PowerPoint Presentation by Charlie Cook 1e. Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved. Chapter 8 Gender and Leadership

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–2 Chapter Objectives After completing this chapter, you should be able to: Describe some of the demographic trends affecting gender and leadership. Define the glass ceiling and describe its effects on organizational leadership. Explain sex-role and managerial stereotypes. Understand feminist approaches to leadership. Describe gender differences in leadership styles. Understand a model that incorporates four different views of gender differences in leadership.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–3 Progress To Date In the 1960s, 90% of managers were white men; by 1999, 49% of managerial positions in the U.S. were held by women. There has been a worldwide increase in female participation in managerial work, corporate and political leadership positions. Stereotyping, glass ceilings and glass walls continue to limit the participation of women in the top ranks of organizations and in occupations not dominated by women.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–4 The Glass Ceiling Glass ceiling  A metaphorical transparent barrier that keeps women from rising above a certain level in organizations as a result of discrimination (e.g., denying them access to developmental opportunities) that decreases their upward mobility. Glass walls  Barriers that channel women into staff/support positions rather than allowing them to move to positions of responsibility that directly contribute to the profitability of the organization.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–5 Sex-Role and Managerial Stereotypes Men  Aggressive  Dominant  Ambitious  Competitive  Self-sufficient  Rational  Acting like a leader Women  Affectionate  Nurturing  Gentle  Loyal  Understanding  Intuitive  Warm

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–6 Five “Binds” that Stereotype Women Women can exercise either their wombs or their brains, but not both. Women who speak out are immodest and will be shamed; women who are silent will be ignored. Women are subordinate, whether they claim to be different from or the same as men. Women who are considered feminine will be seen as incompetent; women who are considered competent will be seen as unfeminine. As men age, they become wise and powerful; as women age, they become wrinkled and superfluous.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–7 Sex-Role Stereotype Research Findings Male managers tended to describe successful managers in masculine terms. Female managers described successful middle managers using masculine adjectives. Women saw men and women as equally likely to possess characteristics of successful managers. Women managers were characterized as less competent, less active, less emotionally stable, less independent, and less rational than male managers.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–8 Reflective Questions ▼ Consider your own work experience or that of others you know.  Can you think of any other obstacles to women’s advancement in organizations, beyond those listed in text?  Do men and women differ in their leadership styles? On what do you base your view?

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–9 Feminist Approaches to Leadership Feminist Movements  Suffrage movement (Right to vote)  Commission on the Status of Women and “Women’s Lib” (liberation)  Civil rights movement and social change Early Feminist Viewpoint  An equal opportunity to participate.  Ability differences between women and men were due to socialization and lack of opportunity.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–10 Feminist Approaches to Leadership (cont’d) Modern Feminist Viewpoint  Promotes the “feminine advantage”:  Women have the attributes and skills necessary for more effective leadership: –A more interactional leadership style –The ability to build consensus –A tendency to empower others –A greater ability to nurture others

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–11 Gender-Driven Leadership Styles Research Findings:  Women tend to use a democratic or participative style, while men tend toward an autocratic style.  Identical behaviors are viewed with disfavor when displayed by a woman and positively when by a man.  By meeting people’s expectations of what makes a good leader, women may forsake female behaviors.  Women are limited in the leadership behaviors that they can engage in without criticism  Women are evaluated negatively when they adopt an authoritative (autocratic) leadership style.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–12 Gender-Driven Leadership Styles (cont’d) Research Findings (cont’d):  Leadership positions, as defined by the organization, define the leadership style for the position.  Men assume leadership of short-term groups occupied with low-socialization tasks; women become leaders of groups whose tasks require social interaction.  Male and females do better in roles related to and in organizations dominated by their respective genders.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–13 A Model For Gender And Leadership Model Explained  Seeks to answer the question “Do women and men lead differently?”  Organized along two continua: similarity/dissimilarity between the sexes and focus on ethical/efficiency concerns.  Four different conceptual positions: equal opportunities, meritocracy, special contribution, and alternative values.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–14 Leadership Model Positions Equal Opportunities  Makes the moral argument that fundamental biases, inequalities, and injustices prevent women from advancing in work life and that everyone deserves a fair chance to advance and lead. Meritocracy  A position interested in battling social and political forces that limit women’s advancement into leadership on the rational premise that underutilizing the talents and skills of women is an inefficient use of organizational resources.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–15 Leadership Model Positions (cont’d) Special Contribution  The view of “feminist leadership”—that female-male leadership differences are complementary and that the unique contributions of women makes for more effective leadership in organizations. Alternative values  A psychoanalytic feminist approach contending that because women cannot change the male-dominant culture, women should design alternative female- valuing organizations.

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–16 Reflective Questions ▼ How do you view feminist approaches to leadership? To what extent does the majority male culture of organizations shape gender relations in the workplace? Which of the approaches to understanding female leadership—equal opportunities, meritocracy, special contribution, alternative values—do you espouse? What experiences have shaped your opinion?

Copyright © 2005 South-Western. All rights reserved.8–17 View CD Work through the CD-ROM sections on gender influences in all of the case studies.  To what extent does gender make a difference in leadership styles?  Do men and women use different criteria for evaluating effective leaders?