Sustainability 2016, 8, x doi:10.3390 www.mdpi.comjournal sustainability [617000]

Sustainability 2016, 8, x; doi:10.3390/ www.mdpi.com/journal/ sustainability
Article 1
A Comprehensive Model for Sustainable Leadership 2
in Romania 3
Gratiela Dana Boca1* 4
1Department of Economics, Technical University of Cluj Napoca, Bulevardul 21 Decembrie 1989 128 -130, 5
Cluj-Napoca 400604, Romania; E -Mail: [anonimizat] (B.G.D) 6
* Correspondence: e -mail : [anonimizat] , Tel.: +40-072-2341 -1344 7
Academic Editor: name 8
Received: date; Accepted: date; Published: date 9
Abstract: A survey to identify a leader model and their capacity of adaptation with the new trends 10
of culture management , was submitted to 250 persons involved in small and medium business 11
owners from Maramures County , Romania . The results indicated that leader and staff organization 12
approaches to a specific model in function of their culture and the results obtain are useful to 13
characterize the work of small business owner -managers. This article proposes a leadership model 14
based on education, age, work period, and the most importan t approaches to managerial work and 15
the necessity of management change in organization. Four major factors to a comprehensive leader 16
model w as taken in consideration. The modelling factors influencing managerial styles and 17
behaviour were identified: external factors, internal factors, decision -making factors for vision and 18
leading, and factors which can affect thei r behaviour and attitude in organization. The 19
comprehensive model proposed by author will help local organizations and their leaders to 20
understand the cur rent market conditions in the country and outside, the demand for products or 21
services, as well the business culture. Regarding the four variables, the paper can contribute to the 22
development of sustainable leadership in other countries and establish a new orientatio n in 23
organization culture management . 24
Keywords: sustainability ; leader model; leadership; cross culture model; small business; 7D’s 25
26
1. Introduction 27
The cultural models of Peterlin [1] and Grooms [2] are very relevant in today’s global world. 28
The GLOBE project ( Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness Research Project) 29
is the largest study of international leadership across cultures, [3]. 30
The results of the GLOBE project support the argument that leadership values, or the strength 31
of the relationship between leadership values and what is viewed as effective leadership, can be 32
identified from the cultural dimensions [4]. The information from GLOBE [5] can help leaders 33
explain their approach to leadership in cultures other than their own, identify how their approach is 34
similar and different from leadership approaches typicall y seen as effective in another culture, and 35

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understand why they prefer a particular leadership approach. Through this data -driven approach, 36
the project teaches about leadership across cultures. Matthews and Thakkar [6], present an 37
interesting model of the impact of globalization on cross -cultural communication: 4 C’s Global 38
Leadership Model. The new model consists of four key elements: communication, creativity, conflict 39
and connectivity. The novelty lies in the support of innovation and management change. The model 40
provides a support for organizational leaders who are working with multicultural teams, to compete 41
in the ever -changing global environment. Hamel [7] introduced a new concept regarding the 42
reinvention of management and definition of a new democra cy of information for organizations in a 43
turbulent world. He identifies 25 moon shoot factors that are important for managers in 44
implementing innovation in organizations. 45
Sustainability is defined by Steiner and Posch [8] as humans surviving indefinitely into the 46
future with a reasonable quality of life. The three dimensions of sustainability are: economic, social 47
and ecological development. Although sometimes the ecological/environmental dimension of 48
sustainability is presented as the core discussion, the three dimensions must be equally important to 49
leaders, and it is necessary to equip them with the knowledge and skills that will enable them to 50
function in a business environment that has sustainability as its core va lue. Globalization creates a 51
need to understand how cultural differences affect leadership performance and leaders need to 52
become competent in cross -cultural awareness and practice. Cross -cultural competencies for leaders 53
are: 54
1) To understand business sales and the cultural environment; 55
2) To understand economic trends and technologies; 56
3) To be able to work simultaneously leader – staff : 57
4) To be able to adapt to other cultures. 58
The dynamic quality spiral provides an important constraint in the evolution of sustain ability, 59
demonstrating that just like sustainable development, sustainable leadership represents a process 60
and not an end. 61
1.1. Leadership vs. Culture 62

