How Can Organizations Support Women to Identify as Leaders?
Leadership is an identity as much as it is a set of skills. However, despite having many of the skills to reach leadership positions, studies have shown that women view themselves as leaders less often than men. In new research, professors of management and organizations Julia Lee Cunningham and Sue Ashford from the Ross School of Business delve into the leading factors of the "Leader-Identity/Competence Paradox."
As Lee Cunningham and Ashford explore in their new article, “When Qualified Women Resist the Leader Label,” the "Leader-Identity/Competence Paradox" is observed in various data points. This paradox reveals that although women often score higher than men in leadership effectiveness, they are notably less likely to view or label themselves as leaders.
Contributing factors to this challenge include lack of supervisor support, absence of role models, work-life conflicts, and gender biases. However, Lee Cunningham and Ashford's research points to a more cognitive factor: women's discomfort in adopting the leader label, influenced by fixed versus growth mindsets. Those with a fixed mindset perceive leadership capabilities as innate traits, while those with a growth mindset see them as evolving skills.
