Marcia Reynolds, Psy.D.
In order to understand the behavior of high-achieving women in organizations, we cannot simply observe them in action. We have to take into account what the women feel and think to grasp both the ways they see the world and the motivations that drive their actions. We need to understand, from their perspectives, the meaning they give to their experiences at work, in the past and present, and how they foresee their possible futures. Only then will we be able to understand the personal reasons why the women are not in executive positions in U.S. corporations.
A Qualitative Approach
Assuming that most high-achieving women aspire to hold some type of leadership position, there is no definitive literature that outlines the exact behavior of a good leader in organizations. Too many factors inhibit a static definition of an ideal workplace much less a particular corporate role. With the growing global marketplace changing how we do business, the evolving nature of work and family roles, and the shifts in values and needs each generation brings with them to work, it is not possible to define the one, best way of “being a leader.”
