Gender Differences in Leadersdhip
Gender Differences in Leadership
Is it possible to have different women and men leaders? This is a question surrounded with substantial controversy. However, the notion that there is a difference in the way men and women lead is dominant in management literature, which provides information for practicing managers. Some scholars who support this difference suggest that women have a "female voice" overlooked in theory and research. On the contrary, a significant percentage of the social science literature support the similarity stand, suggesting that, considering all things, men and women lead in the same manner (Eagly and Johnson, 1990). In addition, most of the empirical evidence for both positions accumulated through the years further contributes to confusion.
Currently, women are assuming a number of leadership responsibilities in various organizations owing to some "gender equality is gradually becoming a belief." Although there is a popular concept that men make better leaders compared to women who utilize "soft tactics" for work completion, is not always correct. Additionally, gender does not determine leadership styles, but by the identity of the individual leader (Lynda and Joanne, 2003). Therefore, organizations should include women in order to prosper. Those that fail to include women will fail in two ways. First, they lose a chance to utilize the potential of female leaders, and secondly, the organizations receive poor returns on investment.
In many organizational studies, it is apparent that men and women leaders did not vary in interpersonally related style and task oriented style. However, in laboratory and evaluation studies, it is apparent that men are task oriented and women are interpersonally oriented. Concerning the leadership style, women espoused a democratic or participative style; while men adopted an autocratic style. This paper utilizes the most current empirical evidence on similarities and variations in female and male leadership styles to reveal the difference in gender leadership styles (Stelter, 2002).
Gender and Leadership
Various variables such as race, gender and culture influence effective leadership. Gender is a social element specifying the socially and culturally prescribed tasks that female and male follow. According to the social theory, gender differences are central to division of labor between the genders, which enhances development of gender tasks. This means that the genders will equip themselves for the different tasks (Lynda and Joanne, 2003). In other words, gender roles refer to guidelines about how males and females should behave. In addition, the roles are central to gender centered theory of leadership, which aims at personal differences.
Traits such as aggression, ambition, dominance, force, independence and confidence have a link to male leadership (Cares, Wearing and Mann, 2000). On the other hand, traits such as affection, kindness, sympathy, sensitivity and helpfulness have a connection with female leadership. Prior studies suggest that men and women had personality attributes that matched with effective leadership skills. However, the social role expectations offered a plausible explanation that accounted for gender variation in leadership (Stelter, 2002). Additionally, emphasis on gender variations, some scholars argue, aimed at excluding females from secular and non-secular leadership ranks.
Difference does exist
Generally, the notion of leadership style includes a number of behaviors. At times, gender is confounded with variables including status, type of organization, attributes of the employees and hierarchal level in an organization. In addition, various categories of leadership styles, patterns of leadership traits often have a correlation with gender and might elaborate variations between female and male leadership (Eagly, Johannesen-Schimdt and VanEngen, 2003). The approach of autocratic to democratic leadership varies from the leader not allowing obstruction of employees in decision-making and leading in an autocratic manner, to the leader behaving democratically and allows employees to take part in making decisions.
Although leading in a democratic manner excludes autocratic leadership, leaders may utilize both styles according to the situational contingency of both the role design and subordinate attributes. On the other hand, interpersonally oriented leaderships consist of behaviors such as assisting and doing favors for employees, minding their welfare, elaborating procedures, friendliness and availability. Additionally, some scholar argues that task oriented, and interpersonal leadership is separate, whereas others view the orientations as a single continuum (Eagly and Johnson, 1990). However, the extensive research has found out leadership styles referred to as visionary, charismatic, transformational and inspirational.
Transformational and transactional leadership vary independently and often differentiated with the deficiency of leadership. Although there is an apparent use of charismatic and transformational leadership as synonyms, there is a consideration that charisma is a sub-dimension of transformational leadership including inspiration, intellectual and personal considerations (Stelter, 2002). Charismatic leaders often attract their followers into obedience, loyalty and adoration. However, some habitual characteristics of charismatic leadership are central...
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