scholarly journals Challenges of Women in Leadership Roles During Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (S1-Feb) ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
Savitri Jayant ◽  
M R Suji Raga Priya
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Paper Analysis ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Female Leaders ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Depth Interview ◽  
Rapid Transition ◽  
The Impact

Women around the world are paving the way for an inspiring style of leadership that is dynamic, confident, authentic, and highly effective. It is evident that the countries led by women leaders seem to have been particularly successful in fighting the Coronavirus. The rapid transition to remote employment has taken about other problems for organisations, for successful performance assessment, monitoring, and transparency are often a challenge. The new dilemma focuses around how senior leaders should rethink in decision making and other ways that promote trust, innovation, and cooperation. Therefore, Woman leaders during this pandemic situation are faced with certain challenges that require them to readjust and reorganize to establish a balance between work-related and family-related characteristics. This research paper analysis how female leaders are feeling the impact of the pandemic and how they are expanding their leadership style and also how they influence in work today and beyond. This paper is based on the pilot study conducted among Women withleadership roles working in IT and Educational sector. A Survey with in-depth interview and questionnaire has been used to collect the data and it is analysed through a comparative and regression study. The study also focuses on acute challenges faced by Women working in leadership roles from home and ways to improve the quality and to aspire to boost the standard of leadership in these tumultuous times.

Women leaders' views on demand-side strategies

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alyson Byrne ◽  
Ingrid C. Chadwick ◽  
Amanda J. Hancock
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Career Stage ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Management Support ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
Engaged Scholarship ◽  
Female Leaders ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine female leaders' attitudes toward demand-side strategies to close the gender-leadership gap and discuss implications for organizations.Design/methodology/approachThis article describes the process of knowledge co-creation that took place using an engaged scholarship epistemology over 23 interviews with North American women in senior leadership roles.FindingsFive key themes related to women leaders' attitudes toward demand-side strategies are discussed. Some felt uncertain or opposed toward these strategies, whereas others supported them. Support for these strategies was dependent on perceptions of backlash regarding the implementation of these strategies and the participants' career stage. Finally, participants acknowledged that demand-side strategies are insufficient in isolation and require additional organizational supports.Research limitations/implicationsThese findings enhance our understanding and provide theoretical refinement of the mechanisms that drive female leaders' reactions to demand-side strategies to close the gender-leadership gap.Practical implicationsParticipants advocated for certain practices to be considered when organizations contemplate the adoption of demand-side strategies. Importantly, participants advocated that the implementation of demand-side strategies would be insufficient unless organizations encourage greater dialogue regarding the gender-leadership gap, that top management support more gender inclusive leadership, and that male colleagues act as allies for women in leadership.Originality/valueThis article extends past research and theory by integrating the pragmatic perspectives of successful female leaders with previous empirical evidence to illustrate different reactions to demand-side strategies and ways for organizations to manage those in their efforts to close the gender-leadership gap.

The Impact of Religion and Culture on Leadership Styles of Women Policy-Makers in the Education Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-26
Author(s):  
Shadiya Mohamad Saleh Baqutayan ◽  
Fauziah Raji
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Women Leaders ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Gender Culture ◽  
Education Industry ◽  
Public And Private Sector ◽  
The Impact

This qualitative study is purposive in sampling and explored a small number of women leaders in the education industry who are policymakers of Malay Muslim origin of their experiences in leadership positions. Policymaking here involved policies at the micro-level, which related more to their institutions and organizations. The researcher examined the women's leadership styles and the factors that influenced how they lead explicitly. Likewise, the researcher focused on how gender, culture, and religion may relate to women's experiences. Basic interpretive and descriptive qualitative research methods were employed. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews. Participants interviewed included nine women leaders in the public and private sector who were either teachers/lecturers or administrators in the education industry. These women held positions within the top echelon of their organization or institution. The finding of this research indicated that gender, religion, and culture play an important role in women's leadership experiences, therefore, themes emerged around influences on the women's approaches to leadership, with particular emphasis on the role of the larger environment in impacting women's leadership behaviors. To further focus on the impact of culture and religion on women's leadership styles, the researcher conducted a focused discussion group on the second group of Malay Muslim women leaders. This group of women leaders compromised mainly of women leaders who are department and section heads but still involved in policymaking decisions albeit within their department or sections. This study can provide insight into the landscape of women‘s leadership roles and how to support these leaders.

