Leader Emergence And Gender Roles in All-Female Groups

Abstract

Research suggests that gender role, rather than sex, is associated with the perception of individuals as leaders. This study tests the effect of gender role and intelligence on leadership emergence by using a pattern approach and manipulating task type. Two hundred female undergraduate participants, categorized by their pattern of masculinity, femininity, and intelligence, were placed in groups of 4 members. Groups were randomly assigned to an initiating-structure or consensus-building task condition. In the initiating-structure task condition, both masculine-intelligent and androgynous-intelligent individuals emerged more than feminine-intelligent or mixed-pattern individuals. In the consensus-building task condition, feminine-intelligent individuals did not emerge as leaders more than masculine-intelligent or mixed-pattern individuals. However, partial support was found for the emergence of androgynous-intelligent individuals.

All I need is a stage to shine: Narcissists' leader emergence and performance

“…This measure has been successfully implemented in prior studies (e.g. Gershenoff & Foti, 2003;Smith & Foti, 1998).…”

Cultural constraints on the emergence of women as leaders

“…The second aspect of leader emergence involves the target individuals' intention to lead or be recognized as a formal leader. Some evidence shows that even when possessing and demonstrating leadership behavior that is superior to others in the group, women leaders may sometimes prefer to cede the formal leadership role to men in the group because they, too, believe that being male or masculine is more leader-like (Gershenoff & Foti, 2003;Ritter & Yoder, 2004). For leaders to emerge, others have to be receptive to the target's leadership, and the target must actually intend to take on the leadership role.…”

Labels and leaders: The influence of framing on leadership emergence

“…Leadership emergence research examines how leaderless groups come to have a leader (see Mann, 1959 for review) and conceptualizes emergent leaders as group members who exhibit high levels of leadership behaviors, thereby attaining status in the initially equal status group (Berdahl, 1996). Leadership emergence has been assessed through group (or dyad) member perceptions of other group members (e.g., Berson, Dan, & Yammarino, 2006;Cronshaw & Lord, 1987;Gershenoff & Foti, 2003;Lord, Foti, & De Vader, 1984;Watson & Hoffman, 2004) or the coding of emergent leadership behaviors of individuals in groups (and dyads) by outside observers (e.g., Foti & Hauenstein, 2007;Guastello, 2007;Karakowsky & Siegel, 1999).…”