Understanding Leadership Effectiveness in Multinational Enterprises : A Follower Perspective

Sammanfattning

This study examines leadership from a follower perspective in multinational enterprises (MNEs), where cultural diversity shapes how leadership is experienced. While prior research has predominantly focused on leaders, this study addresses the limited understanding of how employees interpret leadership in relation to their performance and motivation. Using a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews, the study explores how leadership is experienced and made meaningful by employees in multinational work contexts. The findings show that leadership effectiveness is not defined by specific styles or isolated behaviors, but emerges through ongoing interactions between leaders and followers. Leadership is perceived as effective when it supports employees’ ability to perform, creates a sense of motivation, and fosters conditions of trust and inclusion. By emphasizing a follower perspective and a relational view of leadership within a culturally diverse environment, the study highlights the importance of how employees interpret and perceive leadership behaviors in everyday work. This study contributes to a more relational and employee-centered understanding of leadership, emphasizing that effective leadership in multinational settings depends on leaders’ ability to create meaningful work conditions through behaviors that employees experience as supportive and enabling.