Vietnam, a dynamic Southeast Asian country with a rich cultural heritage and a rapidly growing economy, has risen to the forefront of global investment and partnership. Historically shaped by its ancient traditions and colonial influences, Vietnam boasts a vibrant cultural identity, evident in its cuisine, festivals, and arts. Its economy has undergone a remarkable transformation from agriculture to an emerging manufacturing and export powerhouse, driven by textiles, electronics, and agriculture.
With a young, highly literate population and a focus on innovation, Vietnam is a hub for foreign investment and international trade. Its unique blend of tradition and modernity makes it a destination for business and cultural exploration alike. When it comes to doing business, Vietnamese leaders of organizations have unique behavioral trends that emerge within their rapidly developing market context.
Hogan Assessments has analyzed data on employees and leaders across the world. Our benchmark of almost 500 middle managers and executives in Vietnam spans industries from financial services to telecommunications and hospitality. Reviewing the data of current leaders in Vietnamese organizations helps us understand their preferred leadership styles. It reveals what characteristics a country rewards (by promoting) and punishes (by not promoting) and even possible unconscious biases of organizational leaders.
We collaborated with Talent Assessments Vietnam, a Hogan authorized distributor in the Vietnam market, to glean insights from their work with Vietnamese leaders. Understanding personality trends is important because leaders determine the success of their organizations. By exploring how Vietnamese leaders navigate the realms of ambition, social cohesion, and personal fulfillment, we gain a picture of Vietnam’s business landscape.
What Do Vietnamese Leaders Want?
Hogan’s Motives, Values, Preferences Inventory (MVPI) measures the core goals, values, drivers, and interests that determine what people desire and strive to attain. This assessment helps to understand the inside of personality, or an individual’s drivers and motivators.
Commerce
On the MVPI, Vietnamese leaders’ highest scale is Commerce. Compared to our global benchmark of middle managers and executives, Vietnamese leaders score 10 percentile points higher when it comes to business activities, making money, and turning a profit. Those who score high on MVPI Commerce are perceived as ambitious, energetic, practical, and hardworking. They pay close attention to budgets and the bottom line. Leaders who rise to the top of Vietnamese organizations tend to be attuned to ways for the organization to make money and stay competitive. These leaders are motivated by material success, and they likely create organizational cultures that promote financial incentives.
Power and Recognition
In addition to Commerce, Vietnamese leaders are motivated by status and visibility, with the MVPI scales of Power and Recognition being two key drivers. Leaders in Vietnam care deeply about their accomplishments and enjoy working in environments where they can both achieve success and receive acknowledgement for success.
Altruistic
Finally, these middle managers and executive leaders score high on the MVPI scale Altruistic, eight percentile points higher than the global benchmark. Altruistic concerns a value and motivation of helping others, improving society, and making the world a better place to live. Managers and leaders in Vietnam tend to be considerate and socially aware. However, they likely maintain a balance between a concern for staff well-being and the bottom line, given that their highest motivator is Commerce. They may contribute their money instead of their personal time to helping others, but they genuinely enjoy helping others, including subordinates, advance their careers.
According to Daniel Bass, solutions expert at Talent Assessments Vietnam, a traditional Vietnamese approach to leadership is familial—even parental. Vietnamese leaders may find meaning and value in supporting and developing their employees, much like raising children. They may even leverage their ideas about good parenting into the workplace.
How Will Vietnamese Leaders Get What They Want?
The Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) measures how we relate to others when we are at our best. It provides insight into how people work, how they lead, and how they achieve success. In reviewing the HPI, we find that executive business leaders in Vietnam have unique patterns of behavior to get their needs met.
Learning Approach
Vietnamese leaders’ highest scoring HPI scale is Learning Approach at three percentile points above the global benchmark of middle managers and executive leaders. Learning Approach measures the degree to which someone takes pleasure in learning and staying current in technical matters. This interest in staying up-to-date likely supports Vietnamese leaders in staying relevant in a changing business landscape. While Vietnamese leaders are often informed on the latest procedures, technology, and updates, they may not prioritize providing their staff the opportunity to learn and develop.
Bass observes that Vietnamese leaders exhibit a strong interest in learning and development. However, when leaders focus exclusively on their own growth, they may overlook providing similar opportunities to their team members. To be truly effective, leaders should prioritize their own learning while also fostering growth opportunities for their teams. Bass advises leaders to leverage their teams’ intrinsic desire to learn, empowering them collectively and alleviating the leader’s responsibility to handle everything independently.
