The concept of leadership is one which has been historically associated with masculinity. Compared to women, men have been considered favorites when it comes to selection and allocation of tasks that demand application of leadership concepts or models. However, there has been a paradigm shift in modern years as women have taken up leadership roles in both public and private organizations. For instance, women hold high ranking positions in governments as cabinet secretaries, ministers, presidents, among others. In the world of business, their representation, although minimal compared to that of men, is nonetheless recognized. Thus, following their input in various sectors, particularly in business, an exploration of the various leadership techniques they use is warranted. Focus will be narrowed down to their use of servant and transformational leadership theories in an organization.
Reynolds (2011) acknowledged that women’s status in the business culture has continued to rise. Therefore, there is a need for leadership educators to address the issues arising from the gendered perception of the phenomenon in question. The idea is to shift towards a society where there is inclusion and women are accorded equal opportunities, as men, when it comes to leadership positions not only in business, but also in other sectors. Reynolds (2011) discussed the concept of servant leadership explaining that it is needs-focused compared to traditional models which are results oriented. However, a concern arises whereby the concept of “servant” is associated with subjugation, while a leader is associated with domination. With such kind of thinking, it becomes difficult for women, especially those using the servant-leadership approach to escape from subjugation. Understandably, Reynolds (2011) noted that “… subjugation is typically gendered as feminine and domination is masculine” (p. 157). Therefore, a major concern is whether when women use the servant leadership are likely to be accorded the respect and status they deserve, or whether they will suffer discrimination. From what has been mentioned thus far, the main concern is about the gendered-perception of leadership, and in particular servant leadership. The association of the term “servant” with subjugation is likely to render women in leadership positions unable to achieve preset organizational goals and objectives.
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Another leadership approach that is commonly used in organizations and which leads to change is the transformational model. Grove-Heuser (2016) described transformational leadership explaining that leaders that use the said technique assume a unique role as role models. They inspire and operate with a high level of transparency and integrity. Thus, the function of transformational leaders is to stimulate followers and the organization to achieve a situation where everybody is operating at his or her potential. Women in business leadership use the transformational model to bring about change in an organization. However, Gipson et al. (2017) explained that male subordinates tend to devalue female transformational leaders. In her study of women and leadership, Gipson et al. (2017) found that there are differentiated rates of selection for both men and women leaders. Furthermore, considerations for leader developments are gendered. With such findings, one can notice the challenges that women in leadership positions face. Their devaluation by male subordinates exposes them to situations where they are unable to coordinate resources to achieve desired results. Gipson et al. (2017) acknowledges that women face gendered challenges and that leadership is perceived from a biased angle. Whenever there is a discussion involving women and leadership, it is likely that gender will be considered as a factor influencing how females are treated. Their overall experiences in the business culture are characteristic of devaluation which renders them ineffective in the work.
A discussion of servant and transformational leadership approaches relative to the plight of women reveals a number of key themes. One is that gendered-perspectives about servant and transformational leadership techniques render women vulnerable to mistreatment regardless of their status. Reynolds (2011) explained that while servant leadership is based on a needs-focused attitude, when women apply it, they are undermined. Being a servant leader for a woman means that she is accepting her inferior role in the society. Such kind of perception emerges as a major obstacle towards effective leadership especially when women are in control. An organization is unlikely to realize desired change if male subordinates continue to perceive women leaders as inferior. Leadership educators should focus on promoting a more competent understanding of leadership. For instance, they should dissociate leadership from the said gendered-perceptions which are not only discriminative, but also undermine an organization’s overall performance. Chandler (2011) noted that “ Although women have moved into more managerial positions, they still have not emerged into the top executive leadership positions nor do they earn salaries commensurate with those of men for the same jobs” (p. 2). Such kind of a state of being explains the limited impact of women when in leadership positions as their perception is associated with narrow-minded attitudes.
A closer assessment of how women are perceived when in leadership demonstrates that the issue is primarily with the gendered-perception of the status they hold. However, scholars have demonstrated that compared to men, women can be rather effective as leaders regardless of the sector in which they provide their services. One of the key factors which promotes success for women leaders is their technique when dealing with subordinates. Chandler (2011) noted that “… with men more likely to view leadership as a sequence of transactions with others, whereas women are more transformational, using interpersonal skills to motivate followers rather than applying positional power or authority” (p. 3). In this case, the argument is that women consider themselves as servants and focus on addressing the needs of their followers. Unlike men, they are not authoritative or present themselves as occupying dominant positions in an organization. That being the case, they are able to connect or rather establish healthier relationships with their subordinates. However, while that is the case, the appropriation of behavior as being favorable or unfavorable for both men and women continues to undermine women’s role in leadership regardless of sector. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, women’s relationship to place and work influence how they are perceived and their overall experiences as leaders (Hodges, 2015). The idea is that their behavior is evaluated from a gendered-perspective which influences their level of success. Thus, one can notice that women in leadership positions have to negotiate their way through a biased outlook and try to maneuver the challenges of a male-dominated society.
Conclusion
Women have the potential to achieve great success as leaders in various sectors. However, it becomes challenging for them as male subordinates devalue them thereby showing lack of both recognition of respect for the status that women leaders occupy in an organization. In this respect, the obstacle towards success in a firm is simply based on the domination of male chauvinism at the workplace whereby gendered-perception of leadership dominate. However, if leadership educators sensitize individuals against holding such biased views towards women leaders, organizational effectiveness can be achieved.
References
Chandler, D. (2011). What women bring to the exercise of leadership. Journal of Strategic Leadership, 3 (2), 1-12.
Gipson, A. N., Pfaff, D. L., Mendelsohn, D. B., Catenacci, L. T., & Burke, W. W. (2017). Women and Leadership. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science,53 (1), 32-65. doi:10.1177/0021886316687247
Grove-Heuser, J. (2016). Women as transformational leaders: Learning to lead in the community college . Portland State University.
Hodges, J. (2017). Cracking the walls of leadership: Women in Saudi Arabia. Gender in Management: An International Journal , 32 (1), 34-46.
Reynolds, K. (2011). Servant-leadership as gender-integrative leadership: Paving a path for more gender-integrative organizations through leadership education. Journal of Leadership Education, 10 (2), 155-170.
