Background:Women leaders within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa have increased in numbers over the past years and they have changed the dynamics in these institutions. Yet, it is a subject that has hardly been explored from the perspective of women leaders.Aim:The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of women leaders in HEIs from a systems psychodynamic perspective using the conflict, identity, boundaries, authority, roles, task (CIBART) model, a well-researched model to analyse systems psychodynamics and to gain a deeper understanding of (un)conscious dynamics within organisations.Methods:This qualitative study is based on Dilthey‘s modern hermeneutics. Interviews were conducted with 23 women leaders from the Higher Education Resource Services South Africa, network across 8 HEIs. Observations were conducted in one organisation to support the data analysis and interpretation. Data were analysed through content analysis.Findings:Findings show that women leaders re-evaluate and reconstruct themselves constantly within organisations. This continuous re-evaluation and reconstruction become visible through the constructs of the CIBART model. The findings reveal deeper insights into systems psychodynamics, which considers anxiety within the system where women leaders seem to contain such anxiety by mobilising specific defence mechanisms. Certain diversity markers, such as race, gender, mother tongue, position within the organisation and generational belonging play a role in creating the dynamics. Women leaders’ experience of de-authorisation and role confusion impacts significantly on women leadership and their action towards ownership.Practical implications: The study provides new, valuable and context-specific insights into women leadership seen through the lens of the CIBART model, highlighting unconscious dynamics that need practical attention in the HEIs to empower women leaders for gender-specific leadership training.Originality or value: Findings provide a foundation for future research on women leaders and applied solutions to empower women leaders, whilst reducing anxiety within the system. The study provides complex insights, which should create increasing awareness in women leaders towards being containers of anxiety and creating new ways of empowered women leadership.

This article explores the self-defined roles of women leaders working in higher education institutions (HEIs) in South Africa in the context of systems psychodynamics and thereby increase the understanding of unconscious dynamics in HEIs. This qualitative study is based on the research paradigm of Dilthey's modern hermeneutics. Women leaders are containers of anxieties, while they act out defense mechanisms, such as splitting, projection, projective identification, introjection, idealization, simplification and rationalization. Splitting seems to be important in terms of categories such as mother/professional, mother/daughter, women/men leaders and White/Black women leaders. Women leaders further have introjected the roles of their mothers and female family members from their childhood. They do not embrace the full authority and agency of their leadership, and explore their own difficulties and negative emotions in others through projective identification. The findings create awareness of the roles of women leaders, strengthen women leadership and emphasise the need for leadership training taking the systems psychodynamic perspective into account.Keywords: women leader, professional roles, family roles, workplace, higher education, role confusion, South Africa AbstractEste artículo explora los roles autodefinidos de las mujeres líderes que trabajan en instituciones de educación superior (IES) en Sudáfrica en el contexto de la psicodinámica de sistemas y de ese modo aumenta la comprensión de la dinámica inconsciente en las IES. Este estudio cualitativo se basa en el paradigma de investigación de la hermenéutica moderna de Dilthey. Las mujeres líderes son contenedores de ansiedades, mientras que actúan mecanismos de defensa, como la división, la proyección, la identificación proyectiva, la introyección, la idealización, la simplificación y la racionalización. La división se da en términos de categorías como madre / profesional, madre / hija, mujeres / hombres líderes y mujeres blancas / negras. Las mujeres líderes también han introyectado los roles de sus madres y mujeres miembros de la familia desde su infancia. No abarcan toda la autoridad y la agencia de su liderazgo. Los hallazgos crean conciencia sobre los roles de las mujeres líderes, fortalecen el liderazgo de las mujeres y enfatizan la necesidad de capacitación en liderazgo teniendo en cuenta la perspectiva psicodinámica de los sistemas.

Orientation: This study contributes to an in-depth understanding of emotional intelligence (EI) in women leaders in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in South Africa from an inside perspective.Research purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore EI in South African women leaders working in HEIs to identify women leader’s strengths, foci and their possible areas of development. The aim is to get deeper insights in EI in women leaders because EI is associated with effective leadership qualities, creativity and innovation, as well as empathetic communication which is needed in the challenging HEI workplaces.Motivation for the study: Emotional intelligence is an important source for women leaders to increase leadership qualities. This study is motivated by a deep interest to explore aspects of EI in women leaders in this specific professional context.Research design, approach and method: The study uses a qualitative research design and an approach based on Dilthey’s modern hermeneutics of ‘Verstehen’ (understanding). Twenty-three women leaders of the Higher Education Research Service (HERS-SA) network were interviewed through semi-structured interviews. One researcher observed behaviour in one HEI to support the interpretation of the data. Data were analysed through content analysis.Main findings: Findings show that women leaders mainly refer to intrapersonal emotional quotient (EQ), followed by interpersonal EQ, adaptability, stress management and, finally, general mood. The most highly rated components of EQ are self-regard, followed by interpersonal relationships, problem solving, empathy, emotional self-awareness, assertiveness, impulse control and social responsibility. Findings also provide ideas on what EQ components can be further developed.Practical/managerial implications: New insights are provided on what components of EI should be developed in women leaders to increase overall EI, on cognitive and behavioural levels.Contribution/value-add: This research provides new and original context-specific insights on EI in HEIs in South Africa, which can be used as a basis for future research on women leaders while providing a knowledge base for contemporary training of EI in HEIs.

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Demands on women in middle and senior leadership positions in higher education institutions inevitably challenge their well-being. How they manage these demands is strongly related to their sense of coherence and their spirituality, constructs that have demonstrated positive relations with general and work-related well-being. This study aims to explore the construction of sense of coherence and spirituality of women leaders in higher education institutions. It adopts a qualitative research approach, applying constructivist grounded theory. The sample comprises 13 academic and support services women working in higher education, who belong to the Higher Education Resource Services South Africa network, a non-profit organisation that promotes leadership development and representation of women in senior positions in higher education. This study contributes to knowledge on gender-specific well-being concepts by presenting qualitative findings on women leaders' life-orientation in terms of sense of coherence and spirituality in a higher education institution in South Africa. Themes from the interview data provide key insights on three subcomponents of sense of coherence: manageability, comprehensibility, and meaningfulness. Spirituality furthermore emerged as constructed in inner-connectedness, trans-personality, and a coping resource in the work context. Meaningfulness emerged as central to the life-orientation and spirituality of women leaders in higher education. Finally, a core theoretical idea is presented in proposing an integrated psycho-spiritual perspective, with meaningfulness as central, grounded in a motivational and relational orientation, and facilitating the potential well-being of women leaders in higher education institutions. Recommendations are made for future research and to inform leadership development and well-being interventions targeting women in higher education.