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There are three required elements of leadership: the ability to influence, a common goal or 63
vision, and followers that are willing to work toward the vision. However, even with all three 64
elements in place, there is no guarantee that effective leadership wi ll automatically follow. Even in 65
an ideal organization, where a culture has traditional values, norms, and practices, it is still not easy 66
to be a leader. Leaders achieve little if the culture does not allow them to influence staff to work 67
toward a common goal. Leadership cannot exist in the wrong culture. 68
In the literature there are articles by Northouse [9], Newstrom and Pierce [10], Druker [11] on 69
leaders and the leadership role. In sustaining societal change, Druker focused on visionary 70
leadership with an emphasis on leaders of the future. Hargreaves and Fink, define their critical 71
principles of sustainable leadership [12] as the ability to: 72
1. create and sustain learning process ; 73
2. ensure success over time; 74
3. sustain the leadership of others; 75
4. address issues of social justice; 76
5. develop rather than deplete human and material resources; 77
6. promote environmental diversity and capacity; 78
7. actively engage with the environment. 79
Today’s leadership in a global society requires an educational model. Ceulemans et al. [13], 80
Marcote et al. [14], Velasco et al.[15] propose a cross cultural evaluation and report a model for 81
organizational management based on attitude changes for sustainable development. Vann et al. 82
[16], Hamel and Breen [17] mention the future of m anagement where leadership has an important 83
role. Leadership sustainability is the ability of leaders to recognize the intricate systems interwoven 84
with human values that promote sustainability. Leadership is important for an organization’s 85
success in the globalized economy, however leaders have not been trained, educated or prepared to 86
deal with the complexity and environmental reality. Hofstede’s work [18], presents an approach to 87
cross cultural management. 88
The model is important because it bridges the c onnection between companies in different 89
countries that are now in a global market and multinationals , where difficulties and cultural 90
feedback can be different. 91

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Culture can be defined as dynamic in the sense that it changes over time and this change in 92
culture could lead to conflict. According to Adler [19], a cross cultural management model explains 93
the behavior of people in organizations around the world and shows people how to work in 94
organizations with employees and client populations from many diff erent cultures. 95
96
2. Leaders for Sustainability 97
2.1. What qualities does a sustainable leader need to have? 98
The literature research by Fullen and Hargreaves [20 -21] suggests the following seven key 99
characteristic traits and styles in distinguishing the leadership approach taken by individuals 100
tackling sustainability issues: 101
 Systemic, interdisciplinary understanding; 102
 Emotional intelligence and a caring attitude; 103
 Values orientation that shapes culture; 104
 A strong vision for making a significant difference; 105
 An inclusive style that engenders trust; 106
 A willingness to innovate and be radical; and 107
 A long -term perspective on impacts. 108
Leaders are facing fi nancial and structural challenges, and represent a sustainable 109
management signals to investors, employees, and customers that a business is stable and the 110
leadership has a long -term vision, drawing on state -of-the-art practices. Leaders stand at the 111
inters ection of leadership, culture and brand. They need to be trained to lead stakeholders and not 112
just to respond to crises, with one foot in the investor world and the other deep inside their culture 113
in order to be able to manage the triple -bottom line, which means overseeing social issues. The 114
model proposed in this paper presents a primary mechanism of how leaders shape culture: 115
1) Problem structure: How or what is the structure of the problem? 116
2) Organization goals: How the employees share the organization goals ? Are they involved in 117
solving problems? 118
3) Subordinate conflicts: Is there conflict among subordinates over preferred solutions? 119

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4) Subordinate infrastructure: How subordinates have a supporting infrastructure to make a 120
decision? 121
According to Fullan [22], sustainability is the capacity of a system to engage in the complexities 122
of continuous improvement that are consistent with profound human values. 123
124
2.2. Why Sustainable Leadership Matters 125
According to Hargreaves and Fink [23 -24], leaders develop sustainability through the way they 126
approach, commit to and protect deep learning in their organizations. These authors consider the 127
first principle of sustainable leadership to be leadership for le arning and caring for others. Today’s 128
leaders need to adapt to leading and managing people from different cultures. Today’s businesses 129
are complex entities. The cultural diversity of businesses requires that management makes sure 130
they understand cross -cultural boundaries. Modelling, creating and identifying the leader typology 131
facilitates leadership support and builds leadership sustainability. Such a model creates a cycle of 132
ongoing leadership development that continuously manages and sustains the future l eader . 133
134
2.3. How we can sustain sustainable leadership? 135
For a manager, the comprehensive model proposed in this paper, helps to identify gaps in the 136
change management process and to provide 137
 effective coaching for his/her employees; 138
 diagnosis of employee r esistance to change; 139
 a learning tool in teaching change management; 140
 a framework for change management teams to evaluate change management plans; 141
 help for the employees through the change process; 142
 successful action plans for personal and professional develo pment during change; 143
 a transition plan within change management for his/her employees; 144
 a track of progress and an understanding of gaps in any existing change program. 145
A broad research area called organization cultures is carried out the comprehensive model of this 146
paper within cultures, which maintains that until now organizations have mainly been studied in 147
terms of organization as an economic system. 148

