What she said, what he said: local elected officials' views of effective leadership behaviors
International Journal of Public Leadership
ISSN: 2056-4929
Article publication date: 15 February 2021
Issue publication date: 12 April 2021
Abstract
Purpose
This study advances understanding of the behaviors local elected officials believe effective leaders display, whether these behaviors tend to be associated with a particular gender and if beliefs vary by gender.
Design/methodology/approach
Using data from focus groups with local elected officials in a US state, participants were asked to identify behaviors of effective elected officials. Focus group demographic data allowed for responses to be matched by the participants' gender.
Findings
Men and women local elected officials differ little in their beliefs about what behaviors make leaders effective. The most commonly mentioned behaviors are more likely to be associated with women or are gender-ambiguous.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the leadership literature by examining local elected officials' beliefs about effective leadership behaviors and if these beliefs differ by a respondent's gender.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Torrie Edwards, School of Education, UNC Chapel Hill, and Patrice Roesler, School of Government, UNC Chapel Hill, for their guidance and assistance with this research project.
Citation
Dula, L., Holmes, M.H., Jacobson, W.S. and Lambright, K.T. (2021), "What she said, what he said: local elected officials' views of effective leadership behaviors", International Journal of Public Leadership, Vol. 17 No. 2, pp. 133-144. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-10-2020-0107
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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