Leadership and women: The space between us. Narrating the stories of senior female educational leaders in Malta

2020 ◽  
pp. 174114322092903
Author(s):  
Robert Vella
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equity ◽  
Catholic Church ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Educational Leaders ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Female Leaders ◽  
Doctoral Study ◽  
Training Programmes

The main objective of this research is to investigate the perceptions and experiences of senior female educational leaders in Malta, where senior leaders are considered as those leaders from the Minister of Education to leaders at directorial level. Although Malta’s laws relating to gender equity are in line with those of the European Union, traditional beliefs and values, including those shaped by the Catholic Church, mean that in many areas of social life, women and girls continue to be perceived as inferior. The study is framed within a constructivist and interpretivist paradigm and takes a narrative approach. Throughout 2017 to 2018, in-depth interview data was collected from eight senior female leaders in the Maltese education department. Data used from an ongoing doctoral study was analysed manually using a hybrid method in order to establish the relevant themes. The findings from the study demonstrated that women in educational leadership roles in Malta have to face challenges specific to their being female. The study recommends, among other things, real family friendly measures by organisations, organised professional development programmes for women in leadership and for those aspiring to be leaders, and training programmes focused on how to build healthy collegial relationships.

scholarly journals Women in Leadership Positions, Road to Success, A Case Study, Bahrain

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samar Jawdat Al-Barghouthi
Keyword(s):  
Women Leaders ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Business Leaders ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Female Leaders ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Women In Business ◽  
Contingency Leadership

Bahrain is a Muslim Arab tribal society, where women play a significant role in the countries’ development, and the number of female business leaders is increasing rapidly. Understanding the circumstances that brought these women to the forefront of business in their country will lead to constructing a better business environment for women in the future. The aim of this study is to explore these women in terms of: the secret behind their successes, their beliefs, and motivation towards leadership. The study tries to identify the “gap” in the scholarly literature on Bahraini women in business, and to provide in-depth data on female leaders in the region.The study employs the inductive approach, using an in-depth qualitative open-ended interview, developed and based on the contingency leadership theory. And the Weber framework of authority.The results indicate that the main factors contributing to the success of women leaders are social status, cultural, gender, struggle, and difficulties from women leaders’ point of view. This is a pilot study for further in-depth quantitative research in Bahrain and the GCC countries. This study is made up of eight samples. It is anticipated that future comparative research will be extended to a further quantitative study to cover a wider sample of Bahrain and GCC countries.The paper is considered as one of the first to discuss the factors affecting the success of businesswomen in Bahrain, rather than the factors that empower them.

Impact of Asian cultural values upon leadership roles and styles

2020 ◽  
pp. 002085232093598
Author(s):  
Korhan Arun ◽  
Nesli Kahraman Gedik
Keyword(s):  
Leadership Styles ◽  
Cultural Values ◽  
Leadership Style ◽  
Role Theory ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Individual Values ◽  
Western Turkey ◽  
Asian Cultural Values ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
The Impact

In light of an increasingly integrated society, in-depth research is needed to explore how particular perceived values may guide leadership behaviour by measuring the everyday actions of employees. As Asian individual values become collective, there is an increased likelihood that they will be perceived as cultural values that translate into expectations of leadership roles. This article considers the impact of changes in leadership roles from a role theory perspective, based on Asian values leading to changes in leadership styles. The sample is taken from an organised industrial zone which consists of a high immigrant workforce that continues to grow. The research was conducted in western Turkey but has appeared in leading survey results on Asian cultural values. This study found significant symbolic interactionism between values and leadership roles. There were also correlations between roles and leadership styles, since leaders also influence the interpersonal roles of their employees. Among managers involved in decision-making and information processing, an autocratic participative leadership style has emerged. Points for practitioners In every organisation, leaders should be aware of values in their organisations by measuring the everyday actions of employees. To become proficient leaders, they should learn to act in a manner suitable to the roles expected by their subordinates. Furthermore, to be efficient, leaders should adopt what is considered a ‘proper' style through comparison to the indicated roles. In a nutshell, leadership, values and leadership styles are interference acts that affect all processes, from recruitment to strategic management.

African American women leadership across contexts

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 353-376
Author(s):  
Shannon Sales ◽  
Monica Galloway Burke ◽  
Colin Cannonier
Keyword(s):  
African American ◽  
African American Women ◽  
Women Leaders ◽  
Q Methodology ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
American Women ◽  
History Of ◽  
Perceptions Of Leadership

Purpose This paper aims to examine women leaders from diverse career backgrounds and ethnicities to discover their perspectives of their leadership roles and empowerment to determine similarities and differences among them, focusing on the perspectives of African American women. Design/methodology/approach The review process began with a comprehensive review of African American women in history in the context of leadership and empowerment. Next, a Q-sort methodology was used as a semi-qualitative approach for women leaders to rank words of empowerment and facilitate discussions among these women. The Q methodology is known for exploring issues that are correlated with individuals who are influenced with personal feelings and opinions. Findings The paper concludes that perceptions of leadership roles differ among the African American women leaders when compared to other ethnicities. The results support the idea that women from diverse ethnic backgrounds have different experiences in the workplace, and these experiences influence how they identify factors they perceive as beneficial to them in terms of their perspectives on leadership and empowerment. Several themes emerged for African American women leaders including being overlooked, marginalized, undervalued and unappreciated in their professions as leaders due to their dual minority status. As it is now as it was in the past, such barriers can deter or stop progression for African American women leaders. Originality/value The history of African American women in leadership roles is scantily recognized or not recognized at all. This paper highlights leadership roles and barriers for African American women currently in leadership roles in contrast to other women. The issues they face are still similar to those faced by African American women in earlier decades in spite of increased career mobility. A relatively understudied topic in leadership and management history in general, this paper provides a unique lens from which to build awareness about the leadership roles and empowerment of African American women and to effect needed change.

