Abstract

Until in the recent past, men were viewed as better leaders. This is because few women had risen to show their potential in leadership. However, with time, women have taken up the challenge of excelling. They have also risen to leadership positions and advocated for gender equality; though, not many women have managed to rise. This is because of the stereotypic society that we have lived in. The notion that men are better leaders is changing as men are also changing on their way of leadership. This paper uses a narrative approach to find the difference between men and women leadership styles. The narrative approach brings to light the connections between the two. 

Different Leadership Styles in Male and Females

Introduction

For a long time, the males have domineered in leadership. However, the trend has been changing in the recent past since female species have risen to take up leadership. The rising of the females to leadership is as a result of the introduction of gender equality. This paper highlights an outline of a proposed study on the diversity in leadership of the men and the women. It will further bring to light the effects of these differences. The study will emphasize the acceptance of the different leadership styles in males and females. The study also will help find out how men and women differ in their leadership styles. 

The study is justified since it will go on to find out the various leadership styles and potential in leadership in both men and women. The main aim of carrying out this research is to find out how diverse women and men are in terms of leadership style. The research will also capture the number of women in present managerial positions within the chosen study area, their roles and perceptions. In this way, it will greatly contribute to the already published literature on this topic area. Moreover, the realization that a company that allows both men and women to be leadership positions stand a better chance of succeeding, qualifies this study. The genders are different and bring out the best in each other.

Justification of the Approach to be Used

The narrative approach will be used to develop the paper. The approach was chosen because it highlights meaning, connections and coherence. In this case, the paper outlines the difference between male and female leadership styles. Narrative approach is related to qualitative methodologies and allows for a qualitative data collection, analysis and representation. Mainly, the study will make use of secondary research sources. Primary sources of data such as interviews will also be used to gauge the women in terms of their skills in management and leadership. The research will limit the sources to relevant, current and reliable print materials and scholarly articles. Secondary sources will be inclusive of the books, journal and other available written documents. The sources will be useful in providing information concerning previous research outcomes. 

Methodology

With respect to methodology, the study will employ qualitative method since the researchers will rely on the findings of the previous research. The use of secondary sources of data will allow comparison of different kinds if leadership. This will facilitate better understanding of the various forms of leadership as practiced by male and female leaders. Conducting primary studies through administering questionnaires will facilitate a better understanding of the challenges experienced by the leaders. It means, it will also be necessary to separately interview some staff members. This will bring to light their experiences as a team. Through this form research, the researcher will strive to highlight the present differences in leadership styles as can be seen by people in different specialties among their leaders. The research will capture the number of women in present managerial positions, their roles and perceptions. This will enrich previous research findings on the same topic.  

Study Setting 

In its setting, the researchers will interviews senior managers in various companies. The study will emphasize on gender equality. The research questionnaire will have 30 items divided into three sections. The first section will have ten questions that will consist of personal information; the second part will consists of the career background of the respondent. The third section will have questions that will identify the strengths and the weaknesses of the leader, the leadership style exercised and the response of the staff under the leader. Secondarily, the researchers will visit various libraries to read about the styles of leadership. They will note down the variations in the leadership styles employed by men from those employed by women. The researchers will also have to bring to light the weaknesses of the styles employed by both genders in leadership. This is to emphasize the better styles of leadership.

Initial Literature Review

Women and Leadership 

This section will look at the previous studies and their findings on the situation of women when it comes to leadership roles. Among the sources to be used will be the book by Levy that showed that women must fight for the chance to show their leadership roles. The book further revealed that less than half of the companies in America have prioritized the diversity of leadership to suit women. In addition to this, men and women have been found to have varying perceptions on the requirements of attaining gender parity. The female participants felt that at least a third of the senior positions needed to be held by women. It was in a bid to prove their worth and influence in decision making. The finding was contrary to the views of the males who thought that the number of women in the leadership position did not matter. The study revealed that while women need flexible work schedules, men correspondents felt that this was not necessary. In addition, men also feared to promote women because if they failed to give quality, then all the positions of other women could be jeopardized. However, studies have shown that this is due to the stereotype within the society than women cannot lead. 

