Gender in Leadership
“Gender [Sex] has no relevance to leadership style or effectiveness.”
Do you agree, disagree, or fall somewhere in between with this statement? Explain your rationale. Remember to have a healthy discussion and to support your ideas with material from the book or other resources. You are welcome to use examples but avoid real names of people or organizations. Be respectful in your statements.
Sample Solution
Gender in Leadership
Leadership has been a part of human experience since people formed groups to survive threats from the environment, dangerous animals, and other groups of people. It is important to consider if and how gender relates to leadership. Gender is an individual difference characteristic that is relevant to how people think about themselves, are thought about by others, and act in various situations. Gender, therefore, is relevant to consider with regard to how it relates to leadership effectiveness. With regard to how leadership characteristics are gendered, traditional managerial effectiveness often is sex-typed as masculine. This means that characteristics deemed necessary to be a successful manager or an effective leader have often been stereotyping associated with men. Gender is one such variable that must be examined with regard to optimizing leadership effectiveness.