scholarly journals Unwanted appearances and self-objectification: The phenomenology of alterity for women in leadership

Leadership ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 296-318
Author(s):  
Claire O’Neill
Keyword(s):  
Lived Experience ◽  
Women Leaders ◽  
Female Body ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
The Self ◽  
Photo Elicitation ◽  
Subjective Experiences ◽  
Women's Bodies ◽  
Self Objectification ◽  
The Impact

This paper introduces the concept of dys-appearance ( Leder, 1990 ) as a way of conceptualising the lived experience of alterity (or Otherness) of women’s bodies in leadership. Drawing on an in-depth qualitative study (using interviews and photo-elicitation) it contributes towards growing bodies of literature that emphasise the corporeal and highlight the Othering of the female body in the masculine discourse of leadership. Contemporary leadership scholars have drawn on Merleau-Pontian phenomenology to conceptualise the fundamental reversibility of embodied perception between the leader and the follower, but this analysis has not extended to a consideration of the sexed and gendered body. By focusing on the subjective experiences of women leaders this paper demonstrates the phenomenon of dys-appearance ( Leder, 1990 ) in which the female body, which signifies a socially problematic presence in this context, appears to the subject in a disruptive or unwanted manner within their self-perception. The self-objectification and dys-appearance of the recalcitrant body exerts a telic demand upon the self to rectify its problematic presence and return it to a state of undisruptive normality. This analysis contributes novel insights on the unique or different experiences of leadership for women, and the impact of the problematizing of the female body on their self-perceptions.

scholarly journals Women in veterinary leadership positions: their motivations and enablers

2019 ◽  
Vol 186 (5) ◽  
pp. 155-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Tindell ◽  
Renate Weller ◽  
Tierney Kinnison
Keyword(s):  
Role Models ◽  
Future Generation ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Female Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Motivating Factors ◽  
Female Leaders ◽  
Veterinary Profession ◽  
Veterinary Surgeons

BackgroundDespite now having higher numbers of women than men within the veterinary profession, there are substantially less women in leadership roles. Research, primarily in other professions, has focussed on barriers to leadership and sometimes overlooked facilitators and motivators. This study aimed to explore the motivating factors for female veterinary surgeons to become leaders, to identify potential strategies to increase female leadership.MethodsSixteen female leaders from academia, professional bodies, industry and clinical practice took part in semistructured interviews. Interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.ResultsTwo themes were developed: ‘Potential for positive influence’ and ‘Requirement of external enablers’. Participants wanted to influence change for themselves, including work-life balance and developing their role, and for others through a position of influence. They wanted to inspire and mentor the future generation of leaders. External enablers allowed this transition to occur, including formal mentors and informal support systems, opportunities for growth and increased responsibility, and leadership training.ConclusionPotential strategies to increase female leaders include the promotion of female role models, increasing awareness of training and increasing work flexibility. The profession could improve its support of the next generation of leaders and celebrate the successful female leaders we already possess.

Attributions for Success and Failure of Men and Women in Leadership Positions

1994 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 1307-1312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth S. Shultz
Keyword(s):  
Task Difficulty ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Female Leaders ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Leader ◽  
Performance Ability ◽  
Male Leader

Attributions for the success and failure of men and women in leadership positions were examined as a function of the subjects' attitudes towards women in leadership roles (as measured by the Women As Managers Scale of Peters, Terborg, and Taynor. 80 men and 80 women were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in which a leader's performance was described, i.e., male leader—success, male leader—failure, female leader—success, female leader—failure. Subjects then rated the importance they believed each of four factors had in determining the leader's performance (ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck). A general reluctance of subjects to make external attributions and to distinguish between male and female leaders was found.

Towards a Fairer Future

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 52-68
Author(s):  
Courtney Cook
Keyword(s):  
Black Women ◽  
Nonprofit Organizations ◽  
White Women ◽  
Nonprofit Sector ◽  
Leadership Skills ◽  
Black Girls ◽  
Women In Leadership ◽  
Leadership Roles ◽  
Female Leaders ◽  
Black And White

In the study on which this article is based, I examine the correlation between the number of Black girls in leadership programs and the number of Black female leaders in nonprofit organizations. I carried out research on Black girl leadership to understand the shortcomings of programs meant to teach Black girls appropriate leadership skills and I conducted interviews with female leaders to determine the hurdles faced by Black women trying to obtain leadership roles in the nonprofit sector. My findings show that there is a disconnect between Black and white women in leadership roles and that impediments for Black women affect leadership prospects for Black girls. This article is a call to create an activist model that supports the professional trajectories of Black girls.

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