Leadership from Europe's Powerhouse: An Exploratory Study

A common thought is that leaders are not made through training and experience, but are born (Zahra, 2004). However, research suggests the opposite. Leadership is a skill that when taught and experienced can be developed and... [ view full abstract ]

A common thought is that leaders are not made through training and experience, but are born (Zahra, 2004). However, research suggests the opposite. Leadership is a skill that when taught and experienced can be developed and improved. Vince Lombardi once said, “Contrary to the opinion of many people, leaders are not born, leaders are made, and they are made by effort and hard work” (Hill, 2004). Leadership affects every aspect of a human’s everyday life. According to Peter Drucker, management expert, “Above all, the performance of the managerial leadership determines the success or failure of the organization” (Zahra, 2003). Leaders are those who are able to reach organizational goals by providing influence and direction, and are imperative to the success of an organization.
How does the development of a leader occur? Connaughton et al., (2003) suggested that many people feel that a main goal of the higher education system should be developing students’ leadership skills and abilities. Programs and curriculum that focus on leadership abilities can ignite students’ leadership potential as well as develop effective leadership styles. Posner (2004) also discovered that students’ leadership behaviors can be positively influenced by leadership education and coursework. One study showed that management students were more cognizant of the greater need for leadership skills when teamwork is involved compared with independent work. Developing leadership in college can help students after college because it increases and develops conflict resolution skills as well as promotes civic responsibility (Cress et al., 2001). Also, according to Bruck (1997), leadership education increases the student’s perception of their abilities to communication, understand themselves, make decision, lead, and work in groups. Logue et al. (2005) also reported that leadership education develops morality, personal satisfaction, honesty, and fulfillment.
Purpose
The aim of this research was to utilize Bolman and Deal’s Four Frame Model to identify the leadership frames and styles used by German college students. This study will also aim to discover any statistically significant differences between leadership styles and academic major, gender, and education level.
Germany is the unrivaled economic and population leader in Europe. It is a homogenous country where its 80 million inhabitants are nearly 92% being Germanic. While the largest in Europe, its economy is fifth largest in the world at $3.7 trillion. (CIA World Factbook, 2015).
The research questions and hypotheses below directed this study:
Q. 1. What leadership styles/frames are utilized by German college students?
Q. 2. What frames are the strongest and weakest utilized by German college students?

H1. The leadership styles/frames utilized by German college students are not significantly different based on academic major, education level, or gender.

H2. The strongest/weakest frames utilized by German college students are not significantly different based on academic major, education level, and gender.

The remainder of this paper will include the literature review, results, discussion, conclusion, and implications.