Assessing leadership potential across cultures
A practical, data-driven approach
The pressure on today’s leaders has never been greater. The rapid adoption of AI is reshaping the skills that leaders need, while economic uncertainty is making strong leadership even more critical. Organisations face increasing challenges in identifying and developing leaders who can drive success in this evolving landscape.
Making the right hiring and promotion decisions is crucial — not just to ensure business performance, but to avoid costly mistakes. Poor leadership hiring decisions don’t just have direct financial consequences; they can impact an organisation’s reputation, lower team morale, and reduce productivity.
With so much at stake, it is vital for organisations to use fair, data-driven leadership assessments that accurately identify leadership impact across cultures.
Why leadership assessment must adapt to a globalised workplace
The modern workplace is more global than ever. With remote work, multinational teams, and increased mobility, leaders must be able to manage and inspire diverse groups across cultures. Even organisations operating within a single country often employ individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds. This reality raises a critical question: How can organisations fairly and effectively assess leadership across different cultural contexts?
Traditional concerns about personality assessments include whether they truly capture leadership potential across cultures and whether results are consistent when translated into different languages (McCrae, 2002). In addition, behaviours expressed can vary globally. For example, in some cultures, strong assertiveness is seen as a leadership strength, while in others, humility and group harmony are valued more (Hofstede, 1980; HBR, 2016).
Ensuring leadership assessments are both fair and predictive in a global environment is essential. Leadership expectations may vary by region, but organisations need leaders who can operate successfully across cultures. A major challenge is balancing cultural awareness with the need for a universal framework that identifies the most effective leadership behaviours regardless of geography.
Exploring our data: are there differences in leadership across cultures?
We have conducted exploratory analysis using our global leadership assessment data, comparing Leadership Impact scores across some regions which may be considered different culturally, including the UK, US, China, Australia and the GCC. The goal was to understand whether there are meaningful differences in leadership by culture, or whether leadership behaviours and their associated impact remained consistent in the regions included.
Our findings indicate that there were mostly no notable differences between cultures across the Leadership Impact profile. The only point of interest in the different comparisons was that the GCC group were approximately 1.2 Sten higher than the Australian group on behaviours relating to New Products and Markets. There were generally no appreciable differences found across cultural groups, which reinforces the idea that leadership assessments can measure universal qualities rather than culturally-specific behaviours.
A reliable framework for assessing leadership impact
Our research highlights the importance of focusing on leadership impact rather than more traditional approaches to leadership, or culturally-defined leadership styles. Saville Assessment’s Leadership Impact Model provides a structured way to assess leadership effectiveness by evaluating the tangible impact a leader has in their organisation. By focusing on the most predictive behaviours of leadership success, rather than assumptions based on culture, organisations can make data-driven decisions when identifying and developing leaders.
The Leadership Impact Model was developed using extensive international research, ensuring it remains relevant across different business contexts. It captures both broad leadership effectiveness areas and specific leadership styles that individuals may adopt depending on their environment.
What this means for HR and leadership identification & development
For HR teams
Organisations should rely on empirical data rather than cultural assumptions when assessing leadership. While cultural insights can be valuable, it is important to consider leadership effectiveness is often driven by universal behaviours rather than regional leadership stereotypes.
For organisational success
Given the financial and reputational costs associated with leadership selection, organisations must ensure their assessments are both fair and predictive, enabling them to identify and develop the right leaders on a global scale.
For maximising leadership impact
It is crucial to focus on what truly matters for the role. Role profiling helps identify where leaders will have the greatest impact, allowing organisations to target identification and development efforts effectively. Aligning leadership assessment with organisational needs increases the chances of selecting the right leaders while honing their strengths and development areas. By pinpointing where leaders will drive the most impact, whether in professional, people, or pioneering leadership, assessment processes can support organisations in achieving their goals.
Conclusion
Our findings reinforce a crucial takeaway: leadership assessments should focus on impact, rather than outdated assumptions about leadership styles across cultures. If you’re relying on traditional frameworks or generic competency models, you may be missing key insights that drive leadership success.
So, what does this mean for your organisation? Are your current methods helping you identify the leaders who will truly make a difference, or are they holding you back? Let’s have a conversation about how a data-driven, impact-focused approach can help you make leadership decisions with confidence.
AUTHOR:
Amber Williams
Managing Consultant – Saville Assessment
Find Out More
Get in touch to discuss how our Leadership Impact model can help identify and improve the leadership potential in your organisation.