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Publications
  • September 2011
  • Article
  • Academy of Management Learning & Education

Taking Gender into Account: Theory and Design for Women's Leadership Development Programs

By: Robin J. Ely, Herminia Ibarra and Deborah Kolb
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Abstract

We conceptualize leadership development as identity work and show how subtle forms of gender bias in the culture and in organizations interfere with the identity work of women leaders. Based on this insight, we revisit traditional approaches to standard leadership topics, such as negotiations and leading change, as well as currently popular developmental tools, such as 360-degree feedback and networking; reinterpret them through the lens of women's experiences in organizations; and revise them in order to meet the particular challenges women face when transitioning into senior leadership. By framing leadership development as identity work, we reveal the gender dynamics involved in becoming a leader, offer a theoretical rationale for teaching leadership in women-only groups, and suggest design and delivery principles to increase the likelihood that women's leadership programs will help women advance into more senior leadership roles.

Keywords

Programs; Prejudice And Bias; Leadership Development; Identity; Organizational Culture; Gender

Citation

Ely, Robin J., Herminia Ibarra, and Deborah Kolb. "Taking Gender into Account: Theory and Design for Women's Leadership Development Programs." Academy of Management Learning & Education 10, no. 3 (September 2011).
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About The Author

Robin J. Ely

Organizational Behavior
→More Publications

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    My Learning Journey: Seven Turning Points in my Life as a Gender-and-Race Scholar

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    Explaining the Persistence of Gender Inequality: The Work-family Narrative as a Social Defense Against 24/7 Work Culture

    By: Irene Padavic, Robin J. Ely and Erin M. Reid
More from the Authors
  • Getting Serious About Diversity: Enough Already with the Business Case By: R. Ely and David A. Thomas
  • My Learning Journey: Seven Turning Points in my Life as a Gender-and-Race Scholar By: R. Ely
  • Explaining the Persistence of Gender Inequality: The Work-family Narrative as a Social Defense Against 24/7 Work Culture By: Irene Padavic, Robin J. Ely and Erin M. Reid
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