Learning and Performance Quarterly, 1(2), 2012 63 Creative Leadership: Does It Clash Across Cultures?

As international competition, technology advancement, and the knowledge-based economy increases, creativity is becoming increasingly critical for the success of organizations all around the world. While leadership or support of individuals’ immediate leaders is one of the most potent factors impacting individual creativity, the majority of previous studies examining the relationship between leadership and creativity were conducted in Western contexts and only few studies investigated the cross-cultural aspects of leadership and creativity. This study explores the connection between traditional creativity research and cross-cultural leadership research, building toward a conceptual framework proposed for further discussion and ultimately testing. Conceptual links between participative leader behaviors, individualism-collectivism, power distance, and creativity are examined. Implications for leadership development in order to enhance organizational creativity in an international HRD context bring this article to a close