INDIGENOUS ENTREPRENEURIAL LEADERSHIP VALUES OF BUGIS-MAKASSAR CULTURE, INDONESIA

Andi Muhammad Rivai; Aryan Agus Pratama; Muhammad Novrizal Ramadhan; Jumadi Jumadi

doi:10.29303/distribusi.v14i2.725

Authors

Andi Muhammad Rivai Universitas Negeri Makassar
Aryan Agus Pratama Makassar State University
Muhammad Novrizal Ramadhan Makassar State University
Jumadi Jumadi Makassar State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29303/distribusi.v14i2.725

Keywords:

Bugis–Makassar Culture; Entrepreneurship; Entrepreneurial Leadership; Local Cultural Values; Local Wisdom

Abstract

This study aims to identify and conceptualize local leadership values within Bugis–Makassar culture as a foundation for entrepreneurial leadership. It addresses the limitations of prevailing entrepreneurial leadership perspectives that emphasize universal competencies, while the role of cultural value systems in providing moral direction, social legitimacy, and meaning to leadership behaviour remains underexplored. A qualitative interpretive approach was employed to understand leadership behaviours representing Bugis–Makassar leadership. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with four purposively selected informants, comprising a historian, an academic, and two community leaders, using the ngayo approach and snowball. Historical documents supported the analysis, which employed an interactive model. The analysis generated 34 meaning units categorized into eight patterns of leadership behaviour. These were conceptualized as Bugis–Makassar leadership values: Getteng (principled steadfastness), Siri’ (honour), Warani (courage), Sipakatau (collective leadership), Lempu’ (moral integrity), Macca/Ammaccang (strategic competence), Reso’ (fighting ethos), and Assitinajang (role appropriateness). Collectively, these values constitute a normative foundation guiding decision-making, social relationships, responses to uncertainty, commitment, and value creation in entrepreneurial activities. This study extends entrepreneurial leadership research by positioning local cultural values as a foundation for shaping leadership behaviour rather than merely as contextual factors. It offers a value-based entrepreneurial leadership perspective in which entrepreneurial competencies acquire moral direction, social legitimacy, and meaning through cultural value systems embedded in society. Thus, the study provides a culturally grounded conceptual foundation for understanding entrepreneurial leadership in the Bugis–Makassar context and a basis for future empirical research on its application in contemporary entrepreneurship.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Abay, S. T., Gomes, J. F. S., & Mengistu, A. B. (2023). A comparative analysis of values-based leadership theories: A review and future research agenda. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 16(2), Article 14. https://doi.org/10.22543/1948-0733.1457

Abdullah, M. W., Tahir, A., & Sabri, M. (2019). Bisnis berbasis kearifan lokal: Integrasi Siri’ na Pacce dan etika bisnis Islam. Iqtisaduna, 5(2), 229–249. https://doi.org/10.24252/iqtisaduna.v5i2.13249

Abidin, A. Z., & Sabang, S. (1999). Sejarah Sulawesi Selatan. Universitas Hasanuddin Press. Ujungpandang.

Basuki, Widyanti, R., & Rajiani, I. (2021). Nascent entrepreneurs of millennial generations in the emerging market of Indonesia. Entrepreneurial Business and Economics Review, 9(2), 151–165. https://doi.org/10.15678/EBER.2021.090210

Bustan, & Jumadi. (2024). Reaktualisasi Siri’ sebagai pembelajaran nilai pada kepemimpinan masyarakat Bugis-Makassar. Innovative: Journal of Social Science Research, 4(3), 1100–1110. https://j-innovative.org/index.php/Innovative

Creswell, J. W., & Poth, C. N. (2018). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.

Gimenez-Jimenez, D., & Harc, M. (2024). Students’ sustainable entrepreneurship intentions: The role of sustainable values and culture. The Journal of Entrepreneurship, 33(1), 118–154. https://doi.org/10.1177/09713557241232246

Henley, D., & Caldwell, I. (2019). Precolonial citizenship in South Sulawesi. Citizenship Studies, 23(3), 240–255. https://doi.org/10.1080/13621025.2019.1603271

Hundie, S. K., & Strode, J. (2026). Context-sensitive leadership: A theory-driven integrative review and implementation framework for the AI era. Strategic Business Research, 2, 100127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbr.2026.100127

Ireland, R. D., & Hitt, M. A. (1999). Achieving and maintaining strategic competitiveness in the 21st century: The role of strategic leadership. Academy of Management Executive, 13(1), 43–57.

Kesuma, A. I. (2004). Migrasi dan Orang Bugis. Ombak. Yogyakarta.

Marina, L., Anam, S., Haliding, S., Nugroho, W., & Yulia, A. (2025). The role of government in the formation of local wisdom based business legal regulations in Indonesia. Cepalo, 9(2), 153–164. https://doi.org/10.25041/cepalo.v9no2.4213

Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2014). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook (3rd ed.). Sage.

Ngo, M. C. (2026). Leadership across cultures: A systematic review of the influence of national culture on transformational and transactional leadership. International Journal of Advanced Multidisciplinary Research and Studies, 6(2), 642–657. https://doi.org/10.62225/2583049X.2026.6.2.6019

Northouse, P. G. (2022). Leadership: Theory and practice (9th ed.). Sage.

Pratama, A. A., Faerrosa, L., Aditya, R., & Sani, D. H. (2025). Pariwisata Lombok, masihkah halal? VALUE: Jurnal Manajemen dan Akuntansi, 20(1), 71–84.

Rasyid, S., Yani, A., Hamzah, S., & Aksa, A. (2026). Reinterpreting historical traces: The socio-political dynamics of Bugis–Makassar society after the 17th-century Bungaya Treaty. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 13(1).

Renko, M., El Tarabishy, A., Carsrud, A. L., & Brännback, M. (2015). Understanding and measuring entrepreneurial leadership style. Journal of Small Business Management, 53(1), 54–74.

Rifqiansyah, & Wijaya, H. (2025). Entrepreneurship based on culture and local wisdom: Building sustainable business from tradition. Journal of Indonesian Scholars for Social Research, 5(1), 14–23.

Salmiati, Hambali, I. M., Muslihati, Wibawa, A. P., & Wan Jaafar, W. M. (2026). Revitalizing indigenous wisdom to prevent bullying: A qualitative ethnographic study of Bugis-Makassar cultural values in education. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 13, 102342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.102342

Shiferaw, R. M., Birbirsa, Z. A., & Werke, S. Z. (2023). Entrepreneurial leadership, learning organization and organizational culture relationship: a systematic literature review. Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, 12(38), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13731-023-00305-z

Simons, T. (2002). Behavioral integrity: The perceived alignment between managers' words and deeds as a research focus. Organization Science, 13(1), 18–35.

Sophiaan, M. (1995). Perang Gowa terakhir. Yayasan Mencerdaskan Kehidupan Bangsa.

Syamsuddin, Zulfitrah, Mutahara, N., & Asti, A. S. W. (2026). Inclusive learning practices based on local cultural values in the context of four ethnic groups in South Sulawesi. Cogent Education, 13(1), 2690706. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2026.2690706

Tirmizi, S. A., Williams, K., & Tirmizi, S. N. (2023). More human, not less: Global relevance of values-based leadership. Humanistic Management Journal, 8, 13–28.

Uhl-Bien, M. (2006). Relational leadership theory: Exploring the social processes of leadership and organizing. The Leadership Quarterly, 17(6), 654–676.

Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Pearson.