Leader evaluation and team cohesiveness in the process of team development: A matter of gender?

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186045
• Publication Date: 2017-10-23T17:57:15Z
• Authors: Núria Rovira-Asenjo; Agnieszka Pietras...; Sabine Sczesny; Tània Gumí; Roger Guimerà; Marta Sales-Pardo
• Keywords: Group cohesiveness; Affect; Team leader; Psychological Safety

Leadership positions are still stereotyped as masculine, especially in male-dominated fields (e.g., engineering). So how do gender stereotypes affect the evaluation of leaders and team cohesiveness process development? In our study participants worked 45 small teams (4-5 members). Each was headed by either a female or male leader, so that (33% women) supervised 258 members (39% women). Over period nine months, developed specific engineering projects part their professional undergraduate training. We examined leaders' self-evaluation, members, at two points time (month three month nine, final collaboration). While we did not find any differences self-evaluation beginning, evaluated themselves more favorably than men end projects. Moreover, were beginning project, but differ Finally, found tendency for to build cohesive leaders.