Vadovų polinkio rizikuoti ypatumai Lietuvos organizacijose
PECULIARITIES OF LEADERS’ RISK PROPENSITY IN LITHUANIAN ORGANIZATIONS

Summary/Abstract: Scientific research emphasizes that in XXI century people live in specific conditions: every day they face situations where they have to risk. Organizational environment is not an exception. With a view to run a company profitably, it is important to adapt to changing environment by making timely decisions in risky situations. Those processes are most actively managed and initiated by the leading persons of organizations. Therefore research of the leader's risky behavior is not only a topical scientific but also a practical problem which attracts psychologists', managers' and sociologists' attention. Although it is maintained that risk propensity is a very desirable feature for leading persons to have (Williams, Nerandran, 1999; Nicholson et al., 2002), sometimes the results of psychological researches show that the person's features and intentions may not be displayed in behavior, especially it is significant in researches of risky behavior (Beattie et al., 1994). These aspects enable the formulation of the problem: do leaders have greater risk propensity than other employees and how this feature is displayed in real leaders’ behavior. This paper aims at analyzing the link between the feature of the leader’s personality – risk propensity – and real risky behavior in various situations. In the carried survey participated 210 people working in various organizations in Lithuania: 129 (61.4%) – leaders and 81 (38.6%) – non leading persons, who made a comparative group. “A Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT) Scale (for adults)” (Blais, Weber, 2006) was used to evaluate risk propensity in various situations. Risky behavior was evaluated using 13 questions about real risky behavior (Endriulaitienė, Martišius, 2007). Analyzing the link among social-demographic characteristics, risk propensity, and risky behavior, it was found out that men’s risk propensity is greater than women’s. Furthermore, men’s real risky behavior is more frequent in comparison with women’s. It was also confirmed that the age of employees is inversely proportional to risk propensity and risky behavior. But the longer is work experience the greater increase of risk propensity (considering gender impact). Risky behavior was not significantly related to work experience. The empirical research confirmed a positive link between risk propensity and risky behavior in a total group of respondents and in the leaders’ and comparative groups separately. The growing risk propensity is related to the increase of risky behavior. Comparing the leaders’ and other employees’ risk propensity and risky behavior, only risk propensity differed significantly: the leaders’ risk propensity was greater than of non leading persons. This tendency was also confirmed when analyzing gender impact. The frequency of risky behavior did not significantly differ between the groups. The empirical research also confirmed the significance of different situations to the leaders’ risk propensity and risky behavi

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