Transformational Leadership and Gender Bias

The assignment examines how transformational leaders can help mitigate the bias towards male leadership by fostering collaboration with male employees to create a more inclusive work environment. It analyzes the impact of transformational leadership on employee engagement, job performance, and creativity within this context. The assignment also references relevant research studies to support its arguments.

Running head: CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT
CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT
Executive Summary
The report is based on the analysis that is discussed in the case study. The case study is about
the resignation of Gail Kelly from the Chief Executive position of Westpac. This had caused
problems for the female employees of the Australian corporate sector as Kelly was a role
model for the women working in the corporate sector. The issues that are faced by the
Australian female employees regarding the biasness that is depicted by the organizations is
discussed in the report. The report is concluded with the learning that the issues that are faced
by female employees can be solved by the transformational leaders of the organizations. The
cooperation of the leaders and the employees can be the most effective in solving this issue.

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................3
2.0 Identification of the issue.........................................................................................3
3.0 Critical analysis........................................................................................................4
4.0 Recommendations....................................................................................................6
5.0 Conclusion................................................................................................................7
6.0 References................................................................................................................8
1.0

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1.0 Introduction
The main context of the case study that is taken into consideration for this report is the
issue that is related to the loss that can be faced by the working women after the departure of
Gail Kelly from the position of chief executive in Westpac. The Australian women hold only
3% of the total top positions in the organizations. This is a major issue in the corporate sector
of Australia and has caused many issues related to gender discrimination (Birasnav, 2014).
The issue that is mentioned in the case study is worthy of research as this has been causing
many problems in the corporate environment. The structure of the report is related to the case
study analysis of Gail Kelly and her resignation from the job at Westpac. The argument in the
case study is related to the leadership theory of organizations and the choice male leaders
over the female leaders.
2.0 Identification of the issue
The management issue in this case is the biasness of the organizations related to the
choice of male or female leaders with the same merits. The previous research that has been
conducted regarding this issue has shown that the organizations of Australia tend to choose
the male candidates over the female ones. The challenges that are faced by working women
in the society due to the dominance of male employees is the main issue in the case study.
The female leaders need to face challenges and dilemmas related to the choice of their careers
or family (Bottomley, Burgess & Fox III, 2014). They are made to feel like outsiders in the
organizations of which they are a major part. Gail Kelly acted as a role model for all the
women employees of the corporate sector. The departure of Kelly from her position acted as
a loss for these aspiring female employees.
The fight of the female employees in the societal climate of the corporate sector to
become a role model is the issue that has been discussed in the case study. The social

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discrimination and judgement that is faced by the female employees makes them feel like
imposters or outsiders in the leadership roles. The society mainly waits for the women leaders
to fail so that they can judge their competence and capabilities. The competence of the female
employees is judged by changing standards and parameters (Breevaart et al. 2014). However,
it has also been found in the previous research that the organizations that are guided by
female leaders do much better in the market inn financial as well as non-financial areas. The
returns that are received by the investors are also greater for organizations led by female
leaders as compared to those led by the male leaders. The female leaders and employees have
reach the top positions after tolerating and fighting against the male-dominated cultures.
3.0 Critical analysis
As discussed by, Hamstra et al., (2014), women in the 21st century still have to face
many issues in the corporate sector related to the working environment. Women still have to
encounter many challenges in the organizations that act as a barrier to their advancement. The
progress of women in the society is obstructed by many different issues that are related to the
dominance of male employees and the biasness of the organizations as well. The major
problem that is faced by women in the organization is the flexibility of the working
arrangements. The flexibility of time and place that are provided to the employees can affect
their ways of working as well. Another major issue is related to equal pay that is provided to
the employees of the organizations. The discrimination that is made between the wages of the
male and female employees can also act as a major problem for the female employees (To,
Herman & Ashkanasy, 2015).
Henker, Sonnentag & Unger, (2015), state that, the wage gap of the employees needs
to be reduced to provide an unbiased working environment. The bias of the management
related to gender is an issue for the female employees. The lack of women employees and

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leaders as role models is another issue that is faced by female employees. This is caused by
the lack of women leaders who are appointed by the organizations. Sexual harassment is a
huge problem that is faced by women in different organizations. This is a problem that is
widespread in nature and is reported by many female employees. The unsuitable behaviour of
the co-employees causes many issues for the management which includes increases turnover
rates, rising absenteeism and lack of productivity (Qu, Janssen & Shi, 2015). This can also
cause depression and anxiety for the female employees, as a result of which they tend to quit
from their jobs as well. The non-inclusion of the female employees in the organizations
makes them feel like outsiders and this decreases their level of job satisfaction.
According to, Herman & Chiu, (2014), the problems that are faced by women in the
organization can be solved by the leaders of the organization. This can be done by following
the principles of transformational leadership so that they can solve the problems by
coordinating with the employees of the organization. Transformational leadership is observed
in all the levels of an organization which includes, the departments, teams and divisions. The
leaders who follow this style of leadership are considered to be inspiring, risk-takers, daring
and thoughtful (Paustian-Underdahl, Walker & Woehr, 2014). They have an appearance that
is full of charisma. The leaders have the capability to bring changes in the organization with
the help and cooperation of the employees. The transformational leaders mainly depict four
factors which are, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized
consideration and idealized influence. Inspirational motivation is mainly related to the values
that are followed by the leaders, the mission and vision of the leader (Kochan, Spencer &
Mathews, 2014).
As discussed by, Mason, Griffin & Parker, (2014), they have clear vision and they
also know what they need to achieve from the activities conducted by them. The
transformational leaders aim to guide the employees by providing challenges. The spirit of

