Relationship Between Leadership Styles and Ages

RESEARCHING & REPORTING
CO301/401
END OF TERM ASSESSMENT
PROJECT: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGES AND LEADERSHIP STYLES
********O********
Prepared for: Mrs. Ewa Maciejewski
Prepared by: Le Hang Nguyen 3HE2
Thi Luu Nguyen 3HE2
Date of submission: 11/01/2012
Abstract
The research explores the relationship between Ages and Leadership styles, by using a questionnaire survey to collect data from 100 managers from different Hospitality organizations and at different organizational level in Montreux, Switzerland. The research question is identified as “ what role does Age play in the perception of leadership style”. There have been some research publications focusing on influences of age on the leadership style (for example, Kabacofff and Stoffey, 2011; Mitchell, 2000; Vinnicombe and Kakabadse, 1999). The authors found that the older managers were mature, saw challenges and had long-term perspectives in managing people, in contrast, younger managers were competitive, and result oriented and adopted an open style of management. Since some people have asked what relevant age has to do with leadership, we do a research on 100 managers in Montreux to explore those theories. The findings suggest that the younger and older manager have different profile in their autocratic and democratic leadership style (consultative and participative). Older manager is more autocratic in decision-making process, more consultative in employees’ opinion and more participative in employees’ performance in comparison with younger manager. However, the two groups of manager both apply laissez-faire leadership style at the same level.
Key words: Age group, Leadership, Managers, Autocratic Leadership style, Democratic Leadership style, Consultative Leadership style, Participative Leadership style, Delegate Leadership style.

Acknowledgements
The special thank goes to Professor Van Gau Vu, University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The consulting and support that he gave truly help the

References: Conger, Jay A., and Rabindra N. Kanungo. 1998. The empowerment process: Intergrating theory and practice. Academy of Management Review. Vol. 13, No. 3, pp. 471-482. Hughes, Richard L., Robert C. Ginnett, and Gordon J. Curphy. 1999. Leadership. 3rd ed. Boston: Irwin McGraw Hill. Kabacoff, R.I. 1999. Management level, job function and leadership style: a large sample of study. Paper presented at the 107th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Boston, MA. Kabacoff, R.I and Stoffey, R.W. 2001. Age differences in organizational leadership. Paper presented at the 16th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. San Diego, CA. Kakabadse, A., Kakabadse, N. and Myers, A. 1998. Demographics and leadership philosophy: exploring gender differences. Journal of Management Development. Vol. 17, No.5, pp. 351-388. Lewin, K., Lippitt, R., White, R. 1939. Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology. pp. 271–301. Mitchell, S. 2000. American Generations – Who They Are. How They Live. What They Think. 3rd ed. New Strategist publications, Inc., Ithaca, NY. Oshagbemi, T. 1999. Managers and Their Time. Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. pp. 118-124. Vrasidas, C. 2001. Interpretivism and Symbolic Interactionism: Making the Familiar Strange and Interesting Again in Educational Technology Research. Information Age Publishing, Inc. Greenwich. Yukl, Gary A. 1989. Managerial leadership: A review of theory and research. Journal of Management. Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 251-289. Hogan, R. and Hogan, J. 2001. Assessing leadership: a view from dark side. International Journal of Selection and Assessment. Vol. 9, No. 1/2, pp. 40-51. Holt, R.T. 1954. Age as a factor in the recruitment of communist leadership. American Political Science Review. Vol. 48, No. 2, pp. 486-499. Hughes, Richard L., Robert C. Ginnett, and Gordon J. Curphy. 1999. Leadership. 3rd ed. Boston: Irwin McGraw Hill. Kabacoff, R.I. 1999. Management level, job function and leadership style: a large sample of study. Paper presented at the 107th Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association. Boston, MA. Kabacoff, R.I and Stoffey, R.W. 2001. Age differences in organizational leadership. Paper presented at the 16th Annual Conference of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. San Diego, CA. Kabacoff, R.I. 2002. Leadership: What Has Age Got to Do with It?. Research Release. Management Research Group, New York, NY. Kakabadse, A., Kakabadse, N. and Myers, A. 1998. Demographics and leadership philosophy: exploring gender differences. Journal of Management Development. Vol. 17, No.5, pp. 351-388. Lewin, K., Lippitt, R., White, R. 1939. Patterns of aggressive behavior in experimentally created social climates. Journal of Social Psychology. pp. 271–301. Mitchell, S. 2000. American Generations – Who They Are. How They Live. What They Think. 3rd ed. New Strategist publications, Inc., Ithaca, NY. Oshagbemi, T. 1999. Managers and Their Time. Blackhall Publishing, Dublin. pp. 118-124. Schubert, J.N. 1998. Age and active-passive leadership style. American Political Science Review. Vol. 82, No. 3, pp. 763-773. Vrasidas, C. 2001. Interpretivism and Symbolic Interactionism: Making the Familiar Strange and Interesting Again in Educational Technology Research. Information Age Publishing, Inc. Greenwich. Yukl, Gary A. 1989. Managerial leadership: A review of theory and research. Journal of Management. Vol. 15, No. 2, pp. 251-289. Yukl, G. 2002. Leadership in Organizations. Prentice-Hall International, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, NJ.