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Grooms [25] stat es that leadership sustainability is the ability of leaders to recognize the intricate 149
systems interwoven with human values that promote sustainability. Leadership is a complex 150
process involving three dimensions: the leader, the employee and the demands of the situation. 151
Speaking about the world of business with Edersheim [27], Peter Drucker [26], who is considered 152
to be the father of modern management, and a respected management thinker in his own right, 153
focused on the visionary leadership role in sustain ing societal change with an emphasis on leaders 154
of the future. This model, shown in Figure 1, refers to the traditions and customs that are prevalent 155
in the country where each company is located. 156
157
Figure 1. A model of culture in a leader management organization. Source: Adapted by the 158
author [19] 159
160
The communication barriers include culture, technology, language, workforce, and 161
environment. Culture values have an important effect on how the leader management run an 162
organization. Each culture model takes into consideration time, space (country), business structure 163
(state or private) and action type of activity. Time in every culture depends on its traditions. Time 164
can influence the history and traditions of a company. Culture itself is a shared set of assumptions, 165
values and norms of a group of people which helps them to prioritize what they are going to do 166
and how they are going to get things done. It makes it easier to get things done within one’s own 167
culture than wor king across cultures. The strategic development for a comprehensive cross 168
model considers the following stages of management culture changes from a traditional culture as 169
an inside culture to organization to a future culture as an outcome culture, which is necessary for 170
Time focus Time oriented

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organizations that have to communicate across cultures to ensure that their message is understood 171
(Figure 2). 172
173
174
175
176
177
Figure 2 . A strategic approach to cross culture in organizations Source: The authors 178
179
From quality management point of view, the role of leader is important because the translation 180
from quality management to the cross cultural model can be performed following the stages: vision – 181
ideal culture with values of global culture, mission – traditi onal culture with specific structural 182
changes, technology, innovation and quality, politics–operating culture adapted with the norms and 183
harmonization of other cultures and strategy–outcome culture with new system for customers, 184
organizations, subcultures and global changes. Culture also helps to define the group, because 185
cultural intelligence is key to the success of today’s cross cultures, cross borders, cross organization 186
workers. 187
188
3. Research and Methodology 189
This article looks at the applicability of certain aspects of sustainable leadership to the 190
circumstances surrounding small and medium enterprises in Maramures County, Romania. 191
IDEAL
CULTURE
CAUSAL
CULTURE
OPERATING
CULTURE
OUTCOMES
CULTURE Level of changes
Norms / Harmonization’s New System Values
 Customer ;
 Organization ;
 Sub culture ;
 Global changes .  Structure ;
 Technology ;
 Innovation ;
 Quality .

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The article examines the distinctive challenges encountered by directors of sm all organizations 192
experiencing problems in pursuing sustainable leadership. The reason for our interest in leadership 193
of small and medium enterprises located in urban and rural areas has been explained in the 194
contextual background of the article's focus on sustainable leadership, identifying the variables 195
which can influence the leader’s characteristics and behavior and be capable of changing it when 196
there is a comprehensive model for leader and leadership. 197
A total of 250 people participated in the research, with different education backgrounds, and 198
involved in different activities. The survey developed for this study consisted of 24 items that were 199
rated according to five points. Each of the items assessed one of the cultural measurements of 200
accepta nce, conflict, individualism, risk, or sharing. 201
The survey was carried out between June -July 2015, in Maramures County, Romania, in 202
several cities: Baia Mare, Sighetul Marmatiei, Cavnic, mining cities affected by the economical crises 203
and which are under transition to a surviving solution. The study identified the variables 204
influencing the leader model thus enabling it to be adapted to a future global market. 205
The survey was structured as follows: 206
 Part 1 . Identifying the characteristics of respondents in volved in economic activities, 207
question: Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4 –on age, gender, education, work experience; 208
 Part 2 . Collecting information on the business type and the familiar field of business for 209
respondents. Q5 – period of employment with the same business, Q6 – size of business, 210
Q7-type of business (services, manufacturing, retail) Q8 -structure of legal business state, 211
private, SMEs, Q9 –relation between business manager, employee. 212
 Part 3 . The structure was created to determine the leadership profile, and establish the 213
variables that could influence the leader profile. 214
Part 3 of the survey contained 15 items, designed to obtain the leader model depending on 215
factors of influence. For a bet ter understanding of the structural factors of influence, it was 216
necessary to create four groups of factors: 217
 IF – internal factors, item : L1, L2, L3, L4, L5; 218
 DF – decisional factors, item: L6, L7, L8, L9; 219
 AFI – affective factors with internal impact o f influence, item: L10, L11, L12; 220

