The successful attainment of executive positions for women based on leadership style

Abstract

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine if there was a relationship between the self-reported leadership style of women and the successful attainment of an executive position within a Fortune 500 company. The five research questions involved in this study were (a) are there relationships between prior leadership styles of the participant and the perceived helpfulness in attaining an executive position, (b) are there relationships between the leadership styles of the executive management of the company and whether there was a prescribed leadership style at the company, (c) is there a change in the extent that the participant used each leadership style before they received their first executive position and its current use, (d) how did women receiving executive positions say they adapted their leadership style to the company's norm, and (e) how did the new woman executive perceive that the company adapted to her style? The review of the literature suggested that women did have to fit into the predominantly male environment at the top levels of corporations. This research provided several factors that assisted women in being promoted to top-level management positions. Leadership style, one of the factors, was the topic of interest for this dissertation. Forty women holding top positions at Fortune 500 companies responded to a survey, indicating that the leadership style of the woman was not significant in attaining an executive position. Responses indicated that there was not a common leadership style amongst the companies that these women worked for and there was not a prescribed leadership style of these companies. However, what the data did show was that the women changed their leadership styles to become more delegating and participative. Interviews were conducted with twelve of the women receiving surveys. This qualitative data resulted in discovering perceived success factors. They were being themselves, producing results, having skills and knowledge, maintaining strong beliefs, being flexible and making adjustments, having a participative style, using good communication skills, and striving to achieve personal goals. These factors were felt to contribute more to the success of these women than their leadership styles.