IntroductionCULTURE AND ITS EFFECT ON BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENTCulture, as defined by Mead and Andrew (2009), concerns the distinctive way in which people behave in certain situations or contexts . This means that culture influences people's thoughts, words and even actions and, consequently, their behaviors or reactions and expectations of others in certain situations. For a person to survive and perform well in any new environment, it is important that the "way things are done" in that environment is learned. Nigeria is a country with diverse cultures and ethnic groups and this has its impact on local and even foreign businesses within the economy. Hofstede's 6-D model shows the following findings about Nigeria regarding its social culture: Power Distance The gap between the tallest and shortest people in Nigeria is very wide. The power distance index showed that Nigerians are aware and accept the power distance or hierarchy between the two classes. To put it further, in almost all states in Nigeria, the areas where the wealthy or wealthy live differ from those of the lower income or poor. Even in the business world, especially in local or indigenous businesses, there is visible inequality and centralization of power at the top. Some managers are autocratic and controlling in their management style. Although some people try to challenge such managerial or behavioral style to support the need for some form of human behavior from such managers, it is never strange to see a boss behave in this way, it is part of the culture, a norm and does not require no justification or explanation. The influx of many foreign businesses has caused people to start thinking that power distance is not very useful or necessary... middle of paper... i.e., they can change their leadership style whenever they feel like it the need and how the culture requires. Achieving an organization's business goals is critically important, but leaders must look for the best and fastest way to do so. Culture is one of the drivers of whether or not a company succeeds, depending on the leadership of that company. Works CitedMead, R. & Andrews, T. G. (2009) International Management. 4th ed. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons.Northouse, PG (2012) “Leadership: Theory and Practice,” 6th edition. SAGE Publications, Inc, 02/2012. VitalBook File.The Hofstede Center (nd) 'Cultural Dimensions'. [Online] available at: http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.htmlhttp://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html. Accessed 2 May 2014The Hofstede Center (nd) 'Countries'. [Online] available at: http://geert-hofstede.com/countries.html. Accessed May 2nd 2014