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Are women better leaders than men?

Emerald Publishing
Human Resource Management International Digest
Authors:
  • Independent Researcher

Abstract

Purpose – Examines some of the reasons women remain under-represented at the top of organizations, despite developments in management thinking that appear to reward areas where women traditionally excel. Design/methodology/approach – Looks at some of the research into leadership skills and draws conclusions regarding the paucity of women in management. Findings – Considers some of the obstacles to women becoming managers to be: the attitudes of male managers, the lack of suitable role models for women, women’s reticence to network, and lack of confidence. Practical implications – Urges organizations to work harder to reduce the significance of these obstacles. Social implications – Shows how organizations – and through them society as a whole – would benefit from having more women in top jobs. Originality/value – Argues that having more women in leadership positions – that is, more positive role models – would help to give women more confidence in their ability to be great leaders and would encourage more women to push themselves forward for leadership opportunities.
"Are Women Better Leaders
than Men?”
Research into leadership styles suggests that we are moving towards a more
‘Transformational’ style which emphasis emotional intelligence and interpersonal
skills. Meanwhile, some studies have found that women have an advantage over
men when it comes to the emotional aspects of leadership. Does this mean that
women are naturally good at transformational leadership? If so, then
“why are women still under-represented in leadership?”
It would be easy to give knee-jerk answers to these questions, but before you all jump
in with your comments and opinions (which are definitely welcome), let’s survey the
evidence and see what it tells us?
THE EVIDENCE
The leadership literature has undergone a journey from the more traditional
Transactional styles of leadership to a more Transformational style of leadership which
incorporates: Authentic Leadership and Emotionally Intelligent Leadership. This style
of Leadership is relatively new and emphases motivation and engagement along with
the creation of a shared vision. There is also an emphasis on Individualized
Consideration and providing a role model for high ethical behaviour which encourages
respect and trust. There is a growing body of research evidence suggesting that this
type of leadership is very effective in modern day organisations. Eagly (2007) reports
a meta-analysis by Judge et al (2004) which examined of 87 studies testing the
relationships between leadership styles and measures of leaders' effectiveness. They
found that Transformational Leadership was associated with greater effectiveness.
This shift in the focus of leadership suggests that a more transformational style of
leadership is required, which can harness the energy/motivation of
teams/stakeholders and unite them behind a common vision.
THERE IS RESEARCH WHICH SUGGESTS THAT WOMEN ARE BETTER
THAN MEN AT TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Research carried out Cartwright and Gale’s (1995) UK studies found that women have
significantly more of a team management style than do men and the researchers
described this style as being characterized by a high regard for people and a high
regard for task. They also found women were more visionary.
Eagly et al (2003) carried out a meta-analysis of 45 studies of transformational,
transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles and they found that female leaders
were more transformational than male leaders. Although the differences found
between male and female leaders were small, they were significant and therefore
encouraging for female leadership.
A study reported by Caliper (2014) used a personality profile to explore leadership.
They found that women leaders demonstrated a transformational style of leadership.
Caliper found that the women leaders studied, were intellectually stimulating,
encouraged employees to take ownership of company goals, and provided
inspirational motivation
These are some of the existing studies that have explored leadership styles in women
and there is also research suggesting that there are no gender differences in
leadership and that leadership effectiveness occurs as a result of a combination of:
personality factors, experience, contingency factors, organisational culture etc. This
suggests that the issue of whether male or females are better at leadership may turn
out to be something of a red herring e.g. Evans (2013) commented that “ it’s far from
clear how gender impacts on our capability and performance at work”.
It may just be the case that women have a preference for the more transformational
styles of leadership. The older traditional leadership models valued ‘Agentic’
masculine characteristics e.g. competition, confidence, aggression, self-direction.
Women’ skills were stereotypically viewed as more ‘Communal’ in nature e.g. such as
kindness, concern for others etc. This means that men appeared to match the role of
leader better than women, which probably accounts for their greater success in
obtaining high level posts. Women who tried to demonstrate the ‘Agentic’ skills
required for more traditional leadership were viewed less favourably. Interestingly,
transformational leadership has some elements which are traditionally viewed as more
female in nature e.g. building supportive relationships (individualised consideration)
which means that this leadership style may be more appealing to women as it is in
keeping with stereotypes about female skills and therefore allows women to behave
in a more congruent way.
It would seem then that there is now a good match between the type of leadership that
women demonstrate well and the leadership requirements of modern day
organisations so women should be very much in demand as leaders. Sadly, the
statistics suggest that this is not the case and that women remain under-represented
in leadership.
SOME OF THE OBSTACLES THAT WOMEN FACE WITH REGARD TO
LEADERSHIP
One thing that the research does appear to be clear about, is that the experience of
women with regard to leadership is different than that of men. Early research into
leadership and women’s advancement talked about a ‘Glass Ceiling’ which set a limit
on how high a women could expect to soar in the corporate world. Eagly (2012)
suggests that the concept of the ‘Glass Ceiling’ is too simplistic as women face
challenges at all levels of the organisation and not just at the top. Eagly talks about
the pervasive stereotypes that exist regarding women’s abilities and the prejudices
that mean women have to be better than men and work harder, if they want to get on.
Attitudes of Male Managers
The research indicates that women do not feel that they are taken seriously and are
not offered the same high quality opportunities as men that would allow them to
demonstrate their ability. Women describe themselves as being hampered by
stereotypical views of women’s capabilities, particularly with regard to leadership.
Duong Thuong. T & Skitmore. M (2003) describe research from Powell and Butterfield
(1994) showing that “at the top levels, promotion decisions involve subjective
appraisals of candidates’ fit with incumbent top managers, disadvantaging female
candidates in male dominated organizations”. This lack of fair selection in project
leadership is also raised by Eagly (2007).
Lack of Suitable Role Models
Although there is some evidence that this is changing, women experience a lack of
sufficient female role models/mentors. This may be impacting on women’s
expectations and also their ability to progress their careers.
Networking
The research suggests that women find it harder to network in male dominated
environments and therefore may miss out on making the sort of contacts that would
enable them to raise their profile and get on the right radars. It would seem then that
women have the capability to be great leaders but that they are still being held back.
Are your leaders able to lead in a transformational way that engages staff? Are women
equally represented amongst your leaders? If you cannot say ‘yes’ to these questions,
give us a call and we will help you improve leadership within our organisation.
Published in the ‘European Human Resource Digest’ (2015)
Sharon De Mascia (sharon@cognoscenti.uk.com). Cognoscenti Business
Psychologists Ltd
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Thesis
Full-text available
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Women, stereotypes and the glass ceiling effect
  • A H Eagly