Leadership beyond the glass ceiling: does ownership matter?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to compare the transformational leadership style of women business owners and those women in the top position of organizations with women executives who are not in the top leadership position of organizations.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach using a population and business owners and executives from the private sector of the American Management Association.

Findings

The findings support the relationship between a woman owning a business or being in the top position and the increased use of transformational leadership behaviors.

Research limitations/implications

The paper analyzes data collected in 1997 and the changes to the demographics may in fact be a limitation of the study.

Originality/value

The study focuses on the importance of contextual considerations in the study of women and their use of transformational leadership.

Citation

Tibus, C. (2010), "Leadership beyond the glass ceiling: does ownership matter?", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 31 No. 8, pp. 743-757. https://doi.org/10.1108/01437731011094784