A Tossed Salad: Heterogeneity of Societal Culture and Preferred Leader Behavior in the Russian Federation.

This study investigates the heterogeneity of societal-cultural values and employee preferences for explicit leader behaviors within the Russian Federation, focusing on two large regions: Siberia and Western (European) Russia. The research finds significant cultural differences between these regions, with Siberia exhibiting lower Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity, Indulgence, and Monumentalism but higher Uncertainty Avoidance compared to Western Russia, reflecting a blend of traditional Slavophile-Orthodox and Western-like values. These cultural distinctions correspond to differing employee preferences for leadership behaviors and their relationships with cultural values, supporting the culturally contingent leadership theory in the Russian context. The study highlights the complexity and intra-national diversity of Russian societal culture and leadership preferences, emphasizing the need for further research across Russia's varied ethnic and regional groups to develop more comprehensive and practical leadership guidelines.