Female managers in the mining industry face unique challenges not experienced by
their male counterparts. They need to perform identity work to overcome these barriers
successfully so that they can create a leadership identity. Leadership development
contexts may foster identity construction. To enhance employment equity in historically
male-dominated professions and environments, an understanding of women’s
leadership identity construction in leadership development contexts is beneficial.
The purpose of this research was to explore the identity work of female managers
working in a leadership development context in the mining industry, to determine how
they construct a leadership identity. This was an exploratory and descriptive qualitative
study conducted within the hermeneutic phenomenological research paradigm. A
purposive sample consisting of five women working in a mining company was used.
Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data were analysed using the
phenomenological hermeneutical method. The main findings indicate that four main
identity bases influence how female managers in a leadership development context
create a leadership identity. These include: (i) the impact of life spheres, (ii) integrating
personal and professional roles, (iii) the role work facets play and (iv) the changing
self. Moreover, four leadership identity work strategies are used to counter the effects
of the identity bases. These are: (i) being guided by personal philosophies, (ii) balance
and negotiation between personal and professional lives, (iii) building relationships
both personally and professionally, and (iv) assuming ownership for careers and lives
using career management strategies. Based on these findings, a conceptual
framework was developed. The findings may guide organisations in developing and
implementing effective and well-informed policies, strategies and initiatives geared at
the attraction, retention, development and appropriate support of women who are or
who wish to be employed as female managers in the mining industry. This study
contributes to the knowledge base concerning female leadership in the mining industry
in South Africa. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:unisa/oai:uir.unisa.ac.za:10500/26806 |
| Date | 11 1900 |
| Creators | Naidoo, Kerrina |
| Contributors | Barnard, Helene Antoni |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | 1 online resource (viii, 154 leaves) : illustrations, application/pdf |
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