Cross cultural and gender differences in leadership:experiences of prominent Nigerian female leaders

Gender and culture are subsets of leadership influence that contain within them implications for modern organizations and society in general. There is much published literature exploring cultural differences in leadership as well as gender differences in leadership. In contrast, there are few literature contributions that explore the nexus of the two phenomena. This study addressed the gaps in existing literature concerning women in leadership within the Nigeria context. Research questions were raised to provide answers to the notion that culture rather than gender will be a better predictor of leadership styles among women. As a result, understanding unique cultural dimensions related to women leaders is germane for theoretical, empirical and practical implications on organizational studies in Nigeria. A qualitative research method was adopted for this study. Primary and secondary sources of data were used in this study. Content analysis was employed in the analysis of existing research on cultural and gender differences. Further, thematic elements that were consistent across literature were highlighted and applied to the current study. Also, qualitative semi-structured interviews of was used to collect data from ten notable Nigerian female leaders selected through non-probability random sampling technique. The results of the content analysis indicated that the majority of existing research works affirms that gender is not a strong predictor of leadership style among women. The results of the second portion of the study revealed that there are cultural elements that inherently make Nigerian female leaders different from their male counterparts. This implication of this finding is that rather than gender itself as a predictor of leadership styles, the self image and expectations of a society toward the female gender are strong predictors of female leadership styles. This study advances gender and leadership literature and also contributes in a cross curricular sense to African and organizational studies in Africa

The Smart Nigerian Girl: Leadership Strategies for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

An early mission of British colonialism in Africa involved reinforcing rigid ideologies to redefine the African woman. Although the British had a West African presence dating as far back as the seventeenth century, Nigeria’s inauguration in the early 1900s was characterized by the rapid and violent imposition of European values and systems. For the Nigerian woman, this meant that her former participation in public spheres became restricted to the privacy of her home. Where they were once involved in decision-making and commerce, the arrival of the British colonial officials and their wives confined the Nigerian woman’s role to the domestic space. Girlhood and adolescent girls’ education, then, became a prime locus for indoctrination into British standards of middle-class femininity. Now, in the post-independence era, develop- ment specialists are asserting that the empowerment of women—and, as I will argue, restoration of their identities—is key to rebuilding the economic, social, and political sectors of any society. In this regard, contesting gender disparities in primary and secondary education has emerged as a development strategy. However, much attention is given solely to access to education, without consideration of how gendered education may constrain girls’ ability to participate in a capacity that is fulfilling to themselves and beneficial for their society. In Nigeria, where the effects of colonialism have created a void in effective leadership, the trajectory of the nation’s prosperity is contingent upon the re-education of girls into revolutionary understandings of their personal and social identities.No embargoAcademic Major: International Studie

Biblical Based Servant Leadership and the Liberian Methodist Church: Lessons from the Christological Hymn in Phil. 2:7-11

Sometimes a biblical understanding of leadership challenges cultural and traditional understanding. It’s the context of the Liberian traditional and cultural understanding of leadership that my research will focus on. My project will show the continued need for servant leadership, which is demonstrated by the portrait of Jesus in the Christological hymn and the Gospel. The theses will focus on contrasting traditional Christian leadership within the United Methodist Church in Liberia with the humility of Jesus’ servant leadership. This research hopes to offer academic authentic transformative ideas of servant leadership and intentional examples to the continuous study of servant leadership. However, the research intent to also provide a fresh look at how cultural and traditional orientations in Liberia, can pose a challenge to the impact of servant leadership and hope to submit practical ways the leaders understand the transformative nature of power (Linthicum, 2003) Therefore, the inquiry will consider scholarly works of literature in the area of servant leadership, primarily drawing resources from Servant of All: Status, Ambition, and The way of Jesus (Hill, 2016), Culture and leadership in Africa: a conceptual model and research agenda (Kuada, J. 2010), the impact of Carmen Christi (Fee, G. 1992), the servant example of Christ in the Gospel, and suggesting applicable knowledge from my research, and personal experience that’s workable within the Liberian context; as opposed to a king and ruler cultural/traditional 4 understanding of Christian leadership (Mansago, 2009). Secondly, this research hopes to contribute to the current scholarship on Christian leadership based on the Christological hymn as it challenges from a cultural or traditional context (Jones, 2012)

Redeeming London: gender, self and mobility among Nigerian Pentecostals

This thesis is an ethnographic investigation into how Pentecostalism impacts on the religious, family and work life of Nigerian migrants in London, and overall how such religious engagement shapes informants’ relationship with the United Kingdom. It brings together the study of migration, Pentecostal Christianity and gender relations. The thesis focuses on the members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The RCCG is one of the biggest Pentecostal churches in Nigeria, where it has developed into a significant social and political player and has spread worldwide. In London, the RCCG caters for a good portion of the local Nigerian Christian community. The RCCG is part of a transnational social and moral field that I term ‘London-Lagos’, which Nigerian migrants inhabit. RCCG members’ relationships in church, with significant others and with wider society are embedded in power relations – relations that are mediated and rendered meaningful by a Pentecostal morality. The negotiation of moral authority is therefore central theme in this thesis. I trace how it shapes and is shaped by church doctrines and wider British society. The central modes employed to mould Pentecostal Nigerian selves in London are self-discipline, the dialectic of submission and responsibility, and the disciplining of others. Such dynamics around Pentecostal authority are crucially articulated in gendered terms. Hence, they are investigated in relation to gendering processes in singlehood, marriage and the raising of children. The requirements of non-Pentecostal contexts such as wider British society and state institutions sometimes contradict this three-fold way of becoming a morally sound Pentecostal. To navigate this tense and morally complex situation RCCG members tend to employ skills (‘smartness’) they have obtained in Nigeria

Barriers to Women Leadership of Small and Medium Enterprises in Nigeria

Management literature lacks a deeper understanding of barriers to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) leadership among women entrepreneurs in Nigeria focusing on women leaders\u27 daily business experiences, their agency, and their entrepreneurial context. Women in Nigeria seeking promotion to leadership roles in SMEs continue to look for answers on how to surmount the multiple barriers hampering their leadership aspirations. To address this need, this study was designed to explore how women entrepreneurs in Nigeria describe barriers to SME leadership through narratives about their daily business experiences, their agency, and their entrepreneurial context. The women\u27s entrepreneurial development in Nigeria, the Nigerian women\u27s entrepreneurial leadership style, and the agentic behavior of women leaders provided the conceptual framework for this work. A qualitative narrative inquiry method was adopted, and data were gathered through face-to-face semistructured interviews. The participants were a purposeful sample of 10 Nigerian women entrepreneurial leaders over the age of 30. The transcribed interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. Five thematic categories emerged and were used to answer the research question. Study findings showed that Nigerian women entrepreneurial leaders face challenges due to family, gender, and patriarchal attitudes of the culture. The study shows the experiences, challenges, and triumphs of these courageous and resilient Nigerian women entrepreneurial leaders. Positive social change implications include providing training, mentoring programs, and information to guide, empower, and equip upcoming women entrepreneurial leaders to avert challenges in the future