In the past decade, the representation of women in Kenyan boardrooms and executive suites has more than doubled. This is great news because according to McKinsey and Leanin.Org, the presence of women in senior leadership positions leads to better financial performance and organisational sustainability.
In the past few years, researchers have found that women have a better chance of breaking through the leadership glass ceiling when organisations face crises and find themselves on what Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam of the University of Exeter have termed the “glass cliff.”
The glass cliff refers to a situation in which women are appointed to top leadership positions during times of crisis or duress or when the chance of failure is more likely. This phenomenon holds in organisational leadership across fields both in the public and private sectors.
In the twenty-first century, crises will become the norm rather than the exception. Organisations increasingly must cope with volatile, uncertain, rapidly changing, and complex environments.
Economies are becoming more interconnected; generation Z and millennials now make up the majority of the workforce, technological changes and digital disruptions are making workplaces more virtual, and more attention is being given to the global sustainability agenda that expects organisations to develop business models that embrace triple bottom line approaches.
There is no better example of this uncertainty than the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic has tested business agility and necessitated leadership approaches that value people and profit as critical measures of success.
Incidentally, a Harvard Study by Professors Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman found that women leaders in the US significantly outperformed men during the Covid-19 crisis.
Their study found that employees prioritised interpersonal skills such as clear communication, collaboration, teamwork, and relationship building. Female leaders also demonstrated more awareness of the fears of employees and more significant concern for their well-being, and thus, employees had more confidence in their plans.
Whether male or female, at the end of the day, people want leaders who can pivot and learn these new leadership competencies; who emphasise employee professional development during tough times; who can be trusted; who are sensitive to the stress, anxiety, and frustration that people feel at their workplaces.
Considering that these are traits that women more often embody, yes, perhaps women are the future of management. However all leaders, regardless of gender, should strive to embody these qualities.
Christine is a Doctoral Fellow at Strathmore Institute of Public Policy and Governance and The Africa Media Hub at Strathmore Business School and a Mindset Coach at Meraki Institute
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