Transformational leadership and gender

: analysis of the interpersonal communication of male and female leaders in Portugal

Abstract

Gender diversity in transformational leadership is proofed to help an organization’s effectiveness at several levels. Yet, women remain a minority among leadership positions.Besides other reasons leading to their comparably low representation, the topic of possible differences in leadership styles between genders arises as a pertinent one for researchers.This dissertation thus deals with the question of what differences possibly exist in the interpersonal communication of female and male leaders in an organizational context. It is of interest as well to analyse the concept of gender-mixed team leadership in order to understand the effectiveness of interpersonal communication within transformational organizations. Finally, it is examined the perspectives of leaders and non-leaders as far as relevant aspects on leadership communication.After reviewing existing research on the topic and establishing an adequate theoretical setting, an online survey and semi-structured interviews were conducted. Tendencies in the consideration of gender and interpersonal communication in transformational organizations were analysed, followed by deepening the understanding of those outcomes with the interviews.The results show that male leaders often appear more direct and less close, whereas female leaders tend to show a more empathic approach in their leadership communication. It follows that female leaders hold a more relational approach while male leaders use interpersonal communication more for informing and goal sharing. Gender-mixed team leadership, hence, might represent a reasonable approach, allowing a complementary leadership in suitable organizational circumstances. In what regards leader’s and nonleader’s perceptions of relevant communication aspects, no significant differences were found. The research results show that a personal and empathic approach appears relevant in enhancing trust and motivation in strong leader-follower relationship.

Date of Award	25 Jan 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Fernando Ilharco (Supervisor)