Leadership has been one of the widely discussed topic among the management literature, with the specific focus on the factors that shape the leadership styles and determine its effectiveness. The influence of gender on the leadership style adopted by an individual has been an area of discussion by various scholars (Eagly and Johnson, 1990; Sinclair, 2005). Another issue that has been explored in the domain of gendered leadership is the perception about the output of leadership styles adopted by males and females. As noted by Appelbaum, Audet and Miller (2003), a theme commonly present in the society is that males are more effective in leadership roles than females, which is a misnomer.
This paper will analyze the factors that shape leadership and addressing the perception of leadership using the example of a male and female leader. The comparative analysis between these leaders will provide insight into the way leadership practices differ due to gender. It will further identify how the perceived effectiveness of leadership is effected due to gender.
Analysis of Gendered Leadership and Management
The leaders selected for the analysis include Alan Sugar, owner of various business entities such as Amsair, Viglen Ltd, and was founder of Amstrad. In case of female leader, the example of Irene Rosenfeld, who has served as the CEO at Kraft Foods Inc. has been used for the analysis. The selection is made on the grounds that both of these individuals are considered as successful leaders owing to the ability to fulfil the objectives that they have identified, which negates the prevalent concept that females are not able to be effective leaders and managers or males have a greater chance of being an effective leader.
Nevertheless, it is important to note that the differences in the leadership styles adopted by female leaders are considered to be different than the male leaders. Ayman and Korabik (2010) have stated that the differences in the leadership effectiveness can be attributed to the societal perception about the competence of women in leadership roles and the degree of support and growth opportunities they are provided in their managerial careers. It has been further mentioned that the relationship between leadership and gender is an intricate phenomenon, comprising the socio-cultural and organizational opportunities and barriers for women. Females may be exposed to greater degree of barriers to leadership position and face higher degree of resistance from the male subordinates (Eagly and Carli, 2003). The increased understanding about the positive role of women in the organizational growth has reduced the barriers females face in gaining a higher position in the corporate sector. The case of Rosenfeld is a notable illustration in this regard, who expressed the opinion that workplace dynamics have changed over the years, enabling female leaders to play an active role as organizational leaders (Branson, 2009).
Paustian-Underdahl, Walker and Woehr (2014) have asserted the importance transformation leadership style has gained in the recent era, increasing the emphasis on managers who can play the role of inspiring the personnel and guiding them through the change process. It has been further mentioned that since women are regarded as being effective change agents due to the communication skills, the increased focus on transformational leaders can result in decreased barriers to organizational growth for female leaders.
An individual can use transformational leadership skills to facilitate the organization to deal through challenging situation and emerge out of the difficult time. It requires motivating the personnel and maintaining the commitment and dedication among the followers. Rosenfeld, has been able to fulfil this role of leadership, managing the followers in an effective manner, thus suggesting that gender, transforming the workplace and inspiring the followers can be connected to each other. Rosenfeld has become an effective source of transformation in Kraft Foods by bringing changes in the managerial roles as well as organizational structure (Espinoza, 2009). Furthermore, she has focused on establishing closer ties with the personnel, using different communication tools such as intranet to interact with the workforce (Scudder, 2014).
On the other hand, Sugar is renowned for using autocratic leadership style to focus on the successful achievement of the business objectives. He focuses on identification of the goals that needs to be achieved and make decisions that support in the achievement of the desired objectives, regardless of the response generated among the followers (Murray, 2010). It has also been stated that when employees are able to deliver the results that are expected by Sugar, their efforts are not only positively acknowledged by him, but the workers are provided with suitable incentives for their efforts. Therefore, it can be seen that leadership approach of Alan Sugar manifests the features of transactional leadership style which is considered to include the use of reinforcement and punishment to regulate the behavior of the followers (Daft, 2014).
Researchers have indicated that females tend to have a greater likelihood to use transformational leadership style as compared to the leading approach of males (Eagly, Johannesen-Schmidt, and Van Engen, 2003; Paustian-Underdahl et al., 2014). On the other hand, some researchers have found that gender doesn’t determine the use of transformational leadership as male and female managers were found to reflect similar tendencies of inspiring the personnel and motivating them (Mandell and Pherwani, 2003). However, differences related to gender and perceived effectiveness continue to exist for male and female managers.
In a study, Kulich, Ryan and Haslam, (2007) have identified how the performance evaluation of female leaders is carried out using different approach than the male leaders. The competence of females in the leadership position is considered to be the key determinant of conclusion about their output, with the organizational performance being regarded as a factor having lower degree of importance. Conversely, the effectiveness of male leaders and the bonus they receive is based on the way organization is able to progress under their leadership, thus indicating the differential performance analysis mechanisms for female and male leaders.
The perception about effectiveness of leadership quality driven by gender has also been evaluated by Johnson et al. (2008), who found that female leaders are regarded as being effective leaders if they are able to integrate the factors of sensitivity and power to control in their managerial practices. For example, Rosenfeld has displayed control on the direction of Kraft Foods and establish strong relationship with the employees, thus she is regarded as a successful leader. In judging the effectiveness of male leaders, the component of power and strength are the focal point, considering the display of sensitivity as irrelevant for the male leaders. Alan Sugar, on the other hand has a more control oriented approach to leading the people, yet he is seen as successful by some of the scholars (Reardon, 2013). Criticism on this leadership style has also emerged, regarding the exclusion of empathy and sensitivity as a limitation of his leadership approach.
Conclusion
The paper has outlined the similarities and differences existing in the leadership styles of Irene Rosenfeld and Alan Sugar and indicated the use of transformational and transactional leadership approaches being used by them respectively. One of the key issues that female managers face in the leadership position is the differential criterion used to analyze their effectiveness as a leader. Nevertheless, the development in organizational dynamics has increased the need of transformational leaders and women being perceived as effective change managers are able to gain leadership positions. It can be further concluded that gender doesn’t affect the leadership competence, but it does influence the perception of followers and evaluators about the features that constitute effective leadership.