Characteristic Leadership Traits Most Admired by Supervisors in an Organizational Culture

Author

Juan Odio, Lynn University

Date of Award

11-3-2009

Document Type

Dissertation

Granting Institution

Lynn University

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PHD)

Degree Program

Global Leadership - with a specialization in Educational Leadership

Department

College of Education

First Advisor

Karen Casey-Acevedo

Second Advisor

Joseph Hall

Third Advisor

Bernardo Gonzalez

Abstract

This critical analysis reviews literature on characteristic leadership traits desired in leaders by male and female supervisors. The majority of the literature on leadership has focused on the characteristic leadership traits most admired by supervisors as it relates to organizational culture without distinguishing gender. The assumption that both gender groups have similar beliefs is perceived when there is a lack of clarity in the literature. Furthermore, only a few studies have examined how females as a separate gender feel about their leaders. This topic is of great significance because it seeks to understand whether females feel the same as males with regard to admirable leadership traits. This review critically analyzes the theoretical literature from peer-reviewed journal articles and academic textbooks on characteristic leadership traits. The review finds limited information when dealing with female characteristic leadership traits issues. This situation reinforces the need to find out how males and females view characteristic leadership traits about their leaders and how it affects organizational culture. The researcher anticipated significant differences between male and female characteristic leadership traits; however, survey results indicated the differences were very limited and less than expected. This new information indicates that females and males have similar leadership characteristic traits. Therefore, it discredits old stereotype beliefs that females are not good leaders, because they do not possess the same characteristic leadership traits as males.

Recommended Citation

Odio, J. (2009). Characteristic Leadership Traits Most Admired by Supervisors in an Organizational Culture [Doctoral dissertation, Lynn University]. SPIRAL. https://spiral.lynn.edu/etds/169