Until recently, men had been taking nearly all positions in leadership and management. This is because of the stereotype that men are better leaders than women. Lack of sufficient number of women in leadership roles have made it difficult to value the outcome of women. However due to the changing stereotypes, women are ascending the leadership ladder. Men are also changing their controlling and dictating way of leadership. 

Levy also noted that female leaders are able to set high goals just as their male counterpart. They have the ability of inspiring their followers to accomplish them. Since they are diverse in other ways, women are indispensible in decision making. The purpose or significance of their work motivates women more, hence helping them to meet the set goals. The findings are supported by Bass and Bass who noted that women who had been in leadership displayed the same results as their male counterparts. It was because they exhibit the same behaviors and demands that are required in leadership. The two authors noted that other studies had concluded that women who make it to leadership must exhibit the same characters and output as the males. 

According to another study by Andersen & Hansson, women are empathic, nurturing and responsive. They exhibit moods, which is their main disfavor. The researchers found out that women employ more of the transformational leadership style. This enables them to be more inspiring, empowering and concerned with their followers. The result of this research is supported by Kinicki & Williams, who noted that women have more potential for leadership; hence, they are more effective than men. 

The Differences between Men and Women’s Approach to Leadership 

The study by Andersen & Hansson revealed that there is little disparity when it comes to leadership between men and women. This, however, counts on the way the followers respond to the authority and how the women perceive their roles. In 1990s, women used participative forms. It resulted to women leaders being more transformational than men since they emphasized more on affiliation, cooperation and communication. It is an indication that women have managed to nurture men into better leaders. Moreover, women have been ranked higher than men when it comes to skills, teamwork and stability. Women have been good at management credibility, diversity at work and future prospective. 

On the other hand, Andersen & Hansson found out that men tend to focus on their titles and compensation as the motivating factor to meet the set goals. They are mostly perfect in finances, understanding and strategic planning; all which are seen as very significant in leadership. It is this virtue that supports the stereotypic perception that men are better leaders than women. Understanding how men and women work leads to better communication and results. Men prefer law enforcement, mathematics and sciences. They are more independent and confident in their work. When making decisions they use more of their logic. They also prefer to create competition and accept women as leaders. Women, on the other hand, prefer education and health to the difficult courses. They mostly enjoy training people and bringing them up. Unlike men, they trust and move on with their instincts when making decisions. Women prefer teamwork as they discuss and review their responsibilities as a team. The virtue enable them share information, promote corporation and lead democratically. However, women like to criticize other women. 

Justification of the Sources to be Used 

Bass, B. M., & Bass, R. (2008). The Bass Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications. New York: Free Press.

This book expounds about leadership by reflecting on the development of leadership styles. It highlights more of transformational and executive leadership. In addition to this, the book highlights on the need of communication in a team. This book will be beneficial in this research since it will help in the understanding of the leadership traits, values and competence required for one to be a leader. With this understanding the researcher will be able to come up with a clear comparison between the leadership styles in males and females. 

Levy, P. (2010). Industrial organizational psychology: Understanding the workplace (3rd Ed.). New York: Worth Publishers.

This book reviews the psychological factors that affect work places. The book brings to light the psychology of work force required in team making. Through this book, the researchers are enlightened of the dynamics within the workforce, and therefore, the integration of various genders in leadership positions. It also highlights on the benefits of having women in leadership and the price they must pay to ascend to the various leadership positions.

Kinicki, A., & Williams, B. (2009). Management: A practical introduction (4th Ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

This is a practical book which highlights the diversities that are found within the work place. The authors have blended research on management with practical application that are found within the work force. The knowledge acquired from this piece is beneficial to this research as it will act as a guideline to finding out the limitations of the leadership styles embraced by men as well as those embraced by women. It will enable the researcher to propose the various steps that can be taken to improve the various leadership styles. The researcher will also be able to propose the various ways through which organizations can integrate both men and women in their leadership to be able to tap the leadership strengths in both genders. 

Andersen, J. A., & Hansson, P. H. (2011). "At the end of the road? On differences between women and men in leadership behavior." Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 32 (5), 428-441.

The article explores the variations between behavioral characteristics in men and women. This helps to understand the different leadership styles exhibited by leaders of either gender. The authors suggest why some characters are similar while others are varying. This helps to eliminate any biased information that may have been based on stereotypes between the genders, while establishing the actual differences in the leadership styles between male and female leaders.

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