Leader prototypes are our expectations for attributes a leader should possess, and these prototypes guide our perceptions and judgments of others with regard to leadership. This dissertation uses a connectionist perspective of leadership to investigate differences in perceptions and judgments of male and female leaders, and provides the first empirical test of Hogue and Lord's (2007) model for gender bias in leadership. In Study 1, leader prototypes are investigated as the mediating process through which perceptions of male and female leaders differ. Furthermore, leader and perceiver gender as investigated as contextual and person factors which impact the accessibility of leader prototypes, thus consequently impacting perceptions and judgments of leaders. The use of leader prototypes in remembering a leader's past behaviors reflects the use of a semantic memory system, where the leader behaviors recalled are influenced by our expectations of the leader, rather than whether the leader actually demonstrated those behaviors. Thus, masculine leadership behaviors demonstrated by a female leader may be discounted, and the leader behaviors recalled may be influenced by gender roles. Study 2 investigates an episodic memory intervention to increase the memory accuracy of leader behaviors as a means to reduce biases in judgments of female leaders. Overall, Study 1 results suggest that activation of agentic attributes; specifically tyranny and masculinity are impacted by leader gender, such that the accessibility of those attributes was higher for male leaders. Contrary to predictions, female leaders did not result in greater accessibility of communal attributes in the leader prototype. No impact of perceiver gender was seen on this mediation process. Subsequently, accessibility of these attributes impacts participants' perceptions and judgments of leadership. Study 2 results indicate behavior recognition accuracy of communal behaviors drives participants' negative perceptions and judgments of the female leader. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed. / Ph. D.

Growing up as fairly successful female-athlete, I have always felt somewhat undermined and frustrated when I take a look at the double-standards and social injustice compared to those male counterparts. When it comes to intercollegiate athletics, so much integrity has been lost because of this injustice, as well as the "win at all costs" mentality. Through my upbringing and the many positive experiences that came into play, however, I have been raised to uphold a strong level of integrity and live my life with honesty. By living and leading with authenticity, feelings of vulnerability and shame often come up. As a female leader, these vulnerable feelings are often shielded and masked in order to better suit the patriarchal athletic society. Through my personal experiences in the sport world, I have found that accepting one's vulnerability is a method to grow as a leader. By tackling feelings of shame directly, female leaders take on a new meaning of resiliency. Through the process of evaluating my own personal experiences of resiliency during the stages of childhood, collegiate athlete, collegiate coach, and female leader, I have come up with universal applications that look at the role of vulnerability in leadership.

Women have played important roles in different working areas and have raised their voices in the labor force. Outdoor Education sector is not an exception. More and more female teachers-leaders have dedicated their lives in the reforming process of education in general and in Outdoor Education in specific. This study examines the participation of female teachers-leaders in Outdoor Education sector to see an overview of their achievements and contributions in this field. Eleven outdoor teachers-leaders answered questions displaying the motivation and the enhancement of women’s participation in Outdoor Education sector as leaders. Through semi-structured interviews, the participants revealed their opinions towards their current occupations and their future expectations and promotions as well as the effects of childhood memory on people’s attitudes. Results show optimistic visions for the participation of female teachers-leaders in Outdoor Education sector. The results also exhibit the imbalance of the participation of female teachers-leaders in different levels of Outdoor Education sector. There are more outdoor schoolteachers but less female leaders in outdoor adventurous pursuits. To keep the balance of female teachers-leaders in different levels of Outdoor Education is to create more chances for women to challenge themselves and to give students opportunities to interact with the diversity of outdoor teachers-leaders regardless race, age and gender.

No description available.

Abstract   Background: With the heightening pressure of climate change, the public as well as the corporate world calls for leaders that can drive sustainable development, hence tackling the challenges to come. Companies are facing growing pressure from both internal and external stakeholders to adopt sustainable practices. As a consequence, the question arises as to whom is the most suitable for such challenges. The presence of female leaders in corporate settings have shown to increase sustainable performance within companies. However, what actual role female leaders play in enabling such performance remains subdued. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to study what role female leaders play in sustainability strategy processes.  Method: This study is conducted through qualitative case study methods, using primary data collected from interviews with female leaders of Swedish companies.   Conclusion: The results identified that female leaders play different roles in the sustainability strategy process. The roles identified in the study are Carer, Responsibility Taker, Equality, Enabler and Motivator which are collectively conceptualized as Holistic Trustee meaning; Someone who includes all perspectives and components into their assessment, so that decisions made, enables development while preserving resources of coming generations. In such role, the female leader bridges the organizational level and individual level of her company and provides her employees with a bigger purpose in their “day-to-day” operations. The role as a Holistic Trustee broadens the understanding of leaders` importance in sustainability and draws attention to female traits that are naturally suited for a sustainable leadership.

