Women and managerial careers: constructing leadership identity in a male-dominated corporate environment

Abstract

Abstract This study analyzes successful leadership claiming actions and factors that enabled the social construction of a leader identity in the trajectories of women in a technology company, a traditionally male segment. These subjects are investigated through a qualitative case study, from a longitudinal perspective with cross-section data collection. The study is based on interviews conducted with female professionals who worked in the company - an environment permeated by important gender issues - carried out in two stages (in 2006 and 2021). The analysis reveals that successful leadership claiming actions among these women were derived from their predominantly agentic posture but endowed with a collaborative and collective orientation, an attribute of commonality. Their competence, hybrid management style, adaptive behavior to the environment, and the support/sponsorship obtained from some of the company’s leaders, were favorable factors for granting leadership to these women.