Flattening the learning curve of leadership development: reflections of five women higher education leaders during the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020

Abstract

For an adult, non-traditional student focused college, the pandemic brought into stark reality the challenges that the dislocation brought 'home,' literally, for many people. This article presents a set of reflections of five women leaders at a public institution of higher education. Through their reflections, they discuss their responses to the challenges faced by faculty, staff and students during the pandemic. Issues of gender, race, class, precarious work, technological access, and related challenges are raised to the surface. We offer three implications for HRD and leadership development research and practice.

New Kids on the Block? A Bibliometric Analysis of Emerging COVID-19—Trends in Leadership Research

“…This makes gender equality in leadership positions all the more pressing to ensure adequate representation when decisions are made that affect women. Several contributions within this cluster also hail the notable positive effects of female leadership during the pandemic (Gedro et al, 2020;Sergent & Stajkovic, 2020) or advance more hybrid, androgynous approaches to leadership (Blake-Beard et al, 2020).…”

Virtual HRD’s Role in Crisis and the Post Covid-19 Professional Lifeworld: Accelerating Skills for Digital Transformation

“…Globally, in efforts to promote the safety of students and educational employees during Covid-19, many colleges and universities rapidly moved all courses online and “implemented remote work for the majority of employees, and shuttered countless public spaces and programs” (Wigginton et al, 2020, p. 1190). Institutions recognized that timely adaptations for remote learning and work were essential to their viability and continued student learning (Gedro et al, 2020). However, a May 2020 survey of 1,008 undergraduate students in the U.S. revealed that the shift from face-to-face to fully online courses due to Covid-19 left them struggling to learn and stay motivated due to lack of instructor feedback and collaboration with fellow students; many had difficulties with the technology and indicated they were least satisfied with courses with few online learning strategies (Digital Promise, 2020).…”

Female leadership in organisational communication perspective: A systematic literature review

“…Indeed, many still relate leadership abilities with the inherent biological as an individual based on gender differences. Because of that, gender inequality often arises and places women in unfavourable conditions (Gedro, Allain, De-Souza, Dodson, & Mawn, 2020;Placea & Vardeman-Winter, 2017;Lensufiie, 2010). This is because women as leaders tend to be oriented towards rational relationships to maximise the organisation's human resources (Clohisy, Yaszemski, & Lipman, 2017;Lensufiie, 2010).…”

“…First, ignoring the differences between men and women tends to equate between the two (Rincón, González, & Barrero, 2017;Voicilă, Ghinea, & Filculescu, 2018). Second, the difference between women and men is that women have a more democratic leadership style, while men are more towards a directive leadership style (Gedro, Allain, De-Souza, Dodson, & Mawn, 2020;Rincón, González, & Barrero, 2017;Vinnicombe, Burke, Blake-Beard, & Moore, 2013;Robbins, 1998).…”

“…In addition, other existing literature reviewed in this research have finally started to investigate female leadership through various disciplines (Aydin, 2015;Baxter, 2012;Cohen, 2019;Gedro, Allain, De-Souza, Dodson, & Mawn, 2020;Guillet, Pavesi, Hsu, & Weber, 2019;Vinnicombe, Burke, Blake-Beard, & Moore, 2013;Voicilă, Ghinea, & Filculescu, 2018). Finally, most of the studies were case studies (Baxter, 2012;Brown;Carnes et al, 2015;Gedro, Allain, De-Souza, Dodson, & Mawn, 2020;Guillet, Dolly & Nonyelum, 2018;Kim & Rhee;2011;Pavesi, Hsu, & Weber, 2019;Voicilă, Ghinea, & Filculescu, 2018) and quantitative study (Algren & Eichhorn, 2007;Carnes et al, 2015;Guillet, Pavesi, Hsu, & Weber, 2019;Al Khajeh, 2018;Lee & Chon, 2020;Rincón, González, & Barrero, 2017;Solomon & Steyn, 2017;Voicilă, Ghinea, & Filculescu, 2018).…”