THE INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS ON LEADERSHIP STYLES IN MALAYSIA’S APEX COOPERATIVE: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

Although leadership styles have been widely studied, research within the Malaysian cooperative sector remains limited. This study assessed the impact of management backgrounds on leadership styles in the Malaysian apex cooperative using ANOVA and t- tests. Results showed that, except for tenure of service, background factors did not significantly affect leadership styles. The findings suggest that experience and maturity should be prioritized over specific leadership philosophies when promoting managers in cooperatives. While these results offer valuable insights, further research is needed to understand leadership dynamics in this sector fully.