The Imperative Female Leadership How Can Women Use Gender and Sex Role Stereotypes As An Advantage In Leadership Andi Eastwood

Summary

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What’s Changing Business ?

Gender Stereotypes & Sex Roles

Organizational Changes

Female Advantage

What’s Changing Business?

• Global Market• Increased Export and Importation• Trade• Outsourcing

• Baby Boomers Retiring• Less Available Workforce

World merchandise

exports increased over the postwar period, from 7 %

of world gross domestic

production in 1950 to 17.1 % in 1993 (Krugman,

1995). .

The age cohort that follows the Baby Boom group is approximately 18% smaller in both the

United States and Europe (Beeson & Valerio, 2012).

What’s Changing Business?

• Available Female WorkforceAccording to Catalyst, in 2008-2009

women earned 36.3% of MBAs

(as cited in Beeson &

Valerio, 2012).

Over the next decade the amount of

women achieving

graduate or professional degrees will increase by

16% (Cormier, 2006).

FEMALE TRAITSStereotypes of women often include characteristics such as being gentle, emotional, intuitive, dependent, sensitive, passive, illogical, nurturing, warm, and accommodating” (Kunkel & Dennis, 2003).

The expectation is that leaders in managerial positions are assertive, authoritative, objective and driven ; characteristics associated with masculine stereotype.

MALE TRAITS

Gender Stereotypes and Sex Roles

Women have been viewed in the past as weak or unable to handle the pressures of

leadership because of being softer than their male

counterparts.

FEMALE TRAITS•Emotional•Communicative•Softer on employees•Caregiver / Nurturing•Multi-Task•Flexible•Sensitive•Collaborative / Teamwork•Humble

•Powerful•Assertive•Natural Leaders•Non Emotional•In Control•Competitive•Independent•Decisive•Logical

MALE TRAITS

Gender Stereotypes and Sex Roles

The opening of the emerging economy is causing an increased access to global consumers and suppliers.

These structural shifts and the increased access to global workforce combined with technology that enables global collaboration in creating a flat business world (Gerth & Rothman, 2007).

This flat business is one that has reduced barriers of communication and has flattened the hierarchy of management.

Organizational ChangeTransition to the future

Organizational ChangeTransition to the future

•End of Hierarchy•Team Based Process•Participative•Decentralized Decision Making

Transactional Leadership• Transactional leadership is a process in

which the subordinate’s needs are met if their performance measures up to the leaders expectations (Anantaraman, 1993).

Transformational Leadership• Transformational leadership is

characterized by organizational change and involves the leader to articulate the vision in a way that motivates others to subscribe (Kaslow, Falender & Grus, 2012).

Organizational Change

Organizational Change

Moving towards the future…

Changing Business Environment

As Baby Boomers retire the number of women in the workforce continues to increase

The future of organizational management continues to change

•There is some research that shows evidence that woman managers tend to use more of a transformational leadership style than transactional (Singh, Nadim, & Ezzedeen, 2012). •Women’s sense of connection with their employees and general concern for their welfare instead of a concern for their own power is helping them to be naturally transformational leaders.

Female Advantage

•Because women tend to naturally have the characteristics described as a transformational leader they will be assets to the changing business organization. Women are comfortable with diversity and prefer direct communication instead of the up and down chain of command (Hegeslsen, 2008). •What was once considered a weakness in female leadership style is now becoming the preferred methods and gaining global attention.

Female Advantage

Women’s kindheartedn

ess and warmth help them to form

stronger bonds with

global clients.

Women are more

collaborative and relational

than male counterparts which can be an asset in

today’s organizations.

Women are better at

motivating others & fostering

communication.

The gender stereotypic

female leadership

style attributes women to

being friendly,

unselfish, and emotionally expressive

Women bring a different

management style that is

more inclusive and

as leaders they draw on

others expertise

before making

decisions

Female Advantage

•In order to test this theory a survey of global organizations must be created.

•Survey would measure the ideals of upper level management as well as those throughout.

•Research on historical organizations climate and progress in relation to changes to transformational leadership

The Research

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Stage 4

Stage 5

Stage 6

ConclusionThe growing economy and changes in the global market will cause a demand for female leadership and the natural transformational leadership they poses.