Leadership responses to a conflict of gender-based tension: A comparison of responses between men and women in the US and South Africa

Abstract

Conflicts are an inherent part of organizational life, particularly when diverse people work together. When conflicts based on social identity arise (e.g. a conflict of gender-based tension) how one would respond as a leader to deal with the conflict may be influenced by one’s group membership. A comparative field study using 218 male and female employees from the United States and South Africa examined the influence of gender and national culture on how helpful leadership responses indicative of respect and equality are to a hypothetical scenario depicting a conflict of gender-based tension. Results show a main effect of gender: women believed acting as a leader in a manner indicative of respect and equality would be more helpful in dealing with the conflict of gender-based tension than men believed. There was no main effect for national culture, but an interaction of gender and national culture existed. A discussion of findings, limitations, and future research conclude this study.

Réponses du leadership dans un climat de tension sexiste : une comparaison des réponses entre hommes et femmes aux Etats-Unis et en Afrique du Sud

William A. Gentry, Lize Booysen, Kelly M. Hannum & Todd J. Weber

Les conflits font partie inhérente de la vie de l’organisation, tout particulièrement lorsque des gens différents travaillent ensemble. Lorsque les conflits surgissent sur la base de l’identité sociale (par exemple un conflit basé sur la tension entre genres), la réponse qui leur sera apportée par la personne qui fait office de leader/manager sera peut-être influencée par le groupe auquel la personne appartient. asonstance de la communication Une étude comparative de terrain auprès de 218 employés des deux sexes aux Etats-Unis et en Afrique du Sud s’est attachée à un examen de l’influence de la culture de genre et de la culture nationale. L’objectif était de déterminer si des réponses de respect et d’égalité de la part du leadership de l’entreprise sont utiles dans un scénario de tension sexiste. Les conclusions montrent que le genre a un effet déterminant : les femmes perçues comme agissant en tant que leader et d’une façon qui envoie des signes de respect et d’égalité traiteront d’un conflit émanant de tensions sexistes mieux que les hommes ne le pensaient. Il n’y a pas d’effet probant en ce qui concerne la culture nationale, mais il y a une interaction entre le genre et la culture nationale. Cette étude se termine sur une discussion des conclusions, des limites et de la recherche future possible.

Keywords

gender leadership responses implicit leadership theory social identity South Africa United States

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