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 AFE – affective factors with external influence questions, item: L13, L14 and L15. 221
Leadership involves an influencing process between leaders and followers to ensure the 222
achievement of organizational goals. The items were characterized using a Likert scale with values 223
from 1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree [28]. The research was designed to evaluate the effect 224
of an experimental leadership model for Romanian leaders, based on the development of 225
sustainable competenci es as opposed to a traditional leadership model. Three instruments were 226
used based on the study variable: 227
1- A survey containing 24 questions, focused on a specific topic to design the leader model, 228
2- Data were analyzed with the statistical package SPSSTM (Statistical Package for Social 229
Sciences) version 20 [29]; 230
3- LISREL8.7TM [30], to establish the connection between variables and to measure the possible 231
correction. 232
SPSSTM was used to introduce all the information and survey results. To be able to establi sh a 233
cross cultural model for education, PRELISTM [31] was used as a database, to transform, generate, 234
analyze data and to perform exploratory factor analyses to create the leader model and define the 235
variables which might influence the prototype, or to identify program solutions for leader model 236
optimization. 237
3.1. Principal Component Analysis
Reynolds and Valentine [32], Osvald et al. [33] defined the leadership capabilities for a leader 238
profile, which is why the research focused on a new leader model adapted with the new global 239
competition. The model predicts the variables of leader personality characteristics and indicates 240
non significant relatio nships. Increasing cultural flexibility is an important development goal in 241
those global leaders who frequently take business trips to different countries or those who may 242
move abroad in the future. There are various effective ways to build positive cultural capital 243
1. Using cross functional teams; 244
2. Creating a shared vision; 245
3. Coaching; 246
4. Using democratic decision making processes. 247

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Another dynamic component companies seek to develop in their future global le ader is the 248
ability to manage, to be open to new solutions, innovation, and differences (Figure 3). 249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
Figure 3. A Comprehensive Leadership Model. Source: The author 260
261
The concept of sustainable development needs to be integrated with the politics and practices 262
of management across organization borders using personal examples. Woods [27] evaluated cross 263
cultural management performances and established that culture has many areas of impact with 264
management: 265
 The Cultural West Industry for Eas t countries: 266
 The role of culture training; 267
 The organizational culture. 268
Other significant performance elements for Romanian leaders that should be uniquely tailored 269
to the cross -cultural organizational context under the strong influence of west -east culture should be 270
taken into consideration. Bell and Pavitt [34] mention t echn ological accumulation and industrial 271
growth as contrasting elements between developed and developing countries . 272
For Romania which belongs to the eastern market and is a transition economy, the differences 273
between the western and non western culture are: 274
 Western culture : individualism, time is money, achievement, equality, respect for results, 275
internal self control, acting by doing; 276 GLOBAL
LEADERSHIP
Effectiveness
CULTURAL
FLEXIBILITY ENVIRONMEN T
ORGANIZATIO N
Non Cross cultural
experience work Organization initiate Openness
Cross cultural
experience Individual culture
Culture management