This study aims to identify barriers to female leadership and expose new strategies to address those barriers. Nevertheless, raise more awareness of the subconscious bias and gender stereotypes that may impede women's career development. Qualitative data has been conducted through semi-structured interviews and analyzed according to the thematic narrative analysis model. The study finds that subconscious bias toward male leadership styles still exists within male-dominated fields and how agentic leadership styles earn greater credibility from both men and women within the STEM field. This study can conclude that women in STEM fields must work harder to prove their competence compared to their male counterparts and the importance of utilizing coping mechanisms.

Research question: How does the industrial company Scania work to get more women in leadership positions? Purpose: The purpose of this work is to describe how companies in a male-dominated industry can work to get a higher share of female leaders. Method: This survey was based on a deductive approach with a qualitative method. Theories have been obtained primarily from scientific articles and the empirical part has been collected through interviews from the companies Wiminvest and Scania. Conclusion: The conclusions the study came up with was different elements that companies in male-dominated industries can work with to get a higher share of female leaders. The first thing that companies can do is to join the project BON or similar projects to work on this issue. They can work with workshops and lectures to disseminate knowledge about the topic. Companies can also create a central function with the responsibility to control the equality work in the organization. They can also work on creating clear goals in terms of gender equality in the company. Companies in this industry can work on to bring more mentors and role models through different communication channels and to design career plans and development opportunities for women. A talent pool or something similar for women can be helpful to create where women can have a valuable network and thereby find mentors and role models. Companies can work with reviewing their recruitment process by, for example, to advertise all positions, for a longer period, try to have an equal distribution of men and women at the recruitment for managerial positions and create a clearer profile of requirements. / Frågeställning: Hur arbetar industriföretaget Scania för att få in fler kvinnor i ledande positioner? Syfte: Syftet med detta arbete är att beskriva hur företag inom en mansdominerad bransch kan arbeta för att få in en högre andel kvinnliga ledare. Metod: Denna undersökning har utgått från en deduktiv ansats med en kvalitativ metod. Teorier har inhämtats främst från vetenskapliga artiklar och empiridelen har insamlats med hjälp av intervjuer från företagen Wiminvest och Scania. Slutsats: De slutsatser som studien kom fram till var olika faktorer som företag i mansdominerade branscher kan arbeta med för att få in en högre andel kvinnliga ledare. Det första som företagen kan göra är att gå med i liknande projekt som BON för att arbeta med denna fråga. De kan arbeta med workshops och föreläsningar för att sprida kunskap om ämnet. Företagen kan även skapa en central funktion som har till ansvar att styra jämställdhetsarbetet i organisationen. De kan även arbeta med att skapa tydliga mål när det gäller jämställdheten i företaget. De kan även arbeta med att skapa tydliga mål när det gäller jämställdheten i företaget. Företagen inom denna bransch kan arbeta med att få in fler mentorer och förebilder genom olika kommunikationskanaler samt utforma karriärplaner och utvecklingsmöjligheter för kvinnor. En talangpool eller något liknande för kvinnor kan vara bra att skapa där de kan få ett värdefullt nätverk och därigenom hitta mentorer och förebilder. Företagen kan arbeta med att se över sin rekryteringsprocess genom att till exempel annonsera ut alla tjänster under en längre tid, försöka ha en jämn fördelning av män och kvinnor vid tillsättning av en chefsposition samt skapa en tydligare kravprofil.

