Ferminisation and Management

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DEFINING LEADERSHIP Several definitions of leadership have been put forward over the years as referenced above. A basic definition of leadership is the ability of an individual to influence others to work beyond ordinary levels to achieve goals (McFarland, 1979). Such a definition applies particularly to leadership within organizations. Leadership has also been defined as “the process of inspiring individuals to give their best to achieve a desired result. It is about getting people to move in the right direction, gaining their commitment, and motivating them to achieve their goals” (Armstrong, 2008). This implies that leadership requires the harmonization of individual needs, task needs and the needs of the group. It is about getting the job done while meeting individual and group needs and maintaining team spirit. The above definitions point to leadership as a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. There are new models of leadership, transformational and communal leadership, which define leadership as a social process in which interpersonal relationships and interaction at all levels in an organization are key to effective leadership (Carless, 1998: Fletcher, 2004). Included in the definitions of the new models of effective leadership is the relevance of emotional intelligence (Mayer, et al. 2008). Emotional intelligence is defined as the ability to perceive, use, understand and manage emotions. These are characteristics or traits which are associated with women. This line of thinking has led some authors to think that there is a trend towards what is currently referred to as the “feminization of management” (Eagly, et al, 2012). THE FEMINISATION OF MANAGEMENT Contemporary management practices encourage the feminisation of management. The feminisation of management
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