Leadership attributes valence in self-concept and occupational self-efficacy

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between leadership-relevant attributes and occupational self-efficacy in management students. It is assumed that leadership-relevant attributes are related to high self-efficacy beliefs. Design/methodology/approach – In the present study management students from three different countries, namely Germany, Australia, and India, described to what degree they possess task- and person-oriented leadership attributes and indicate their occupational self-efficacy for their future profession. Data were analysed using regression analyses. Findings – As expected, leadership-relevant attributes were related to occupational self-efficacy. Some support was found for the assumption that ratings of the importance of relevant attributes moderates the relationship between reported leadership-relevant attributes and occupational self-efficacy but only for task-oriented attributes. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was small so that comparisons between subgroups were not possible. All data were self-reported. Practical implications – The results are relevant for career counselling. Looking at self-description of individuals in terms of attributes relevant to their future job rather than working directly on their occupational self-efficacy could be emphasised. Originality/value – The study provides initial hints at the relationship between self-description and occupational self-efficacy in connection with future managers

Perceived competition explains regional differences in stereotype content of immigrant groups

This research investigates differences in the stereotype content of immigrant groups between linguistic regions. We expected that immigrant groups who speak the local language of a specific linguistic region would be perceived as more competitive within this region than in another linguistic region. Further, we expected these differences would underlie regional differences in stereotype content, albeit only for the warmth dimension. Predictions were tested in the two largest linguistic regions of Switzerland. As expected, in the German-speaking region, locals perceived German immigrants as more competitive and thus as less warm, whereas in the French-speaking region, locals perceived French immigrants as more competitive and, consequently, as less warm. So, paradoxically, immigrants with strong integration potential are particularly disliked because they are regarded as direct competitors

Stereotype Content Associated with Immigrant Groups in Switzerland

This research examines stereotypes associated with immigrant groups in Switzerland. In line with the stereotype content model, we expected immigrant groups to be perceived differentially on the dimensions of warmth and competence as a function of their national origin. Second, we expected the stereotype content to be predominantly mixed, that is, groups are either perceived as warmer than competent or as colder than competent. Third, we expected stereotype contents to correlate with their sociostructural precursors, namely, competition and status. The results supported our hypotheses: The nine most salient immigrant groups fell into five meaningful clusters, based on their perceived warmth and competence. Most stereotype contents were mixed. Moreover, we found that warmth perceptions were predicted by both competition and status, whereas competence perceptions were predicted by status only. This research emphasizes the importance of considering the diversity of the immigrant population when studying immigrant stereotypes

"Not all immigrants are equal": Stereotype content as a function of regional and inter-individual differences

Recent theories suggest that stereotype content is best described along two dimensions, warmth and competence, which in turn give rise to specific actions (e.g., discrimination). Based on this framework, we explored the content of stereotypes about immigrants of different nationalities. Moreover, we examined relations of stereotype content with groups’ perceived socio-structural characteristics. Also, building on theories of prejudice, we investigated the role of participants’ ideological beliefs about group hierarchies and competitiveness for stereotype content. Initial studies served to identify the most salient immigrant groups in two regions of Switzerland. Regions differed with respect to the official language (French, German). In two studies, we assessed stereotype content, perceived status and competition of these groups. Moreover, we measured participants’ Social Dominance Orientation (SDO) and Belief in a Competitive World (BCW). Results showed that warmth and competence stereotypes varied as a function of target group nationality and of language-region. In general, competence and warmth stereotypes corresponded to perceived differences in status and competition. SDO was negatively related to perceived competence of immigrant groups. Moreover, the impact of SDO on competence stereotypes was stronger for the most negatively stereotyped groups than for those receiving more positive stereotypes. Finally, SDO moderated the relation between status and perceived competence: The relation was stronger for people high in SDO than for people low in SDO. BCW, in turn, was negatively related to perceived warmth of the immigrant groups but had no moderation effects. We discuss the implications of these findings for theories of stereotype content and for discrimination against immigrants

Am I the right candidate? Self-ascribed fit of women and men to a leadership position

Women are assumed to show a self-ascribed lack-of-fit to leadership positions compared to men (Heilman, 1983). The present study examined whether this gender difference would diminish when agency is accounted for and whether a stimulus person’s gender would alter women’s self-ascribed fit. German management students (91 women, 95 men) received a fictitious recruitment advertisement for a leadership position that portrayed a man, a woman, or both a man and a woman. Participants indicated their perceptions of agency and suitability to the advertised position. As predicted, women judged themselves as less suitable for the leadership position than men and participants’ self-reported agency mediated this effect. Furthermore, all participants felt most suitable if a male and a female stimulus person were portrayed

Factors Relating to Managerial Stereotypes: The Role of Gender of the Employee and the Manager and Management Gender Ratio

Several studies have shown that the traditional stereotype of a "good" manager being masculine and male still exists. The recent changes in the proportion of women and female managers in organizations could affect these two managerial stereotypes, leading to a stronger preference for feminine characteristics and female leaders. This study examines if the gender of an employee, the gender of the manager, and the management gender ratio in an organization are related to employees' managerial stereotypes. 3229 respondents working in various organizations completed an electronic questionnaire. The results confirm our hypotheses that, although the general stereotype of a manager is masculine and although most prefer a man as a manager, female employees, employees with a female manager, and employees working in an organization with a high percentage of female managers, have a stronger preference for feminine characteristics of managers and for female managers. Moreover, we find that proximal variables are much stronger predictors of these preferences than more distal variables. Our study suggests that managerial stereotypes could change as a result of personal experiences and changes in the organizational context. The results imply that increasing the proportion of female managers is an effective way to overcome managerial stereotyping. This study examines the influence on managerial stereotypes of various proximal and distal factors derived from theory among a large group of employees (in contrast to students)

Respectful leadership:Reducing performance challenges posed by leader role incongruence and gender dissimilarity

We investigate how respectful leadership can help overcome the challenges for follower performance that female leaders face when working (especially with male) followers. First, based on role congruity theory, we illustrate the biases faced by female leaders. Second, based on research on gender (dis-)similarity, we propose that these biases should be particularly pronounced when working with a male follower. Finally, we propose that respectful leadership is most conducive to performance in female leader–male follower dyads compared with all other gender configurations. A multi-source field study (N = 214) provides partial support for our hypothesis. While our hypothesized effect was confirmed, respectful leadership seems to be generally effective for female leaders irrespective of follower gender, thus lending greater support in this context to the arguments of role congruity rather than gender dissimilarity

A global experience‐sampling method study of well‐being during times of crisis: The CoCo project

We present a global experience-sampling method (ESM) study aimed at describing, predicting, and understanding individual differences in well-being during times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This international ESM study is a collaborative effort of over 60 interdisciplinary researchers from around the world in the “Coping with Corona” (CoCo) project. The study comprises trait-, state-, and daily-level data of 7490 participants from over 20 countries (total ESM measurements = 207,263; total daily measurements = 73,295) collected between October 2021 and August 2022. We provide a brief overview of the theoretical background and aims of the study, present the applied methods (including a description of the study design, data collection procedures, data cleaning, and final sample), and discuss exemplary research questions to which these data can be applied. We end by inviting collaborations on the CoCo dataset