As businesses continue to expand into China, and Chinese companies establish operations around the world, employers find themselves having to integrate both Chinese and Western perspectives into their organizational leadership roles. Understanding the inherent differences between Chinese and Western leadership styles is essential for successful talent management programs.

To pinpoint the differences between Chinese and Western leadership styles, Hogan consultants Jarrett Shalhoop and Michael Sanger collected personality data from 992 Chinese business leaders who met three criteria:
1. They were born and educated in Mainland China.
2. They were working in Mainland China at the time of assessment.
3. They had direct reports at the time of assessment.

They compared this sample to business leaders in the U.S. (4,184), Germany (1,779), and Australia (4,864), regions selected because of their large trade interests with China.

Shalhoop and Sanger examined three kinds of data: bright-side personality, also called normal personality, dark-side personality, and values. Together, these three dimensions accurately predict individuals’ strengths, weaknesses, and leadership style.

Read the results of the study to understand the differences between Chinese and Western leadership styles.