Title: Visionary leadership at a Thai apparel manufacturer: surprising evidence?

Authors: Sooksan Kantabutra

Addresses: Leadership Research Group, College of Management, Mahidol University, 69 Vipawadee Ransgit Road, Bangkok 10400, Thailand

Abstract: Corporate leaders are exhorted to espouse vision, but little is known about how vision is realised by leaders at different levels in Southeast Asian manufacturing sector. The present study tests relationships between perceived vision communication, motivation of employees and organisational alignment among supervisors, and satisfaction of their immediate subordinates at a leading Thai apparel manufacturer. Findings indicate that aligning organisational systems to suit vision is directly predictive of enhanced employee satisfaction while, surprisingly, motivation and empowerment of employees, and vision communication are not significantly associated with employee satisfaction. Future research directions and managerial implications are discussed.

Keywords: leadership vision; employee motivation; employee empowerment; organisational alignment; visionary leadership; Thailand; manufacturing industry; employee satisfaction; supervisors.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEX.2014.059547

International Journal of Business Excellence, 2014 Vol.7 No.2, pp.168 - 187

Published online: 07 Jun 2014 *

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