Adjustment
Additionally, Vietnamese leaders score low on the HPI scale of Adjustment. Adjustment concerns the degree to which someone appears confident, self-accepting, and stable under pressure. Those who score low on Adjustment tend to be introspective, vigilant, and constantly striving to improve. Vietnamese leaders score 10 percentile points lower than the global benchmark of mid-managers and executives. Likely, these Vietnamese leaders have a strong sense of urgency, feel constantly concerned with their work products, and display an openness to feedback. However, they also may be prone to self-criticism, stress, and excessive worry. Leaders likely channel their vigilance and interest in keeping up to date into staying constantly aware in a changing market.
What Will Get in Vietnamese Leaders’ Way?
Vietnamese middle managers and executives demonstrate interesting results on the Hogan Development Survey (HDS). The HDS measures potentially overused strengths that may emerge in times of increased strain, pressure, or boredom. If not managed, these qualities can damage one’s reputation and relationships, derailing one’s career or success.
Skeptical
The HDS scale Skeptical deals with being critical, fault-finding, and cynical. This represents Vietnamese leaders’ highest scoring derailer—10 percentile points above the global benchmark. These managers and leaders may be bright and perceptive, but they have the tendency to be easily angered and mistrusting of others’ intent. These leaders may also be shrewd and difficult to deceive. They may take criticism personally, feel misused, and be prone to retaliate if they feel wronged. Vietnamese leaders’ tendency to put up a wall of self-protection and criticism may inhibit their preferences for altruism and forthright communication.
Reserved
Additionally, Vietnamese leaders score high on HDS Reserved. Those who score high on Reserved tend to be socially insensitive, self-absorbed, and tough. These individuals do not pay keen attention to the moods and feelings of others. They can come across as poor communicators as they may tune out what they don’t want to hear. Under stress and pressure, these leaders want to close their office door or wear headphones to avoid the situation.
Between HDS Skeptical and Reserved, these individuals manage their anxiety by fault-finding and disconnecting from others. These “moving away” behaviors can be detrimental towards building high-performing teams, especially when it comes to trust and psychological safety.
Mischievous
On the other hand, Vietnamese leaders demonstrate a low-risk score on the HDS scale Mischievous. Mischievous deals with behaviors that are charming, impulsive, and limit-testing. Vietnamese managers and leaders score nine percentile points lower than the global average on this HDS scale. These leaders may be perceived as quiet, dependable, disciplined, and persistent. They don’t tend to take chances without consideration, they avoid unnecessary risk taking, and they often finish tasks to completion. This steadiness and engagement in stability likely supports Vietnamese leaders’ ability to predictably succeed in this more unpredictable market.
Bass explained that the parental leadership approach often adopted by Vietnamese leaders can unintentionally contribute to their derailing tendencies. In family-style business environments, leadership frequently emphasizes protection, with skepticism serving as a defensive mechanism. This protective stance may also align with the belief that good parenting requires maintaining an aloof demeanor to appear impartial. For instance, as organizations transition from small- to medium-sized corporations, leaders may feel torn between the instinct to “protect the baby” and the need to embrace growth. This tension is neither uncommon nor unique to the market. However, the resulting skepticism and emotional reserve can create resistance to perceived risks. To navigate such challenges effectively, Bass suggests leaders focus on incremental change, gradually adopting delegation practices. This approach fosters both corporate growth and, potentially, personal well-being.
What Can We Learn About Vietnamese Leaders?
Vietnamese middle and upper leaders exhibit a unique profile of motivations, strengths, and potential challenges as they navigate a rapidly evolving market. Their drive for financial success, recognition, and altruism reflects a leadership approach that prioritizes profitability, visibility, and societal contributions. They combine an eagerness to stay informed with a vigilant and introspective nature, which helps them remain sharp and competitive. However, their tendencies toward skepticism and social isolation under pressure may hinder their ability to foster trust and team cohesion.
On the positive side, their low tolerance for risk and their disciplined approach offer a stabilizing force in an unpredictable environment. By leveraging their strengths, addressing their derailers, and fostering open communication, Vietnamese leaders can build resilient teams and drive sustainable success in this dynamic market.