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 East culture: collectivism, hierarchy, humanistic, respect for elders, collaboration, external 277
control, formal relationships 278
A summary of the comprehensive model proposed by author takes into consideration the 279
evolution in time of a flexible culture, which is presented in Figure 4. The ingredients for a 280
comprehensive model are: 281
 Individualist culture for the short term : independe nt, private office, competitive, direct 282
communication, linear time, emphasis on content, transaction oriented, focus on results. 283
 Collective culture for the long term : interdependent, open office, collaborative, indirect 284
communication, flexible time. 285
 Global culture with a long term future vision : interconnection, e -office, internet 286
communication, just in time, transformational, focused on a global system. 287
288
Figure 4. A Comprehensive Model for Leadership. Source: The authors 289
290
Tagred [35] reports cross cultural differences in organization management , that’s the reason of 291
the actual research to identify the necessity for deep changes for Romanian organizations , to 292
establish a comprehensive leader model. Abrudan [36] stated that concret e results in organizations 293
management sustain the idea that culture can be considered environment as the primary 294
development for organization. Leadership plays a critical role in sustainability through its vision, 295
mission and by making strategic decisions for the organization. 296
Hammer [37] management change theory it is a necessary especially today when cultural 297
values of Romanian organizations are oriented to the west culture and are in a turbulent market. 298
GLOBAL
CULTURE

Vision term
INDIVIDUALIST
CULTURE

Short term
COLLECTIVE
CULTURE

Long term

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Also the communication and the impact of leaders with subordinates are important for a 299
comprehensive leader model can be drawn as shown in Figure 5. 300
301
Figure 5 . A Comprehensive model for leader /employee characteristics, Source: The authors 302
303
Leadership is a complex process involving three dimensions: leaders (inspiration), employees 304
(guide) and the motivation (Figure 6). 305
306
Figure 6 . A Comprehensive model vs. Leader Model. Source: The authors 307
308
There are many challenges that would -be leaders face: understanding how to deal with people, 309
identifying goals, maintaining energy and dedication toward a brighter and better future. 310
4. Results 311
The internal consistency of the measures and results present the economic activity in the 312
Maramures County , Romania. 313
LEADER

CROSS LEADER MODEL
EMPLOYEE
LEADER
Inspiration EMPLOYEE
Guide DEMAND
of situation
Motivation • responsibility, diligence, initiative, ability to work in a team
• responsibility, diligence, courtesy
• communication, ability to team work, initiative, tolerance

Manager level
Influence
Development
Reinforcement Member level
Goal setting
Job design
Motivational processes Organizational
level
Members respect
Employee involvement
Communication

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The results highlight the extensive structure of the socio -cultural elements and provide a 314
possible indication on how to solve organizational problems and establish a model for future leaders 315
and sustainable leadership. Taking into consideration the tradit ional model of leader, in the first part 316
of the survey it was possible to identify the personal characteristics of the leader. 317
The leader profile from Maramures County is a business person aged between 25 -40, involved 318
in small and medium family businesses , in order to provide extra money in support of the family. 319
It was also possible to identify Pavitt’s taxonomy groups [38] and specify that most activity 320
describes the level of technological opportunities in industry, the influence of innovation and new 321
technology for future development, and the harmonization with customer needs. 322
The results can be divided into the categories of retailer and supplier dominated industries 323
(44.4%), including traditional manufacture sectors, food, textiles, clothing, handmade products 324
(8.8%), training and other services with the involvement of women in the majority of organization 325
typologies (20.8%). 326
The economy, and production, occupied the fourth place with 59 participants (23.6%) involved, 327
including people from the mechanic al industry, electrical and electronically products and furniture. 328
As the factors proposed are generic in the leadership profile, non -productive activities are also 329
very successful in our region which is a good sign considering that Maramures County was a mining 330
region (after 1989 all the mines producing minerals, coal, and gold were closed) which was declared 331
an disadvantage economical zone. Tourist services, travel agencies and traditional handcrafts and 332
manufacture small business are sign ificant for our region. 333
This is important because Maramures County is a UNESCO heritage site in terms of its culture 334
and tradition, and hospitality has been an important factor in the development of our region. In fact 335
if we consider that the mines were closed, and the ma jority of male manual power emigrated to 336
developed countries. 337
The number of unemployed people from textile and ceramic factories is a significant target for 338
the new model, the majority of these people are involved in businesses as individuals or families and 339
only 49 people belong to partnerships association and private activities (Table 1 ). 340
341
342

