Gender Differences and Leadership

Proceedings 2nd CBRC, Lahore, Pakistan November 14, 2009

GENDER DIFFERENCES AND LEADERSHIP: AN EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE
Prof. Dr. Mahmood A Bodla COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Sahiwal [e-mail] Ghulam Hussain COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Sahiwal [e-mail]

ABSTRACT Gender diversity at workplace with respect to leadership practices and need for leadership among followers have drawn the considerable research attention among leadership researchers across the world. A number of studies depicting the masculine and feminine leadership practices and followers’ needs and preferences pertaining to leadership have been conducted in American and European Contexts during the last couple of decades, yet this subject area is the most neglected area for the behavioral scientists in Pakistan. Therefore, this study aims at exploring the difference in opinions of both male and female subordinates about their leaders’ leadership characteristics. Secondly, it aims at determining the extent to which male and female employees differ in their need for leadership in banking sector of Pakistan. As a result, the implications of the study for practitioners and researchers are offered at the end. Keywords: Gender diversity,, leadership characteristics, and need for leadership

1. INTRODUCTION Gender diversity is among the leading changes that have eventuated in organizations over the years and has become catalyst for researchers in understanding the behavioral differences of men and women at workplace. In this regards, two issues have been broadly addressed by earlier studies a) the differences in leadership characteristics in masculine and feminine perspectives b) dissimilarities in needs and preferences of male and female subordinates. It is evident that gender differences have strong impact on leadership styles of supervisors (Eagly et al., 1987 & 1990 & 2001 & 2003; Loden, 1985; Rosner, 1990; Kanter, 1995; Kelley, 1997;

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Professor Dr. Mahmood A Bodla Prof. Dr. Mahmood A Bodla has doctorate degree in HRM and Econometrics from Wayne State University, USA. He is currently working as the Director of COMSATS Institute of Information Technology Sahiwal Campus, Pakistan. He has an extensive teaching and research experience in various prestigious national institutions. He more than 60 research publications, conference papers, and case studies in the areas of human resource management, econometrics, and change management. Ghulam Hussain Ghulam Hussain is MS scholar at Department of Management Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (CIIT), Lahore. He is currently working as a Lecturer at CIIT, Sahiwal Campus