Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to ascertain Mexican employees' perceptions of their leaders' transformational or transactional leadership styles. Theoretical Framework. The theoretical framework of this study is based on the research foundations of leadership theories, transformational leadership, transactional leadership, cultural theory, cross-national leadership theory, perception theory, and descriptive research methodology. Methodology. The subjects in the present study were 134 Mexican employees from various government and private organizations in Mexico. Subjects responded to a five-point 18-item Likert scale questionnaire measuring the dependent variables of transformational and transactional leadership styles. The independent variables of age, city, gender, and region were introduced, because previous research suggested that there might be an influence of these demographic variables on the perceptions of employees toward their leaders' leadership styles. Findings. Examination of quantitative data from 134 questionnaires indicated that Mexican employees perceived their leaders' leadership styles as more transformational than transactional. Secondly, since the study was conducted in four cities in Mexico, the researcher attempted to measure the impact of region (North or South Mexico), age, city, and gender on leadership styles perceptions. The results show significant differences between male and female respondents. Female respondents tended to perceive their leaders as more transformational than did their male counterparts. Conclusions and Recommendations. The study data support the conclusion that cross-national leader-employee relationships could be improved if cross-nationally bound leaders understood the leadership perceptions of their cross-national employees, particularly those native to Mexico. Further research is advised: it is recommended that the sample size be increased to ensure a good representation of the Mexican population. Future studies could also include the analysis of other demographic variables that may influence employee perception such as education, ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic status. Also, because the findings of this study were limited to Mexico, it is recommended that the study be replicated and conducted in other areas within Mexico and in other Latin American countries.