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343

Table 1 . Legal Structure of the businesses in Baia Mare city
Legal Structure of the business Total
single partnership limited
partnership cooperative
Gender M 49 27 18 5 99
F 68 57 21 5 151
Total 117 84 39 10 250
344
345
The leader profile also included the education level of people involved in different business 346
activities. The research used a scale from 1 =general school, 2 =middle school, 3 =high school, 347
4=professional and art school and, 5 = academic education, which w as used to identify the education 348
level of managers who were our target group. In conclusion, educated people are involved in 349
business activities and have the courage to open and manage organizations Table 2. Because 350
production and manufacture are the engi ne of economy, it is necessary to encourage this segment . 351
Thus production activities also require educated more responsible people who are open to the new 352
changes from global market. 353
354
Table 2. Education Level of Romanian business leaders
Type of Operation Total
manufacture retailer wholesaler services 5
Education
Level 1.00 1 0 0 0 0 1
2.00 12 38 3 12 0 65
3.00 2 8 0 0 0 10
4.00 6 21 0 6 0 33
5.00 38 44 19 34 6 141
Total 59 111 22 52 6 250
355
In part 3 of the survey, the questions established the characteristics of leaders. A PRELISTM 356
program was used to manipulate, transform, and generate data, compute moment matrices, and 357
perform regression analyses and exploratory factor analyses. To maximize the difference between 358
the 250 respondents and arrange them into different groups in funct ion of leader typology, the 359
following variables were used: age, type of business (services, manufacturing, retailer and 360

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wholesaler) and business structure (private, individual or state). Path Analysis is the statistical 361
technique used to examine causal re lationships between two or more variables, external factors = EF, 362
decisional factors = DF, affective factors = AF, and internal factors= IF, as variables. The final 363
selection of variables that can influence the leader model is realistic because it is repre sentative for 364
each of the four variables (Table 3). 365
366
Table 3 . Number of Clusters in function of the variables
Cluster 1 87
2 35
3 94
4 34
Valid 250
Missing 0
367
In terms of the cluster grouping, out of 250 people, 94 belong to cluster 3=affective factors, and 87 368
to cluster 1= internal factors. In function of age, the younger generation is involved in independent 369
activities, services and wholesale. 370
371
4.1. A proposed mod el profile of leaders 372
This paper looks at sustainable leadership in small and medium e nterprises in Maramures County, 373
and examines the distinctive challenges encountered by leaders of small organizations in pursuing 374
sustainable leadership. 375
For a descriptive analysis clusters were created, and the 250 respondents were divided into 376
five different groups concentrated around the same factors of influence. We thus considered: 377
personal information of the individual: age, gender, work experience, a nd business profile: type of 378
business (services, manufacturer, retailer and wholesaler) and business structure (private, 379
individual or state). 380
The findings of the survey showed that a big segment in relation to age considered that a 381
leader is influenced b y the relation between the leader and the staff (staff – leader). 78 respondents 382
considered that cluster 1 = individual culture (cultural education) is important for a leader as a 383

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person influenced by his/her own education, management style, work experie nce and making 384
his/her own decision. . 385
One of the most important qualities addressed by the research team confirms the extent to 386
which the practices and values associated with leadership are universal. The participants/leaders 387
were asked to rate the experience along certain dimensions, such as: 388
 the internal factors leader -staff: 389
 the perceived reaction between leader and group members; 390
 their emotional reactions and their feelings towards group members; 391
 their decision factors regarding group members. 392
Another aspect in the research work was to verify the hypotheses: 393
 H0: connection between IF=EF=AF=DF would influence the leader model; 394
 H1: cognitive variables and non emotional variable do not influence the leader model 395
reactions. 396
The distinctive challenges for the development of sustainable l eadership in the context of small and 397
medium enterprises seem to represent what Fullan [39] describes as adaptive problems. [R1] 398
To identify the common characteristics for a leader cross -model, four clusters were created in 399
relat ion to the variable (see Table 4 ): 400
 Cluster 1 – defines the internal environmental factors that influence the leader’s opinion 401
depending on his/her individual culture. 402
 Cluster 2 – defines the external environmental factors that influence the leader’s behavior in 403
relation with the staff and the organization. 404
 Cluster 3 – defines the decision factors that establish the connection between the leader and 405
the staff. 406
 Cluster 4 – defines the factors that affect the outside environment of the leader and his/her 407
relation with the organization. 408
409
410
411
412

