I’ve discovered that I’m an abominable (or superlative –
depending on how you look at it!) skim reader. Imagine a speedboat riding along
the waves/pages so fast that you are barely touching the surface of the water/words.
This is a good thing, at present, although perhaps a habit I will later regret?
Anyway, I’ve read almost 3 novels (300 pages approx. each) in the last 4 days
(and that’s with work and weekend commitments!). I would estimate that I can
read a full novel of that size in probably less than four hours without disturbances.
Textbooks are bit trickier – although my tactic with them is to highlight and
post-it note until kingdom come! Meticulously going over them later and typing
up each underlined sentence.
The direction I’m taking with my thesis has changed somewhat
over the last week. Although I was hesitant at first to focus solely on women’s
leadership, especially since authentic leadership was/still is something I’m quite
passionate about and interested in, in terms of creating excellent discussion
material and contributing to feminist discourse within business and leadership studies, refining my focus seems like the best course of action. Furthermore,
finding good literature with strong female characters which also contained examples
of ‘authentic’ leadership moments was proving tricky!
This doesn’t mean that at least one of the stories I select
can’t be concerned with authentic leadership and how women enact it and
experience it (I’m thinking The Secret
Life of Bees!), but rather that I’ll have the freedom to utilise both a
wider range of literary texts and make the whole study more provocative, topical
and hopefully less ‘fluffy’/feel good – I don’t want to simply provide nicely
packaged ‘right’ answers. Thus, the focus will be more on women’s leadership development rather than authentic
leadership lessons.
With this in mind I’m in the process of re-defining my criteria
for the selection of texts. For example: “Novels, short stories, and plays that
raise contemporary leadership issues outside the bounds of traditional business
case studies and are particularly concerned with the experiences of women, not
only in relation to one another but also in relation to men. The narratives
must create tension, raising
pertinent questions and concerns about women’s leadership, and thus
facilitating discussion on a diverse range of issues such as expectations &
perceptions, female stereotypes, communal/relational leadership, feminism,
working mothers, post-heroic leadership, authenticity, etc…”
Since the semester started four weeks ago I think now is as
good a time as any to evaluate my progress. Obviously I’ve read a much broader
range of material (see end list) than I am presenting here, but for time’s sake
here are the possibilities so far (including an applicability rating, the
relevant ‘women in leadership’ themes & a few thoughts on how each text
could be used/discussion points):
1. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover
Applicability Rating:
6.5/10
Relevant Themes:
Power + status, crisis situations, followership
Key thoughts: Examples
of leadership in crisis, personal reflection, patriarchal domination, women's
struggles and position relative to men. Only concern is that the material is
much weightier than would be suited to a management course, and subjecting it
to corporate scrutiny would overpower its more subtle, yet equally powerful
elements (such as racial tensions).
2. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
Applicability rating:
6/10
Relevant Themes: Female ambition,
power relationships between women, unsettling role models
Key Thoughts: I
initially didn’t enjoy this novel and, to be honest, I still don’t think I like
it very much (Jean Brodie is just…ugh!!). But the story does say some very
interesting things about power and independence, expectations and perceptions,
and what happens to women who act outside the bounds of societal convention. So while
Miss Brodie is rather unlikable, her methods are unconventional (at least for
the time period she is situated in), and thus worthy of discussion; i.e. what
should young women be taught? How do female role models influence students?
What power dynamics exist between women?
3.
The Secret
Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Applicability Rating:
8/10
Relevant Themes:
Authentic leadership & engagement, racial issues & women
Key Thoughts: A
clear work environment (the honey business) where there is leadership and
followership between women. August Boatwright exemplifies authentic leadership
in its fullest sense, i.e. heart leadership, solid values, passionate
engagement, self-discipline. Since the story is told from perspective of Lily,
I could investigate how women respond to authentic leadership and female
support.
4. Sur by Ursula K. Le Guin
Applicability Rating:
8/10
Relevant Themes: Communal
leadership, post-heroic leadership, expectations
Key Thoughts: A
party of 9 women head to Antarctica in 1910 unbeknownst to almost any men, they
explore the freezing territory for over 3 months and work as a team to
accomplish their exploration, all of which goes completely unacknowledged as it
wouldn't be acceptable (or even believable!) for women to have done this alone.
