The sphere of management has witnessed a variety of significant changes. It is especially true about the Middle East region, which is peculiar in the understanding of managerial issues and appropriate forms and models of leadership. These differences derive from the specificities of religion and social structure. Nevertheless, as the trend toward globalization and overall openness gains momentum, Middle East countries could not but feel the influence of the generally accepted model of diversified management.
According to this approach, no emphasis should be made on gender, as personal traits and the ability to organize and lead people in order to achieve critical strategic objectives of organizations should be the only criteria for determining the effectiveness of leadership style.
This novelty gained the attention of many scholars. For instance, Sikdar and Mitra (2010) study gender-related stereotypes and their influence on perceiving and practicing leadership in the Middle East. According to this article, leadership is the sphere, which is significantly influenced by stereotypes and bias. The issue is extremely severe in the Middle East – the region with a traditionally patriarchal approach to arranging social and business relations and male domination in enterprises and organizations. The authors focused on investigating the UAE leadership-related experience due to the recent increase in the number of women among senior leaders.
The findings of the research are astounding, as even though gender-based stereotypes affect the career development and success of women, their self-image is what determines their predisposition to becoming better leaders than men. It means that when women possess masculine traits (i.e., high male-gender identification), their chances of becoming effective leaders are high. It is related to efficient interpersonal communication skills and a higher degree of the task and people orientation (Sikdar & Mitra, 2010). That said, male and female traits, not biological sex, identify leadership skills.
The findings of this research can be viewed within a broader context – advantages of management diversity for the improvement of operational outcomes of organizations and boosting economic development. It is related to the fact that men and women are different in their perception of appropriate leadership styles. For instance, male leaders give preference to laissez-faire leadership style, i.e., being a bit ignorant and making team members responsible for solving significant work-related issues. On the other hand, female leaders prefer the transactional model of leadership. It means that they are deeply involved in addressing any significant matters, which occur in the workplace.
In addition, they underscore the significance of the system of rewards and penalties for improving employee performance and productivity. Except for it, women are more efficient at establishing new connections with people and fostering communication because they do not divide their environment into friends and non-friends (Gaytán, 2014; Shukla & Arntzen, 2013). That said, when both female and male leaders work within one business surrounding, they develop a unique atmosphere, which is characterized by increased performance and higher productivity.
To sum up, the article by Sikdar and Mitra sets the foundation for the further investigation of the gender-related perception of leadership and management. Even though it has significant limitations because it covers only the UAE organizations and authors’ findings cannot be extrapolated to estimate the business environment of the Middle East, this scholarly paper sheds light on a critical fact – leadership is determined by psychological self-image, self-identity, and personal traits, not biological sex. It means that it is a valuable source for the further diversification of workplace and senior leadership.
References
Gaytán, S. P. (2014). Gender and leadership: An approach to the differences between women and men in management. Hyperion Economic Journal, 1(2), 3-11.
Shukla, M., & Arntzen, A. A. B. (2013). Gender diversity in management and leadership: A new competitive advantage? In V. Ribiere & L. Worasinchai (Eds.), Proceedings of the International Conference on Management, Leadership, and Governance (pp. 307-XI). Bangkok, Thailand: Bangkok University.
Sikdar, A., & Mitra, S. (2010). Gender-role stereotypes: Perception and practice of leadership in the Middle East. Education, Business, and Society: Contemporary Middle Eastern Issues, 5(3), 146-162.