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413

Table 4 . Cluster for Leader model in function of variables
Case Clusters
Say exactly what I mean 1
Admit mistakes when they are made 2
Encourage everyone to speak their mind 1
Tell employees the hard truth 3
Display emotions exactly in line with feelings 4
Demonstrate beliefs that are consistent with actions 1
Show I understand how specific actions impact others 4
Ask employees to take positions that support your core values 4
Make difficult decisions based on high standards of ethical conduct 4
Solicit views that challenge my deeply held positions 4
Analyze relevant data before coming to a decision 1
Listen carefully to different points of view before coming to conclusions 1
Seek feedback to improve interactions with others 1
Accurately describe how others view my capabilities 4
Know when it is time to re -evaluate my position on important issues 4
414
The connection values are in a perfect balance of interdependency, the analysis in terms of 415
education, position in organization and factors that influence leadership decisions, measure 416
connection, between the three factors and the other items of the survey , and determines the first 417
elements of the cross cultural leader model (Figure 7). 418
In terms of results, the survey identified the leadership dimensions and the direct connection 419
between his/her: 420
 Education – Position (manager/leader) = 0.28; 421
 Education – Individual culture (internal decision factors) = 0.26; 422
 Position – Individual culture (external decision factors) = 0.23. 423

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424
Figure. 7. Developing the comprehensive model for Romanian leaders. Source: the author 425
426
The directions of the arrows in a structural equation model represent the hypotheses of causality 427
within a system organization. 428
For example the Path diagram presents the weak and strong relationships between variables, but 429
it also highlights that there is no bidirectional arrow between the variable and the selected cluster, 430
and latent variables are indicated by green ellipses EF, AF, IF and DF (Figure 8). 431
The arrows represent the direction of the relationship between the four clusters. To identify the 432
com mon characteristics for a leader model, four clusters were created in relation to cultural 433
similarities among organizations . 434
: 435

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436
Figure 8. Path diagram for Romanian leader model 437
438
Figure 9 presents the program solution, the path model and factors that influence the leader 439
model design. 440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
Figure 9. A comprehensive model for business leaders. Source: the author 448
449
The strong connection between the leader’s internal environment and his/her individual culture 450
will have a big impact on taking decisions, and the relations with the organization an d staff culture. 451
Leader
C1 Affective
Factors
AF Internal Factors
IF Model
Identification
C2
C4 Staff
Decision
Factors
DF External Factors
EF Environment C3

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The next step was to identify the possible weak connections between variables provided by the 452
program solution. In SEM, the measured variables are indicated by rectangles L1, L2, … L15, in 453
Figure 10, and latent variables are indicated by g reen ellipses IF, EF, AF and DF. The connection 454
between variables are included in the diagram, because of this, there may be several models that fit 455
the data equally well. The red values present the weak relationships between variables. The 456
connection bet ween affective factors and decision factors is stronger AF -DF=224.11. 457
458
Figure 10. A Path diagram signal for week connection 459
460
4.2. A solution to improve the leader model 461
The selected cluster DF decision factor ( Figure 10) can be optimized and improved, using the 462
same program which gives the possibilities to improve the connection between variables and find 463
some solutions (Figure 11). If we note with DF decision factors for our leader model, with IN_DF 464
internal de cision factors and with OUT_DF the out -put factors, we have the possibility to improve 465
and find some solutions to create and model the connection between variables. The red arrows 466

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present the possible solution from different levels and their variables affe ctive decision, internal 467
decision factors and external factors. 468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
Figure 11. Improvement solution for leader model 476
477
In conclusion, the leader is not influenced in his/her decisions DF, by his/her individual believes 478
IF, but it can be influenced by internal and external factors of his/her relationship leader -staff, 479
leader -organization so he/she will take care of the staf f and workers which can affect the entire 480
organization system AF. 481
482
5. Discussion 483
4.1. A Leadership equation 484
Three aspects are common for many leaders: employee, self confidence and objectivity in dealing 485
with others. An equation for the new millennium leadership can have the following ingredients: 486

[1] 487
To meet the demands of emerging markets, companies are accelerating the development of talent 488
and leadership . 489
490
4.2. A 7D Cross Model for Business Leaders 491
The findings of th is study suggest that a 7D measuring model, including strategic management, 492
supportive culture and structure, communication and networking, knowledge and technology 493
management, project development, idea management, is reliable and able to evaluate the 494 IN_DF
OUT_DF DF
Intend_ L13
Intend _L14 Intend_ L10
Intend_ L11