It presents a range of examples of teamwork, leadership moving between group
members, authentic engagement, the unique problems they encounter as women and
the continual struggle to be accepted in a ‘man’s world’.
5. A Room of One’s Own by Virginia Woolf
Applicability Rating:
7/10
Relevant Themes: Conditions
for female leadership & examples of the social constructionism of gender.
Key Thoughts: This
is a pioneering feminist text. While it is a non-fiction piece, Woolf examines
in detail the struggles faced by women in a world dominated by
patriarchy, asking: “What does it require and mean for a woman to be successful?
Can she ever be equal with the ‘dominant’ sex? How can she come into her own
[as a writer and as a leader]?” Woolf uses a range of novels as examples to
illustrate her point so it could work as part of my study if I picked out
certain portions (mostly located in the latter half of the book) for analysis.
Virginia Woolf is not very well read these days so most women (apart from
literature buffs) are unlikely to have encountered her work in any great depth,
and if they have, more likely one of her novels, such as Mrs Dalloway of To the
Lighthouse.
6.
The
Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan
Applicability Rating:
9/10
Relevant Themes: Power
& status, crisis situations, styles of leadership, the role of followers
Key Thoughts: Set
in 1914 just as war is breaking out in Europe, a group of 39 men & women
find themselves on a lifeboat only meant for 30 fighting for their lives. Told
from the perspective of Grace (age 22) the novel explores the struggle for
survival and leadership between Mr Hardie and Hannah & Mrs Grant. Grace,
the protagonist, cleverly observes the leadership crisis and subsequent
struggle for power between the men and women stranded on a lifeboat. At times
both a supporter of Hardie and Mrs Grant, Grace sheds light on the human need
for control and the power held by 'followers' in saving or damning their
leaders. What is truly valuable about this novel is that it highlights the
struggles women face as leaders and how when they emulate masculine styles of
leadership and authority (making difficult life and death decisions) they are
punished. Regardless of the time-setting, The
Lifeboat is equally as applicable to today's society as 1914 America.
Definitely a winner!
7. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
Applicability Rating:
7.5/10
Relevant Themes: Maternal
leadership, working mothers, female support networks, decision-making
Key Thoughts: This
book is a rich portrayal of womanhood and contains a huge array of
well-developed female characters. While the focus is on motherhood and the
bonds between women rather than leadership per say, The Red Tent's universal themes and linear narrative lends itself
to discussion on the 'power of women' and the importance of female
relationships and support. How do women interact with one another when there
are clear power boundaries? How does age influence leadership dynamics between women? Dinah's
grandmother, Rebekah, is an example of a strong, perhaps almost masculine
leader (see pages 147 - 166) who makes hard decisions which are often
criticised. Yet at the same time she is also deeply perceptive and caring of
those around her. Rebekah’s section may raise some good discussion points.
Other books I’ve read
but have given low applicability ratings:
·
The Group
by Mary McCarthy
·
Outline
by Rachel Cusk
·
The Left
Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
·
The
Aviator’s Wife
·
Olive
Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
As far as textbooks go, I’ve read a couple of anthologies
for women’s plays and modern literature, along with a complete psychology
textbook by Mary Crawford called Transformations:
Women, Gender & Psychology (2012) to give me a reference point and
basic understanding of current women’s issues and the nature vs. nurture
argument. I’m currently reading three other scholarly texts, including Women’s Leadership (2009) by Valerie
Stead and Carole Elliot, The Future of
Feminism (2011) by Sylvia Walby, and Through
the Labyrinth: The Truth about How Women Become Leaders (2007) by Alice H.
Eagly and Linda L. Carli. I hope to finish these by the end of this week, along
with at least two more novels.
All in all, I feel this is quite a good effort for just four
weeks of study! I’m going to give myself three more weeks of reading before I
start writing seriously. This should give me time to read at least 7 more novels/plays
and finish investigating women’s leadership from an academic standpoint.
From there the road will take an upward slant and I will
start on the path leading to the summit (yay for mountain analogies!).
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