Leadership styles of men and women in the Arab world

Abstract

PurposeDisagreement amongst Arab writers, researchers, politicians, and others exists regarding the Arab woman's struggle to take on a leadership role traditionally dominated by Arab men. For many, discussions on whether Arab women should work and lead, be a housewife or work with restrictions are continually under controversy. The purpose of this paper is to examine Arab women leadership style based on transformational, transactional, and laissez‐faire styles of men and women.Design/methodology/approachThe main research instrument is the multifactor leadership questionnaire.FindingsThe findings reveal that women in the Arab world exceed men on four transformational scales: the attributes version of idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Arab men exceed Arab women on two transactional scales: management by exception passive and management by exception active, whereas women exceed men on contingent rewards. Laissez‐faire leadership style goes to Arab men.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the paper provides a useful overview of the traditional thinking and abilities of Arab women leadership and their effectiveness in the Arab world, the sample is limited in size. Further research can be done with larger sample to test the findings.Originality/valueThe paper offers inputs for researchers and writers.