The significance of Feidler's contingency model from a cross-cultural
perspective, as found by Erez and Earley (1993), is that it is "one of the few Western
theories of leadership that merges aspects of the individual with those of the group, and it
has received empirical support in both individualist and collectivist cultures" (p. 89). Erez
and Earley proposed that culture needs to be a variable when researching the impacts of a
leadership style. Leaders who conform to the leadership behaviors that followers expect
and can associate with, including those reflecting national culture and group values, are
more likely to be accepted as leaders by followers (Chemers, 2000; Meindl, 1990).