LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF ... - Drake University

organizational hierarchy do not differ in their leadership style according to
their subordinates (Carless, 1998).
Consensus has not been reached regarding the relationship or lack
thereof between gender and leadership style. Lewis and Fagenson-Eland
(1 998) suggested that it is important to contrast leaders' self-perceptions
with those of their supervisors and subordinates. Their self perceptions
affect their performance and motivation to advance and may result in
greater reluctance to apply for higher level positions if they believe they
lack the required competencies. It is noted that women consistently rate
themselves lower in terms of their transformational leadership
characteristics than do men (Bass & Avolio, 1994).
In summary, research on sex differences related to leadership
continues to evolve and appears to be contextually related to settings,
subordinate, superior and self-assessment results, and method of
measuring leadership behaviors and styles.
Leadership and Age, Experience, Organization Size, and Setting
Little research is available for comparison or predictors of
leadership style based on age or experience of leaders or of
organizations' size or setting. A study of a multi-hospital system with 52
rural and 71 urban hospitals revealed that rural leaders typically fell within
two age groups, 40-60 and 60+ years. The urban leaders typically fell into
the under- 40 and 40-60 age groups (Smith, 1994).