Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Leadership Styles in Nigerian Work Organisations
Osarumwense Iguisi ORCID ↗
International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science · 2014 · Vol. 3 / Issue 4 · 1-13
Publication metrics
External links open provider records or DOI searches. Provider counts are not combined. Mendeley readership measures saves, not citations.
Dimensions
Live provider badge. If unavailable, use the Dimensions link above.
Observed 21 Oct 2026, 07:22 UTC
Observed 21 Oct 2026 00:49 UTC
OpenAlex and Mendeley observations refresh on article visits, at most once per 24 hours. Unavailable data is not zero. Google Scholar opens a DOI search.
Citations received by this article, grouped by the year of the citing work. Crossref and OpenAlex lifetime totals remain separate in Publication metrics.
2017–2026 Annual history last updated:
Citations received
OpenAlex · year of the citing work
Hover over a year or focus the chart and use arrow keys to inspect values.
2017–2026 annual-history window. 2026 is year to date. Unknown years have gaps.
View data & coverage
2026 is incomplete. Within a successfully fetched ten-year window, omitted years mean zero. Years beyond a saved observation’s window remain unknown (—). Older citations are excluded, so this chart’s sum may differ from the OpenAlex lifetime total. The date above belongs to this annual history; an unsuccessful refresh keeps the previous observation.
Abstract
This research project investigated four managerial leadership styles in Nigerian organizations. The research question that the research tries to address is: to what extent are the leadership styles expressed in modern management theories consistent with Nigerian Traditional values? The findings do confirm that the perceived leadership style in the organizations by the managers is autocratic, the preferred style is the paternalistic and the rejected is the autocratic. For about one in five Nigerian managers, the democratic style is the most often rejected. The study challenges the validity of dominant Western universal perspectives in managerial leadership in traditional African organizations. The study suggests that elements of traditional values pose serious challenge to Nigerian managers’ ability to adopt traditional and modern management practice that can improve the effectiveness of leadership in their organizations
Keywords: {'name': 'Africa'}, {'name': 'Culture'}, {'name': 'Management'}
Authors & affiliations
Osarumwense Iguisi
Affiliation not supplied
Deposited references
Supplied references, not a list of publications citing this article.
Ahiauzu, A.I. (1997). Type ‘A’ Method for Management Research in Africa: Enunciating a culture-specific paradigm. In Culture Dimensions to Appropriate Management in Africa. Edited by Osarumwense Iguisi. UNESCO and E-AMARC Publications, Paris.
Bass, B. M. (1998). Transformational leadership: Industrial, military, and educational impact. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Behrend, H.(1988) Die Zeit Geht Krumme Wege. Frankfurt Campus.
Blake, R.; Mouton, J. (1964). The Managerial Grid: The Key to Leadership Excellence. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co.
DOI: 10.1515/9783110850031
Boon, M. (1996). The African Way: The Power of Interactive Leadership, Johannesburg: Zebra Press.
DOI: 10.1348/096317900166859
DOI: 10.1037/t15043-000
Dia, M. (1996) Africa’s Management in the 1990’s and Beyond: Reconciling Indigenous and Transplanted Institutions. Washington: The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development’.The World Bank.
Fiedler, F.E. (1967) A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness. New York: McGraw Hill.
DOI: 10.1037/0022-3514.46.4.839
DOI: 10.1016/1048-9843(94)90024-8
Hofstede G (1980) Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Newbury Park CA: Sage.
DOI: 10.9707/2307-0919.1014
DOI: 10.1007/s10490-007-9049-0
House, R. J., and Mitchell, R. R. (1974, Fall), Path-goal theory of leadership, Journal of Contemporary Business, 3(4), pp. 81-98.
Iguisi O (1994). Appropriate Management in an African Culture. In: Journal of Management in Nigeria. Vol., 30 No.1, 16-24.
Iguisi O (1998). The Role of Culture in Appropriate Management and Indigenous Development in Africa. Paper delivered at the African seminar on Culture Dimensions to Appropriate management and Sustainable Development in Africa UNESCO Publications, Paris
Iguisi O. (2012). Cultural Dynamics in African Management Practice: Leadership, Motivation, Recruitment and Promotion. LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing.
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-4639-1.ch018
Iguisi O. and Hofstede G (1993). Industrial Management in an African Culture. IRIC University of Limburg Press, Maastricht.
Jackson, T. (2000), “Management in Africa: developing a cross-cultural research agenda”, paper presented at the International Academy of African Business and Development Conference, Atlantic City, NJ,
Jackson, T. (2004) Management and Change in Africa: A Cross-cultural Perspective. Routledge, London.
Jackson, T. (2005). Hybridisation of people Management Systems: Western MNCs in Africa.
Kamoche, K. (1993) Towards a Model of HRM in Africa. In Research in Personal and Human Resource Management, eds. J.B. Shaw, P.S. Kirkbride, K.M. Rowland and G.R. Ferris, Suppl. 3, pp. 259-278. JAI Press, Greenwich. CT.
DOI: 10.1177/097168589800400202
Kidder, L.H., (1981), Research methods in social relations, New York, Rinehart & Winston.
Kotter, J., and Heskett, J. (1992). Corporate culture and performance. New York: Free Press.
Kotter, J.P. (1990) A force for change: How leadership differs from management. New York: Free Press
Kotter, J.P. (1996) Leading change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Lazarus, R., and Folkman, S. (1984). Stress: Appraisal and coping. Springer, New York.
DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780195087574.001.0001
Likert, R. (1961). New Patterns of Management. New York: McGraw Hill,
Likert, R. (1967). The Human Organization. New York: McGraw Hill. London.
Mbigi, L. (1997) Ubuntu: The African Dream in Management, Randburg, S. Africa: Knowledge Resources.
Odubogun, P.K (1992). Management Theory: Relevance for Management Practice in Nigeria. The Netherlands International Institute of Management-Maastricht.
DOI: 10.4135/9781483327198
Storey J (1977) 'What a Difference a Decade Makes. Management Development Ten Years On', People Management, vol. 3 no. 12: pp.28-34. June 1997
DOI: 10.3406/polaf.1998.6157
Whitley, R.D. (2000). Divergent Capitalism – The Social Structuring and Change in Business Systems. New York: Oxford University Press.
DOI: 10.5465/ame.1990.4274698