LEADERSHIP AND OUTCOME OF LEADERSHIP DIFFERENCES OF AN ENTERPRISE 50 (E50) AWARD WINNING SME: A COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY BETWEEN SINGAPORE AND MALAYSIA

Abstract

This study examines the impact of leadership styles on achieving organisational performance outcomes based on criteria as set by Enterprise 50 Award organisers. Specifically, this case study makes a comparison between the mean scores of Full Range of Leadership styles, associated leadership factors, Outcomes of Leadership and several demographic factors, collected from an E50 award winning SME (E50Case) on the one hand, and on the other, three cohorts of SMEs: Enterprise 50 award winning SMEs in Singapore’s building and construction industry (E50SSME); SMEs in the wholesale subsector of the distributive trade sector in Klang Valley, Malaysia (KMYSME); and a normative sample from the USA (NSUSA). The results showed that a comparative increase in favourable Leadership styles in E50Case did not increase Extra Effort and Effectiveness when compared with E50SSME. However, E50Case displayed a significant decrease in Laissez-faire which contributed to an increase of Extra Effort and Satisfaction when compared with KMYSME. When compared with NSUSA, E50Case manifested comparatively favourably in Transactional Leadership style and Laissez-faire style, but neither the intensity nor frequency were enough to do better than NSUSA’s Outcomes of Leadership. Another comparison using Gender revealed that male respondents in E50Case manifested a comparative increase in favourable Leadership styles and increased Outcomes of Leadership, when compared to E50SSME and KMYSME. However, female respondents in E50Case, manifested a comparative decrease in favourable Leadership styles and a decrease in Outcomes of Leadership, when compared to E50SSME and KMYSME.