Sammanfattning Sammanfattning - ”Hur kvinnor ska lyckas ta sig fram i en mansdominerad bransch” Datum:  2014-05-27 Nivå:  Kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi, 15 ECTS Institution:  Akademin för Ekonomi, Samhälle och Teknik, EST,  Mälardalens Högskola Författare:  Evelina Ljungman Agnes Åström  910906  901118 Titel: ”Hur kvinnor ska lyckas ta sig fram i en mansdominerad bransch” Handledare: Angelina Sundstöm Nyckelord: ”kvinnligt ledarskap”, ”glastak”, ”kvinnor i industrin”, ”kvinnor i toppositioner” Frågeställning: Hur arbetar industriföretaget Scania för att få in fler kvinnor i ledande positioner? Syfte: Syftet med detta arbete är att beskriva hur företag inom en mansdominerad bransch kan arbeta för att få in en högre andel kvinnliga ledare. Metod: Denna undersökning har utgått från en deduktiv ansats med en kvalitativ metod. Teorier har inhämtats främst från vetenskapliga artiklar och empiridelen har insamlats med hjälp av intervjuer från företagen Wiminvest och Scania.    Slutsats: De slutsatser som studien kom fram till var olika faktorer som företag i mansdominerade branscher kan arbeta med för att få in en högre andel kvinnliga ledare. Det första som företagen kan göra är att gå med i liknande projekt som BON för att arbeta med denna fråga. De kan arbeta med workshops och föreläsningar för att sprida kunskap om ämnet. Företagen kan även skapa en central funktion som har till ansvar att styra jämställdhetsarbetet i organisationen. De kan även arbeta med att skapa tydliga mål när det gäller jämställdheten i företaget. De kan även arbeta med att skapa tydliga mål när det gäller jämställdheten i företaget. Företagen inom denna bransch kan arbeta med att få in fler mentorer och förebilder genom olika kommunikationskanaler samt utforma karriärplaner och utvecklingsmöjligheter för kvinnor. En talangpool eller något liknande för kvinnor kan vara bra att skapa där de kan få ett värdefullt nätverk och därigenom hitta mentorer och förebilder. Företagen kan arbeta med att se över sin rekryteringsprocess genom att till exempel annonsera ut alla tjänster under en längre tid, försöka ha en jämn fördelning av män och kvinnor vid tillsättning av en chefsposition samt skapa en tydligare kravprofil. / Abstract Abstract-  “How women should manage to advance in a male-dominated industry” Date:  2014-05-27 Level:  Bachelor thesis in Business Administration, 15 ECTS Institution:  School of Business, Society and Engineering, Mälardalen University Authors:  Evelina Ljungman Agnes Åström  910906  901118 Title: “How women should manage to advance in a male-dominated industry” Tutor: Angelina Sundström Keywords: ”female leaders”, ”glass cliff”, ”women in industry”, “women in top positions” Research question: How does the industrial company Scania work to get more women in leadership positions? Purpose: The purpose of this work is to describe how companies in a male-dominated industry can work to get a higher share of female leaders. Method: This survey was based on a deductive approach with a qualitative method. Theories have been obtained primarily from scientific articles and the empirical part has been collected through interviews from the companies Wiminvest and Scania. Conclusion: The conclusions the study came up with was different elements that companies in male-dominated industries can work with to get a higher share of female leaders. The first thing that companies can do is to join the project BON or similar projects to work on this issue. They can work with workshops and lectures to disseminate knowledge about the topic. Companies can also create a central function with the responsibility to control the equality work in the organization. They can also work on creating clear goals in terms of gender equality in the company. Companies in this industry can work on to bring more mentors and role models through different communication channels and to design career plans and development opportunities for women. A talent pool or something similar for women can be helpful to create where women can have a valuable network and thereby find mentors and role models. Companies can work with reviewing their recruitment process by, for example, to advertise all positions, for a longer period, try to have an equal distribution of men and women at the recruitment for managerial positions and create a clearer profile of requirements.

Syftet med studien var att beskriva vilka fördomar och förväntningar som finns gentemot kvinnliga ledare ur generation Z perspektiv. I denna studie har vi valt att utgå ifrån en deduktiv ansats då det finns mycket forskning kring både ledarskap samt fördomar och förväntningar. För att kunna besvara vårt beskrivande syfte tillämpas även en fallstudie för att kunna samla in så detaljrika data som möjligt. Studien är kvalitativ och den insamlade empirin är baserad på fyra individuella intervjuer samt två fokusgrupper med individer från generation Z. Utifrån studiens resultat samt det teoretiska ramverket har vi identifierat att generation Z anser att både manliga och kvinnliga ledare bör kunna tillämpa både de mjuka och de hårda ledaregenskaperna och beteendena. Det innebär att fördomar och förväntningar inte endast kan ses som svart eller vitt utan det handlar om en gråzon. Resultatet av denna studie kan leda till ökad medvetenhet och förståelse både hos generation Z samt hos företag kring den nya generationens fördomar och förväntningar. / The purpose with this study was to describe what prejudices and expectations of female leaders from generation Z’s perspective. In this study we have chosen to use a deductive approach as there is a lot of research on both leadership and prejudice and expectations. In order to answer our descriptive purpose, a case study is also applied to collect as detailed data as possible. The study is qualitative, and the empirical data is based on four individual interviews and two focus groups with individuals from generation Z. Based on the study’s results and theoretical framework, we have identified that generation Z beliefs that both male and female leaders should be able to apply both the soft and the hard leadership qualities and behaviors. This means that prejudice and expectations cannot only be seen as black or white, it’s rather about a grey zone. The result of this study can lead to increased awareness and understanding both in generation Z and in companies about the new generation’s prejudices and expectations.

