At the end of the road? On differences between women and men in leadership behaviour

The glass slipper effect: understanding the Nordic gender equality paradox from an identity fit perspective

Purpose

This paper aims to introduce an identity fit perspective adding to the understanding of the Nordic gender equality paradox of top managing positions using a Danish sample as case.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, five hypotheses concerning identity perception of top managing positions and the relationship with own identity and type of industry were tested through a correlational research design utilizing a cross-sectional survey methodology. A total of 1,054 women aged 18–60 participated in the survey.

Findings

The analysis revealed a strong masculine perception of a top managing position whereas women's own identity perception was much more diverse. The more masculine a woman perceives herself to be, the more motivated she is to climb the career ladder. Type of industry moderates the relationship between identity fit and motivation for top positions, but only for the masculine traits. The relationship between identity fit and motivation is stronger for women in high masculine industries.

Originality/value

Apart from being the first study of identity fit in a Nordic setting, this study contributes to the identity fit theory by employing a semi-objective fit approach exploring identity fit on an industry level, including female-dominated industries, as well as examining identity fit in relation to motivation to pursue a top managing position.

The Expression of Social and Emotional Competencies of Leadership in Lithuanian Organizations: The Gender Approach

The phenomenon of gender leadership is a controversial object in contemporary leadership studies. These days, the possibilities of traditional leadership have been limited by the ongoing dynamic, global changes, which have influenced the emergence of female leadership as an independent phenomenon and its separation from the male leadership. Presently, possibilities exist to form new insights about gender leadership. Scholars have begun an intense scientific discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of male and female leadership. The goal of this paper is to disclose the social and emotional leadership competencies of different gender employees. The employed research methods are as follows: an analysis and synthesis of scientific literature with the aim of revealing the peculiarities of gender leadership and defining leadership as a set of social and emotional competencies; quantitative research conducted using a questionnaire-based survey with the aim of empirically determining the manifestation of social and emotional leadership competencies in terms of gender leadership. The theoretical analysis allows us to identify the fundamental trends of gender leadership research. The empirical basis of this article comprises the results of empirical research carried out in 2018. The paper includes an abstract of the theoretical research of gender leadership and the social and emotional leadership competencies based on the research methodology and the results received. According to the results of the empirical research, it is possible to find matching assessments of social and emotional leadership competencies in men and women; certain significant differences exist as well. These results revealed which of the advantages possessed by female leaders tend to lie in their soft management skills: interaction, trust, as well as relationships and skills in working with people.

Power and Autistic Traits

Autistic traits can help people gain and sustain power, and has probably done so throughout history, says the present paper. A number of testable claims follow from this assumption. First, the powerful should have more autistic traits than others - which they do appear to have. Among other things, powerful people, and those with many autistic traits, tend to prefer solitary activities and are often aloof. Moreover, they are often rigid and socially insensitive, low on empathy and with low scores on the trait of agreeableness - and as a rule they do not have many friends. Both groups are also more self-centered than others, more honest, less submissive, more sensitive to slights, and with a stronger tendency to engage in abstract thinking. They tend to behave in bossy or dominant ways, and their moral judgment is more based on rules than on feelings. In addition to experimental evidence, I cite biographies showing that a surprising number of presidents, prime ministers and other powerful people seem to have had traits like those in question - and interestingly, in animals, leaders are often rigid and insensitive to group members' needs and feelings, mostly acting the way they are themselves inclined to, not responding much to others. Problem solving is important in leadership, and people with many autistic traits appear often to be better thinkers than typical subjects with similar IQs. However, these and other congruities could be coincidences. Hence the question of whether traits the two groups have in common also have a common cause constitutes a strong test of the paper's thesis - and a common cause does appear to exist, in the form of testosterone's effects on the central nervous system. Finally, there is evidence that, other things equal, powerful men have more reproductive success than others. If men wielding power do indeed have more autistic traits than those less powerful, this will lead to, other things equal, such traits becoming more common - which can help explain the prevalence of autistic traits.