Gender Differences in Leadership Role Occupancy: The Mediating Role of Power Motivation

Schuh, Sebastian C.; Bark, Alina S. Hernandez; Quaquebeke, Niels Van; Hossiep, Ruediger; Frieg, Philip; Dick, Rolf van

doi:10.1007/s10551-013-1663-9

Cited by 168 publications

(99 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…research provides some evidence that men are more likely to strive for power in the workplace than are women. Men tend to pay more attention to power cues (29) and to be more motivated by powerthe desire for the means to influence other people (30)-which has been shown to play a role in producing gender differences in leadership role occupancy (31). In contrast, women tend to be more motivated by affiliation-the desire for warm, close relationships with others (32).…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Compared to men, women view professional advancement as equally attainable, but less desirable

Gino

Wilmuth

Brooks

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

132

104

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Women are underrepresented in most high-level positions in organizations. Though a great deal of research has provided evidence that bias and discrimination give rise to and perpetuate this gender disparity, in the current research we explore another explanation: men and women view professional advancement differently, and their views affect their decisions to climb the corporate ladder (or not). In studies 1 and 2, when asked to list their core goals in life, women listed more life goals overall than men, and a smaller proportion of their goals related to achieving power at work. In studies 3 and 4, compared to men, women viewed highlevel positions as less desirable yet equally attainable. In studies 5-7, when faced with the possibility of receiving a promotion at their current place of employment or obtaining a high-power position after graduating from college, women and men anticipated similar levels of positive outcomes (e.g., prestige and money), but women anticipated more negative outcomes (e.g., conflict and tradeoffs). In these studies, women associated high-level positions with conflict, which explained the relationship between gender and the desirability of professional advancement. Finally, in studies 8 and 9, men and women alike rated power as one of the main consequences of professional advancement. Our findings reveal that men and women have different perceptions of what the experience of holding a high-level position will be like, with meaningful implications for the perpetuation of the gender disparity that exists at the top of organizational hierarchies.gender | professional advancement | goals | power | achievement E ven in societies that stress the importance of gender equality, women are underrepresented in most senior-level positions (1). For instance, recent estimates indicate that women comprise less than 5% of Fortune 500 CEOs, less than 15% of executive officers, less than 20% of full professors in the natural sciences, and only 6% of partners in venture capital firms (2-4). Moreover, it seems that the small percentage of women who do attain executive positions are relegated to spheres within the organization that have less influence and fewer opportunities for professional advancement (5). These differences may not exist at the start of the employment relationship. In fact, recent evidence has found that female applicants were favored over male ones for positions as assistant professors in science (6).Many reasons exist for the gender imbalance in high-level positions. These reasons can be grouped into two broad categories. The first category is what sociologists refer to as demandside factors and psychologists call interpersonal effects. These factors encompass the institutional barriers that women face because of the divergent ways in which men and women are perceived and treated by others. For example, evidence suggests that compared to men, women are perceived as less competent and lacking leadership potential (7-9) and are more likely to encounter challenges, skepticism, and backla...

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Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

Compared to men, women view professional advancement as equally attainable, but less desirable

Gino

Wilmuth

Brooks

2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

132

104

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“…Hence, they suggest that questionnaires are the best alternative, being easier to administer and being more accurate ( [33], p. 112). More recently, Schuh et al [49] provide the same argument when selecting questionnaires over so-called Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) instruments. In contrast, as said, recent work in personality and social psychology convincingly shows that explicit and implicit motives are two distinct concepts, implying that one approach should not be preferred over the other [48,50].…”

Section: Mcclelland's Legacy In Entrepreneurship Studiesmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Power Paradox: Implicit and Explicit Power Motives, and the Importance Attached to Prosocial Organizational Goals in SMEs

et al. 2017

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Abstract:We examine the fundamental tension between explicit and implicit power motives; and their combined impact on the importance attached to prosocial organizational goals in small businesses (SMEs). We show that key decision-makers with a dominant implicit power motive attach more importance to the prosocial goals of job creation and taking care of the environment in their businesses. However, we reveal that this positive relationship is moderated by their explicit power motive. Once decision-makers in SMEs consciously seek for power, the positive relationship is neutralized. With these results, we highlight the conceptual and methodological differences between implicit and explicit power motives. We could obtain these results because we developed and validated an innovative implicit motive measure-the Shortened Pictorial Attitude Implicit Association Test (SPA-IAT). Contrary to the currently available implicit motive measures, the SPA-IAT is fast and easy to use and analyze, which makes this novel instrument well suited for research in business settings.

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“…This, in turn, mediated the link between gender and leadership role occupied (Schuh et al, 2014). The leadership development and empowerment of women and girls has become increasingly popular and Voelkar (2016) provides unique opportunities to develop leadership skills for female, including embracing leadership diversity and deconstructing gender stereotyping, building networking and mentorship and encouraging girls to use their voice and exercise leadership skills in order to help physical educators and coaches maximize the leadership development of girls.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Critical Reflection on the Nature of Campus Female Students’ Aspiration for Leadership Positions

Namaganda¹,

Kimoga²

2018

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The nature of aspiration for leadership is a necessary reflector of democracy, equality and equity is any situation. Although leadership in itself has intrinsic and extrinsic benefits to the leader and the led, there are many distractors to attaining it. Much research has been carried out in Western and Asian contexts on male dominance in leadership but less on-campus male dominance as reflected in the nature of female aspiration for leadership. This study sought to explore how the nature of campus female students' leadership aspirations results from the dominant male presence in the context. Using an institution in developing countries and drawing on the semistructured interviews to access female students' voices on their leadership aspirations, the study finds and concludes that females are internally and externally disadvantaged through complexity, esteem, and strength. The study recommends institutions to formulate policies strategies and practices that promote and foster female integrated cultures; provide appropriate emotional support and mentorship, and develop a leadership framework that closes the gender numeric and financial gap.

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Gender Differences in Leadership Role Occupancy: The Mediating Role of Power Motivation

Cited by 168 publications

References 49 publications

Compared to men, women view professional advancement as equally attainable, but less desirable

Compared to men, women view professional advancement as equally attainable, but less desirable

The Power Paradox: Implicit and Explicit Power Motives, and the Importance Attached to Prosocial Organizational Goals in SMEs

Critical Reflection on the Nature of Campus Female Students’ Aspiration for Leadership Positions

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