Do women followers prefer a different leadership style than men?

Abstract

In an era that leadership is a key to organizational success, several researchers have tried to identify the ‘best style.’ This study aims to make a contribution toward this direction by examining followers' perceptions of the preferred leader profile from a gendered perspective. Evidence from 2008 individuals employed in the Greek public sector revealed that men and women do hold different views of how the ideal leader behaves. Furthermore, the need for achievement is responsible for greater variations in perceptions of the preferred leader profile, confirming the fact that men and women cannot be considered as uniform groups when examining leadership preferences.

Keywords:

• follower
• gender
• leadership
• need for achievement