THE IMPACT OF LEADER GENDER, LEADERSHIP STYLES, AND FOLLOWER GENDER ON LEADERSHIP EFFECTIVENESS IN MANUFACTURING SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMES) IN VIETNAM A Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration By Dinh Manh Tran University of the West of Scotland 2022 ABSTRACT The role of gender and leadership style on leadership effectiveness has attracted scholars’ attention recently with the attempts to accelerate women on board. This research investigates the relationship between leadership style, follower gender and leader gender and leadership effectiveness in the Vietnamese SMEs manufacturing context. Specifically, the study attempted to achieve three objectives, including discussing existing literature to develop an appropriate theoretical framework concerning the factors influencing leadership effectiveness regarding leadership styles, leadership gender, and follower gender (1); investigating the impacts of leadership style, follower gender and leader gender on the management effectiveness of business leaders with reference to decision-making and leader- follower relationship in manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Vietnam (2); and proposing the implications for manufacturing SMEs in Vietnam to employ the most fitted, effective leadership styles for Vietnamese leaders (3). The literature review on the relationship between leader gender, leadership styles, and effectiveness found disagreements over the research findings regarding the correlation between these areas of study.
Previously, the Role Congruity theory and relational demography were used to administrate trials. Furthermore, earlier research indicating that the relationship between follower gender and leader gender causes leadership effectiveness is inadequate in justifying the disparate findings. Additionally, studies utilizing expectation violations theory imply that females are empowered to engage in agentic leadership activities. On the basis of these findings, the researcher supports the use of the Social Identity Theory of Leadership (SITL) as a theoretical framework for developing a conceptual framework for assessing the interaction between leadership effectiveness and leader gender via leadership group prototypicality that is dependent on follower gender and leadership styles in this research.
In terms of research methodology, the Researcher employed the realist epistemology using measurements and scales to explore different aspects of leadership effectiveness. The quantitative approach with the use of a questionnaire was utilized for data collection. The study received responses from 394 respondents from 10 small and medium enterprises in Vietnam. The questionnaire has two sections.
The first section involved five items exploring the respondents’ age, gender, working position, education, and working tenure. The second section attempted to examine the respondents’ perceptions of the impacts of leadership style, leader gender and follower gender on leadership effectiveness. Reliability tests, correlation analysis and regression analysis, were used to analyze data. i Research findings revealed that empirical findings supported hypotheses, indicating that males in transformational leadership style and females in transactional leadership style are more effective in decision-making and leader-follower relationship.
Based on the findings, the researcher generated theoretical implications concerning the use of the developed framework for further studies concerning the impacts of leadership style, follower gender and leader gender on leadership effectiveness, as well as practical implications for the benefit of appropriate leadership style and promotion of women in the organizations. It is suggested that Vietnamese organizations may support the development of organizational contexts featuring the transactional leadership style for female leaders and the transformational leadership style for male leaders. The recommendations for research in the future include a more qualitative methodology, the usage of filmed sessions, more varied samples, the examination of inequalities between men and women at work, and the study of how women and men are rated in different workplaces along with how these assessments might be improved to reflect good leadership characteristics better. ii DECLARATION I hereby declare that the content of this thesis for the degree of Doctorate in Business Administration is my own work.
This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I further declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources have been acknowledged. I also declare that all information in this document has been obtained and presented in accordance with academic rules and ethical conduct. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This DBA thesis would not have been possible without the intellectual and spiritual support of so many important people in my life.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Dr Abraham Althonayan. I am extremely fortunate to have him as an instructor; His patience, morality, and frankness inspired me and helped me get through the most challenging times. I would also like to thank Dr Alina Andronache, Dr Thi Thu Hoang for their valuable guidance throughout my studies. The field research in Vietnam would not have been possible without the fantastic support of my parents, who helped me connect to the companies to get actual research data.
With all my heart, I thank all of the research participants for allowing me to document their educational experience and giving me great motivation to pursue this important work together. Last but not least, I would like to thank my wonderful wife, Thu Hang Nguyen, for the daily sacrifices that keep me focused on completing my thesis. I couldn't ask for a better partner and mother for our child than her. Doing this thesis is a long journey with many ups and downs.
There were many difficulties when the covid 19 pandemic broke out for more than two years which made the research process take one extra year with many challenges. Still, all this makes me incredibly grateful for what I have and the people I have met. To those who know the project and have prayed for me, THANK YOU! iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT i ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv LIST OF FIGURES x LIST OF TABLES xi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xiii CHAPTER 1. Research aim and objectives 13 1.
Hypotheses of the study 14 1. Scope of the study 14 1. Significance of the study 15 1. Definition of key terms 15 1.
Organization of the thesis 16 CHAPTER 2. The double-bind 22 2. Leadership, Antecedents of leadership, and Leadership Styles 23 2. Antecedents of leadership 28 2.
Decision-making as an aspect of leadership effectiveness 44 2. Leader-follower relationship as an aspect of leadership effectiveness 45 2. Gender in leadership, the glass ceiling and glass cliff phenomena 46 2. Leadership and followers’ characteristic 50 2.
Review of frameworks related to gender and leadership effectiveness 53 2. Role congruity theory (RCT) of prejudice toward women 53 2. Social role theory (SRT) 54 2. Role congruity theory (RCT) 55 2.
Relational demography - diversity and dissimilarity literature 60 2. Vertical dissimilarity - the measurement of diversity 61 2. Theories of diversity and dissimilarity 62 2. Social identity/self-categorisation theory 63 2.