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sustainability of an organization’s innovation capability. For the Maramures Leader Model, a weak 495
connection was identified for decision factors. One solution to improve leader decisions is to 496
improve the relationships between staff and leaders and the transf er of culture management (Figure 497
12). The reliability of the propose model was tested by analyses on organizations. 498
499
Figure 12. A 7D cross cultural model. Source: the authors 500
501
In today’s global society cultural aspects are very important and a new type of leadership is on 502
the rise known as cultural leadership. 503
504
6. Conclusions 505
The Cross leader model is useful in identifying the abilities, that enable leaders to adapt in 506
different cultures spaces, and as a final conclusion the study presents a model for cross cultural 507
competence for Romanian leaders. A new cross cultural model also c onsiders the traditional quality 508
indicators: staff, innovation, strategy and behavior in the financial market, production and 509
technology. 510
The transmission system does not work sufficiently in Romania, the management of 511
information and communication on the hierarchy pyramid is poor, the information flow does not 512
ensure the understanding of employees' tasks, rights and responsibilities. The m ajor findings are 513
how cultural similarity is greatest among organizations that constitute a cluster concentrated 514
around the same dimension: 515
A CROSS
MODEL
7D’s

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 dimension of cultural values, individual culture and how culture is similar or dissimilar 516
from each other; 517
 dimension of how peoples’ ideas of good leadership vary across culture; 518
 dimension of changes in culture of communication, role of emotional intelligence; 519
 dimension of interactive leadership platform. 520
In conclusion, being aware of the particularities of other cultu res and organization 521
management, learning the differences and assimilating corresponding behavior are important 522
values, together with 523
 knowledge of professional information; 524
 familiarity with the tradition of other cultures, tolerance. 525
The results show the quality balance of culture with its impact on competence and 526
organization efforts and the feedback balance between economic success and the ability to sustain 527
expenditure. 528
In an economic crisis and with the fluctuation of employees in organizations, w ith the free 529
market movement from East to West, the study does not show many significant differences 530
between leaders and staff, the opinions of managers and subordinates in comparison with other 531
countries: 532
 lower orientation to human relationship, business efficiency, individualism and 533
collectivism; 534
 higher orientation to autocratic management. 535
Culture is expressed through people’s attitudes and actions because culture also has economic 536
effects and might be moved 537
 for leaders – their culture reflects a future vision, a portfolio of solutions regarding the 538
construction, objectives of organization; 539
 for staff / employee – their culture allows them to understand the necessity, utility of 540
objectives as a factor in the ir accomplishment. 541
Culture, history, tradition can be evaluated in a similar way. Thus various new elements related 542
to the employees, skills and creativity as well as to the culture where the organization is located are 543
the new direction in organization ma nagement. 544

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The east culture contradiction with west culture, arose from the specific characteristics of the 545
surveyed organizations in terms of the cultural and historical characteristics of each country. Recent 546
research has focused on the charismatic and t ransformational theories of leadership and has 547
examined its application in the cross cultural context and the new concept of global etiquette. 548
The comprehensive model proposed by author will help local organizations and their leaders to 549
understand the cur rent market conditions in the country and outside, the demand for products or 550
services, as well the business culture. However, even the most talented leaders will achieve little if 551
the culture does not allow them to influence people to work toward a common goal. 552
As the present study was conducted in Romania, further research should be repeated in other 553
countries with similar economic conditions with a non -western culture. This idea echoes calls for a 554
cross cultural, leader model in the field of business. 555
The present study was the limitation of organization from a specific zone from Transylvania 556
region from Romania. The results of the present study could be used for a future leader model unit. 557
558
6.1. Limitations of the Model 559
The study has certain limitations that must be acknowledged, introducing opportunities for 560
future research. First, the scale of measuring the leader profile and shaping his/her leadership 561
capability was developed and tested only with SMEs in Maramures Coun ty, as a case study of a 562
disadvantaged area, thus, more studies should be conducted in other industries. Secondly, the 563
individual informants were the managers who completed the questionnaire. Future research should 564
ask more people to complete the question naire, for example R&D managers, engineering managers, 565
even employees. 566
The model developed in this study suggests further research opportunities in this field. Further 567
research could examine the leader’s behavior and the factors that drive or hinder innov ation of SMEs 568
and how leadership sustains harmonization with the environment protection standards. Another 569
area of research is to explore the performance of industrial SMEs resulting from leader and 570
leadership sustainable development in terms of their inno vation capacity. 571
The suggested areas for future study could potentially be expanded to identify and investigate 572
sustainable leadership in other countries. 573

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Conflicts of Interest: The author declare no conflict of interest. 574
575
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