Power distance in Asian Organizational Contexts: A Systematic Literature Review of Concepts, Antecedents, and Moderating Roles
Abstract
Power distance culture is a prominent organizational culture characteristic in many Asian countries, playing a pivotal role in shaping leadership dynamics, hierarchical relationships, and employee work behavior. This study aims to systematically review empirical findings regarding the impact of power distance within organizational contexts in Asian countries using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach. Following the PRISMA guidelines, quantitative empirical articles published between 2020 and 2025 were selected. A total of 29 articles from reputable international journals were analyzed to identify patterns of findings, research contexts, and the role of power distance as both an antecedent and a moderator. The review results indicate that power distance predominantly serves as an antecedent associated with negative consequences, such as decreased innovative behavior, voice behavior, and work engagement, alongside increased emotional exhaustion and employee silence. Furthermore, power distance functions as a moderator in the relationship between leadership styles, psychological conditions, and work behavior. The discussion highlights that while power distance generally exerts a negative impact, in specific contexts, this culture can enhance compliance, loyalty, and innovation implementation. This study concludes that power distance is a crucial cultural dimension for understanding organizational dynamics in Asia and emphasizes the necessity for future research that is methodologically diverse, cross-sectoral, and cross-national to enhance the generalizability of the findings.
Budaya power distance merupakan karakteristik budaya organisasi yang menonjol di banyak negara Asia dan berperan penting dalam membentuk dinamika kepemimpinan, hubungan hierarkis, serta perilaku kerja karyawan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk meninjau secara sistematis temuan empiris terkait dampak power distance dalam konteks organisasi di negara-negara Asia dengan menggunakan pendekatan systematic literature review. Metode yang digunakan mengikuti pedoman PRISMA untuk menyeleksi artikel empiris kuantitatif yang diterbitkan pada periode 2020–2025. Sebanyak 29 artikel dari jurnal bereputasi internasional dianalisis untuk mengidentifikasi pola temuan, konteks penelitian, serta peran power distance sebagai anteseden dan moderator. Hasil tinjauan menunjukkan bahwa power distance lebih sering berperan sebagai anteseden yang berkaitan dengan konsekuensi negatif, seperti menurunnya perilaku inovatif, voice behavior, keterlibatan kerja, meningkatnya kelelahan emosional dan perilaku diam karyawan. Selain itu, power distance juga berfungsi sebagai moderator pada hubungan antara gaya kepemimpinan, kondisi psikologis, dan perilaku kerja. Diskusi hasil menunjukkan bahwa meskipun power distance umumnya berdampak negatif, dalam konteks tertentu budaya ini dapat meningkatkan kepatuhan, loyalitas, dan implementasi inovasi. Penelitian ini menyimpulkan bahwa power distance merupakan dimensi budaya yang krusial dalam memahami dinamika organisasi di Asia dan menekankan pentingnya penelitian masa depan yang lebih beragam secara metodologis, lintas sektor, dan lintas negara untuk meningkatkan generalisasi temuan.
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.30872/psikostudia.v15i3.26541
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