Diversity and LMX (leader membership exchange) 66 2. Literature of leadership style, leadership effectiveness and gender in Manufacturing SMEs 68 2. Literature of leadership style and leadership effectiveness in the Vietnam context 69 2. Chapter Summary 71 CHAPTER 3.
Theoretical framework overview 73 3. The social identity theory of leadership 73 vi 3. Leader group prototypicality 76 3. Expectancy violation theory 78 3.
Gender differences in leadership styles 79 3. The uncertainty reduction hypothesis 82 3. Chapter summary 86 CHAPTER 4. Research philosophy and paradigm 88 4.
An overview of research philosophy and paradigm 88 4. Relevance of the research 88 4. Scientific research philosophy 89 4. Scientific research paradigm 90 4.
Research philosophy in leadership research 97 4. Research philosophy in the current study 99 4. Variables measured in the instruments 119 4. Data collection procedures 123 4.
Research quality liability and validity 125 4. DATA ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSIONS 130 5. Reliability test for male leaders 130 5. Reliability test for female leaders 132 5.
Reliability test for leadership group prototypicality 134 5. Descriptive statistics for male leaders 135 5. Descriptive statistics of leadership style – Male leaders 135 5. Descriptive statistics of leadership effectiveness – Male leaders 138 5.
Descriptive statistics for female leaders 141 5. Descriptive statistics of leadership style – Female leaders 141 5. Descriptive statistics of leadership effectiveness – Female leaders 143 5. Descriptive statistics of leader group prototypicality 146 5.
Correlational analysis for male leaders 148 5. Leadership styles and decision making 148 5. Leadership styles and follower-leader relationship 148 5. Correlational analysis for female leaders 149 5.
Leadership styles and decision making 149 5. Leadership styles and follower-leader relationship 150 5. Hypothesis 1 testing (male leader, leadership styles and leadership effectiveness) 151 viii 5. Summary of the results 163 5.
Discussion of the research findings 164 5. Chapter summary 167 CHAPTER 6. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 168 6. Review of aims, objectives and research questions 168 6.
Suggestions for further studies 175 6. Conclusion 176 REFERENCES 177 APPENDICES 212 Appendix A. Participant information sheets 212 Appendix B. Informed consent form 214 Appendix C.
The Most Preeminent Theoretical Approaches to Leadership Effectiveness 220 ix LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Countries leading gender parity efforts in career development 12 Figure 2. The Leaderplex Model 27 Figure 3. Conceptual framework 85 Figure 4.
Research procedures 91 Figure 4. Sampling process stages 105 Figure 4. Sampling technique 106 Figure 4. Age range of respondents 114 Figure 4.
Gender of respondents 114 Figure 4. Education of respondents 115 Figure 4. Working position of respondents 115 Figure 4. Working experience of respondents 116 x LIST OF TABLES Table 4.
Three components of scientific research paradigm 91 Table 4. Comparison of the main paradigms in terms of ontology, epistemology, and research methods 93 Table 4. Strengths and weaknesses of sampling techniques 109 Table 4. Sample size based on desired accuracy 112 Table 5.
Reliability test for male leaders 130 Table 5. Item-total statistics for male leaders 131 Table 5. Reliability test for female leaders 132 Table 5. Item-total statistics for male leaders 133 Table 5.
Reliability test of leadership group prototypicality – Male followers 134 Table 5. Item-total statistics of leadership group prototypicality – Male follower 134 Table 5. Reliability test of leadership group prototypicality – Female followers 135 Table 5. Item-total statistics of leadership group prototypicality – Female follower 135 Table 5.
Descriptive statistics of transformational leadership style – Male leaders 136 Table 5. Descriptive statistics of transactional leadership style – Male leaders 137 Table 5. Descriptive statistics of decision making – Male leaders 138 Table 5. Descriptive statistics of follower-leader relationship– Male leaders 139 Table 5.
Descriptive statistics of transformational leadership style – Female leaders 141 Table 5. Descriptive statistics of transactional leadership style – Female leaders 143 Table 5. Descriptive statistics of decision making – Female leaders 144 Table 5. Descriptive statistics of follower-leader relationship– Female leaders 144 Table 5.
Descriptive statistics of leader group prototypicality – Male follower 147 Table 5. Descriptive statistics of leader group prototypicality – Female follower 147 Table 5. Correlation between transformational, transactional leadership style and decision making – Male leader 148 Table 5. Correlation between transformational, transactional leadership style and follower- leader relationship – Male leader 149 xi Table 5.
Correlation between transformational, transactional leadership style and decision making – Female leader 150 Table 5. Correlation between transformational, transactional leadership style and follower- leader relationship – Female leader 151 Table 5. Results of H1 testing (male leader, leadership styles and decision making) 152 Table 5. Results of H1 testing (male leader, leadership styles and follower-leader relationship) 152 Table 5.
Results of H3 testing (female leader, leadership style and decision making) 159 Table 5. Results of H3 testing (female leader, leadership style and follower-leader relationship) 160 Table 5. Results of H5, H6 testing (follower gender (male), leadership styles and decision making) 159 Table 5. Results of H15, H16 testing 160 Table 5.
Results of H7, H8 testing (follower gender (female), leadership styles and decision making) 163 Table 5. Results of H7, H8 testing (follower gender (female), leadership styles and follower- leader relationship) 162 Table 5. Summary of results of hypothesis testing 163 xii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS RCT: Role Congruity Theory SITL: The social identity theory of leadership SMEs: Small and medium enterprises SRT: Social Role Theory xiii CHAPTER 1. Background According to Araujo-Cabrera et al.