The influence of family constellation on preferred leadership styles among three ethnic groups in Sabah.

This study seeks to investigate the influence of family constellation towards preferred leadership styles among three ethnic groups; the Kadazan Dusun, Bajau and Chinese in Sabah. The study involved one hundred and seventy-four respondents from every walk of life from the public and private sectors and individuals with their own business; The scales used for family constellation and leadership styles were developed by the researcher based on items from other scales and the literature related to this study. The variables for family constellation were family values, feminine guiding line and masculine guiding line. The leadership styles chosen were delegating, participative and autocratic leadership. The major issue investigated was to what extent family constellation exerts its influence on the preferred leadership style between the three ethnic groups. The study found that family constellation variables such as family values play an important role in embracing leadership styles. In comparing the three ethnic groups, it was found that the Kadazan Dusun and Chinese preferred adopting a participative style, but this is not in the case with the Bajaus who preferred the autocratic style.