Constructing A Model of Leadership Behaviours For Achieving Competitive Advantage in RMG Bangladesh: Perspective of A Developing Country

Abstract

The purpose of this study had been toconstruct a model of leadership behaviours for achieving competitive advantage in the ready made garments sector of Bangladesh from the perspective of adeveloping country. The literature review highlighted that leadership behaviours have been studied concerning competitive advantage duly, and they emerged as a separate theme from the literature. However, they have not been conceptualised into a comprehensive framework, which is addressed in this study. Three types of leadership behaviours had been found influencing competitive advantage for an organisation. We hypothesised that task oriented, people oriented, and change oriented leadership behaviours have a significant correlation with a competitive advantage. We surveyed 400 RMG employees, operators, supervisors, executives, and leaders. We found that three types of leadership behaviours alone do not significantly contribute to achieving competitive advantage. However, when emotional intelligence mediates these three behaviours with a competitive advantage, they significantly contribute. Therefore, the present study has developed a conceptual model indicating the relationship between different leadership behaviours, emotional intelligence, and competitive advantage. The model has been developed for Bangladesh's RMG industry due to the paucity of research on leadership behaviours. This article's contribution is part of a dissertation to knowledge is threefold: 1) Practical Implications: Policy implications for the RMG sector, Implementing the recommendations for solving the problem of leadership and gaining competitive advantage. 2) Theoretical Implications: adding change oriented behaviour with task and people oriented ones in the theoretical framework, experimenting with emotional intelligence as a mediating factor. 3) Continuation of research and methodological implications by a time series longitudinal study,cohort studies for other manufacturing groups - contexts. They are initiating a new line of inquiries likedigital leadership in apparel industries.