Gender Stereotyping of Leadership

Abstract

This study attempts to understand organizational commitment (OC) in relation to transformational leadership (TL) behaviours. It also tries to understand whether gender of the leader acts as a moderating variable in relation to TL and OC. It gives critical insights on gender stereotyping of leadership in public sector banks (PSBs) taking theoretical inputs from role congruity theory. A survey based on validated statements was used to collect data from 328 employees of PSBs working in the branches. Correlation and hierarchical multiple regression were used to test the model in the study. The interaction effect was better grasped by plotting the data on the graph. The outcomes of the study confirmed the previous findings. The OC is positively influenced by TL behaviours. However, most interestingly, leader’s gender significantly moderated the relation between the two. Although male managers TL style has a greater impact on employees’ commitment, leadership of female managers also has a positive impact. The results do indicate the presence of traditional perceptions about gender and leadership but also clearly demonstrate that stereotypes are being broken. These findings have important implications in organizational setting. It strengthens the importance of TL behaviours and its need to be systematically inculcated among managers. Female managers should be supported by the top management through mentorship and leadership development, and employee learning should include bias reduction exercises.