Affects of strategic leadership on business success - a cross-cultural analysis from a resource based view

This paper concerns strategic leadership as it functions in businesses today. The research will outline which skills and characteristics are the most important for being a strategic leader. The influence of culture on leadership is also investigated, leading to the examination of the question of whether business strategy affects leadership. The paper links leadership with strategic management and discusses how a successful practice of leadership can help an organization create a unique and valuable market position, assisting the attainment of sustainable competitive advantage. The research demonstrates that strategic leadership is above the operational level of management and that strategic leaders understand their market and their resources. They have clarity of vision as well as an ability to develop well attuned business goals. The results show that the characteristics and skills of strategic leaders plays a dominant role in their ability to see the big picture, embedding these into daily business is crucial. Analysis also finds that national culture, competitiveness and market development affect strategic leadership. This research shows that strategic leadership is associated with business success and a lack of strategic leadership may find companies losing focus in the long term. It can therefore be concluded that strategic leadership tends to support a sustainable competitive advantage in the market place.