Titel: Att härska genom internkommunikation – En observationsstudie om kvinnliga ledare Nivå: Examensarbete på grundnivå i ämnet företagsekonomi Författare: Rama Malki och Malin Frisell Handledare: Monika Wallmon och Svante Brunåker Datum: 2020 - juni Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att öka förståelsen för hur kvinnliga ledare använder och utsätts för härskartekniker, med fokus på internkommunikation. Metod: Denna studie är kvalitativ och utgår från en deduktiv ansats. Den empiriska insamlingen av data har genomförts med hjälp av fem ostrukturerade observationer som sedan har tolkats och analyserats. Analys & slutsats: Kvinnliga ledare använder och utsätts framförallt för härskartekniker som är av snällare art eller spelar på känslor, dessutom finns det indikationer på att både biologiskt kön och kommunikationsstil kan påverka vilka tekniker som används. Flera olika härskartekniker används av kvinnliga ledare, och det finns en risk att teknikerna försämrar effektiviteten i kommunikationen. Vi kan därför dra slutsatsen att de kvinnliga ledare vi har observerat bör fortsätta utveckla sin kommunikation genom ökad medvetenhet om härskartekniker, för att den ska bli mer framgångsrik. Examensarbetets bidrag: Härskarteknikerna som har observerats har synliggjorts genom verbal och icke-verbal kommunikation, men även via skämt och seriösare tonläge. Studien har indikerat att kvinnliga ledare som har en mer relationsorienterad kommunikation tenderar att använda sig av härskartekniker som är av snällare art.Studien har även indikerat att de kvinnor som använder sig av en mer manlig kommunikationsstil kan riskera att misstas för att använda härskartekniker. Förslag till vidare studier: Jämförelser mellan män och kvinnor inom olika branscher, och genom större studier, för att kunna dra slutsatser om huruvida det går att generalisera användningen av härskartekniker till biologiskt kön och kommunikationsstil. Ytterligare ett förslag på vidare studier är att studera vilken påverkan stereotyphot har på härskartekniker. Nyckelord: Härskartekniker, internkommunikation, kvinnliga ledare, ledarskap, stereotyper. / Title: To rule through internal communication – An observational study about female leaders Level: Student thesis, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Authors: Rama Malki and Malin Frisell Supervisor: Monika Wallmon and Svante Brunåker Date: 2020 - June Aim: The aim of this study is to increase the understanding of how female leaders uses and are exposed to master suppression techniques, focusing on internal communication. Method: This study is qualitative with a deductive approach. The empirical material has been conducted and implemented through five unstructured observations and has later been interpreted and analyzed. Analysis & conclusions: Women use and are exposed to master suppression techniques that are more kind or utilizes feelings, and that there are indications that both biological gender and communication styles can affect which techniques that are used. Various master suppression techniques are used by female leaders and risk to impair the effectivity of the communication. Therefore, we can draw the conclusion that the female leaders we have observed should continue to improve their communication by increasing awareness about master suppression techniques, in order to communicate more successfully. Contribution of the thesis: The master suppression techniques have been observed through nonverbal and verbal communication, but also through jokes and a more serious tone. This study has indicated that female leaders have more of a relationship-oriented communication, tend to use master suppression techniques of a kinder nature. The study has also indicated that those women using a masculine communication style, risk to be misunderstood for using master suppression techniques. Suggestions for future research: Comparisons between men and women, in various branch of industries and through larger studies to draw conclusions whether it is possible to generalize master suppression techniques to biological gender and communication style. Furthermore, the effects that stereotypical threats have on master suppression techniques could be researched. Key words: Master suppression techniques, internal communication, female leaders, leadership, stereotypes.