Bridging Culture and Leadership: Unveiling Values and Styles in North Macedonia.

This article examines the relationship between national culture dimensions and preferred leader behavior in North Macedonia, with a focus on regional differences between the capital city Skopje and other parts of the country. Using Hofstede's cultural dimensions measured by the Values Survey Module 2008 (VSM08) and leadership preferences assessed by the Leader Behavior Description Questionnaire XII (LBDQXII), the study found that cultural values are largely homogeneous across regions, except for higher Individualism in Skopje. However, significant regional differences exist in preferred leader behaviors, with Skopje residents favoring leaders who emphasize order, conflict resolution, and initiative more than those in other towns. The study also identified weak but regionally distinct correlations between certain cultural dimensions and leadership preferences, supporting the culturally contingent theory of leadership, though it notes limitations due to sample size and calls for further research.