Task and Relationship Orientations of Ugandans and Americans

Uganda is emerging as a significant political and economic force on the African continent, but this landlocked nation remains largely a mystery within the international community. The study seeks to build a better understanding of Uganda by comparing the task and relationship orientations of Ugandans and Americans. The Style Questionnaire was used to gather responses from 139 Ugandan and 484 American workers. The findings show that Ugandan workers are not only more relationship oriented than Americans, but their task orientation scores are also higher. The findings also show that Ugandan women are more task oriented than Ugandan men. Awareness of these differences will help international managers assigned to Uganda as well as Ugandan managers adjust their behavior to provide more effective organizational leadership. Key words: Uganda; task orientation; relationship orientation; gender; African culture