<p> Women have been experiencing challenges to upward mobility in executives’ positions because of negative stereotypes and social perceptions about their ability to be lead nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Despite their advancements in education, women are still not occupying leadership positions at the rate of their male counterparts. As a result, this study examined through a phenomenological lens the lived experiences of female CEOs on their perceptions about gender and their attitudes towards change as being open or their approach to change as being different to their male counterparts. The findings of this study revealed that it is the belief of female CEOs that gender matters. The results also pointed to female CEOs’ attitudes towards change as being more open and a different approach to change than their male counterparts. The qualitative methodology used was a phenomenological study drawing on multiple theoretical approaches. The main framework for this study, however, drew on the theoretical framework of the upper echelon theory to assist in the understanding of the complex operations of nonprofit organizations. Through theory tranquilizations, this study also examined other theoretical frameworks such as the glass ceiling theory, social role theory, expectations states theory as well as transactional leadership and transformational leadership, as they are all relevant to organizational leadership, attitudes towards change, and organizational stability and success.</p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:3595256 |
| Date | 18 December 2013 |
| Creators | Waterman, Cheryl J. |
| Publisher | Capella University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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