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teamwork is given utmost importance by the transformational leaders. The leaders following
this style of leadership encourage the employees to be more creative and innovative. They
avoid criticizing the employees and on the other hand they encourage them to work
effectively. The leaders tend to discard old systems is they are not suitable for the
organizational processes. The leaders place themselves as role models for the employees and
they also try to follow the regulations that they preach to the employees. According to,
McCleskey, (2014), the leaders in this case act as the mentors of the employees and they also
reward them for their innovation and creativity. The employees have the power to take
important decisions and they are also a part of the all the important decisions that are taken
for the organization. The issue that has been discussed in the case study can be solved by
following the transformational style of leadership. The management of the organizations can
coordinate with the female employees and thereby take their decisions accordingly.
4.0 Recommendations
The major issue in the case study is the biasness that is depicted in the organizations
or the corporate sector of Australia. The problems that hold back the female leaders from
succeeding the corporate sector are the notions of the women themselves about their own
capabilities and competencies. The thought process of the society and people around them
affect the thinking of the women as well. The female leaders can overcome this problem by
listening only to their heart and not the advice that is given by others. The gender biases in
the corporate sector can also hold the back the success of women. The opinion of the
management of the organizations about the incapability of women to lead organizations tends
to hold them back as well. This issue can be solved by women by fighting their way towards
the leading positions with the help of their capabilities and change the views of the
organization.

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The problems related to fear and insecurity also tend to hold back the women from
reaching to the positions they desire. Sexual harassment is a major reason for their fear in the
corporate sector. The attitude of the male employees and leaders of the organizations towards
the female employees is a major issue in the work process of the women in the organizations.
This issue can be solved with the help of the management and raising awareness among the
employees regarding this issue. The decisions of the society also affect the leading
capabilities of the female employees in the organizations. The female employees or leaders
have to face the dilemma of choosing between their family and work and this affects the time
they can invest in their careers. This issue can be solved by changing the thought process of
the society so that women can excel in their careers. The leaders of the organizations play a
major role in the development of the female employees. The problems that are faced by the
female employees can be solved by the transformational leaders and by their cooperation
with the employees.
5.0 Conclusion
The report can be concluded by saying that the issue that has been discussed in the
case study, that is, the biasness that is depicted towards the selection of male leaders over
female leaders can be solved with the help of transformational leaders. The cooperation of
transformational leaders with the male employees of the organizations can be helpful for
solving the issues that are faced by women.

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6.0 References
Birasnav, M. (2014). Knowledge management and organizational performance in the service
industry: The role of transformational leadership beyond the effects of transactional
leadership. Journal of Business Research, 67(8), 1622-1629.
Bottomley, K., Burgess, S., & Fox III, M. (2014). Are the behaviors of transformational
leaders impacting organizations? A study of transformational leadership. International
Management Review, 10(1), 5.
Breevaart, K., Bakker, A., Hetland, J., Demerouti, E., Olsen, O. K., & Espevik, R. (2014).
Daily transactional and transformational leadership and daily employee engagement. Journal
of occupational and organizational psychology, 87(1), 138-157.
Hamstra, M. R., Van Yperen, N. W., Wisse, B., & Sassenberg, K. (2014). Transformational
and transactional leadership and followers’ achievement goals. Journal of Business and
Psychology, 29(3), 413-425.
Henker, N., Sonnentag, S., & Unger, D. (2015). Transformational leadership and employee
creativity: the mediating role of promotion focus and creative process engagement. Journal
of Business and Psychology, 30(2), 235-247.
Herman, H. M., & Chiu, W. C. (2014). Transformational leadership and job performance: A
social identity perspective. Journal of Business Research, 67(1), 2827-2835.
Kochan, F. K., Spencer, W. A., & Mathews, J. G. (2014). Gender-based perceptions of the
challenges, changes, and essential skills of the principalship. Journal of School
Leadership, 10(10), 290.

9CASE STUDY ANALYSIS OF MANAGEMENT
Mason, C., Griffin, M., & Parker, S. (2014). Transformational leadership development:
Connecting psychological and behavioral change. Leadership & Organization Development
Journal, 35(3), 174-194.
McCleskey, J. A. (2014). Situational, transformational, and transactional leadership and
leadership development. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 5(4), 117.
Paustian-Underdahl, S. C., Walker, L. S., & Woehr, D. J. (2014). Gender and perceptions of
leadership effectiveness: A meta-analysis of contextual moderators. Journal of applied
psychology, 99(6), 1129.
Qu, R., Janssen, O., & Shi, K. (2015). Transformational leadership and follower creativity:
The mediating role of follower relational identification and the moderating role of leader
creativity expectations. The Leadership Quarterly, 26(2), 286-299.
To, M. L., Herman, H. M., & Ashkanasy, N. M. (2015). A multilevel model of
transformational leadership, affect, and creative process behavior in work teams. The
Leadership Quarterly, 26(4), 543-556.