Leadership Structures in Same-Sex Task Groups

Abstract

This article investigates contradictory findings reported in the literature concerning differences in leadership differentiation between same-sex groups. Drawing on arguments developed by Walker et al. (1996) addressing measurement validity in this literature, and on an extension in the status literature developed by Ridgeway (1988) and Fennell et al. (1978), this article develops and tests three predictions. Specifically, the authors predict greater differences in leadership differentiation between all-male and all-female groups when assessing leadership based on procedural behaviors than when assessing leadership based on influence. Also, leadership differentiation will be greater in all-male groups within a male-dominated organization, and in all-female groups within a female-dominated organization, than in all-female groups within a male-dominated organization when assessing leadership based on procedural compared with influence behaviors. Contrary to predictions, results show that all-male and all-female groups are equally likely to develop differentiated leadership structures when using procedural- and influenced-based measures. Implications of these results are discussed.