuguese organizations towards more democratic and inclusive practices, however, the results are still influenced by the more autocratic culture. Members of the team are encouraged to follow an aristocratic decision-making pattern, though it has a combination of both autocratic and democratic styles of problem-solving. This fusion is similar and shows a transition from the main idea of community and commitment linked with the increase of liberation and involvement. Thus, the focus on the Portuguese leadership cultural model can be concluded to be an approach that would serve to maintain traditional values as long as the current approach to management is adapted to modern needs.
In contrast, Asian cultures are characterized by strong elements of communitarianism and adequate compliance with the principles of subordination. Leadership responsibilities are in general assigned whereby one has been entrusted with a certain position of authority and has the final say on certain issues. Leaders are required to be notably authoritative, with opposition or contributing contributions from the employees being minimal in such settings. What is different in the Portuguese structure of leadership is a sign of higher tolerance toward communication and collaboration compared with such countries as China, for instance, where strict hierarchy seems to dominate. Portuguese leaders more and more try to implement the principles of both ordered and participative structures of organizing (Haozhe and Coelho, 2024).
Currently, the management culture within Portuguese organizations remains somewhat autocratic and hierarchical with the organizational culture promoting togetherness, commitment, and conservatism with the emergence of new adaptations and changes. Thus, the leaders have to develop unique strategies to meet the expectations that are inherent to the country’s culture and business setting, as well as the expectations that emerge due to the current trends of globalization. This tension between tradition and modernity then guarantees that Portuguese leadership is both tradition-bound and progressive enough to establish cultures that embrace traditional values as well as incorporate change as a core institutional value.
Conclusion
Portuguese leadership pays a lot of importance to tradition and, at the same time, it embraces innovation. These leadership historical foundations are drawn based on community, loyalty, and more especially paternal leadership. Modern tendencies are more open to democratic decision-making and inclusive decision-making showing respect to the hierarchy but offering opportunities for comments. In contrast to the American bosses’ direct approach to the management issues or rather strict hierarchies of some Asian leaders, the Portuguese managers have a flexible leadership approach, maintaining stability that respects cultural traditions and at the same time presenting the ideas of the modern multinational business world.
This analytical essay demonstrates a clear link between culture and leadership, using Portugal as a case study. It highlights cultural values, leadership preferences, and cross-cultural comparisons to provide evidence-based insights. Students can use this structured essay to understand academic analysis, referencing, and synthesis of theory with practice. For tailored, plagiarism-free support that meets university criteria, expert assignment help online can guide you through research, writing, and citation processes to achieve higher grades and a professional submission.
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