Does e-Business Require Different Leadership Characteristics?: an Empirical Investigation

Universal theories of leadership argue that all effective leaders share an identifiable set of common attributes. This suggests that the characteristics that have defined leadership in traditional bricks and mortar organisations are equally applicable to e-business. In contrast, contingency theories argue that a leader must match their environmental and organisational settings, suggesting that the different situational context of e-business will dictate a distinctive set of leadership characteristics. This paper empirically explores these opposing arguments. Data on the traits, behaviours and skills possessed by leaders of both e-businesses and traditional bricks and mortar companies were collected using a combination of questionnaire surveys and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data provides a degree of support for both arguments. The majority of characteristics possessed by leaders of traditional bricks and mortar organisations are found to be equally valued in the digital economy. There are, however, a certain number of characteristics that are emphasised within e-businesses. These include a propensity for risk taking, entrepreneurialism, networking ability, as well as the requisite technical skills.