Date of Award
2025
Degree Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Psychology, PhD
Program
School of Social Science, Politics, and Evaluation
Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair
Rebecca J. Reichard
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Michelle C. Bligh
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Cindi Gilliland
Dissertation or Thesis Committee Member
Crystal Hoyt
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2025 Emily L Chan
Keywords
Leader identity, Gender bias, Leader development, Stereotype threat, Leader purpose
Subject Categories
Organizational Behavior and Theory
Abstract
Leader identity is a proximal outcome of individual leader development processes, particularly important for women leaders who may face systematic denials of their leadership. Understanding the mechanisms that bolster and hinder leader identity is crucial for emerging women leaders. In two simulation experiments, I proposed and tested strategies for mitigating the negative impact of leadership denials and stereotype threat on an individual’s leader identity. In the first experiment, I hypothesized that perceptions of granted leadership claims through written bias interrupter statements (i.e., “women are encouraged to apply”) buffered the negative relationship between leadership denials (ads without the statement “women are encouraged to apply”) and leader identity. A total of 212 women participants completed a gender bias questionnaire, how participants perceived subtle gender bias at their workplace (i.e., male privilege, disproportionate constraints) and then were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions: a written bias interrupter flyer, or a non-bias interrupter flyer, and then asked to complete a leader identity questionnaire. Independent t-tests and multiple regressions revealed no significant effects of bias interrupters on leader identity. Gender bias was also found not to have any negative relationship with leader identity. However, bias interrupters cannot be concluded to be ineffective as constructs relating leader identity and bias were not measured. In a second study using a 2 x 2 experimental design, 202 women participants were randomly assigned to view an executive leadership team flyer featuring stereotype threat or no stereotype threat, randomly assigned to write about their leader purpose or assigned a control writing exercise, and then completed a leader purpose and leader identity questionnaire. ANCOVAs and multiple regression were used to examine whether the leader's purpose buffered the harmful impact that stereotype threat had on the leader's identity and whether writing task affected the leader's identity. Findings suggested that leader identity was higher when women wrote about their leader purpose, particularly when exposed to the non-stereotyped threat leadership team flyers. Women also indicated significantly being more likely to apply for a leadership position for the company flyer when shown the non-stereotyped threat executive leadership team (all women) compared to the stereotyped threat team (all men). Although some expected relationships between bias interrupters, gender bias, and leader identity were not supported, findings from the second study suggested that interventions such as intentionally reflecting on leader purpose could foster a stronger sense of leadership identity for women. Furthermore, the study highlighted the significance of leadership claiming exercises that are politically appropriate, particularly in environments influenced by current political resistance to diversity initiative frameworks. The null findings regarding written bias interrupters emphasize the need for further research and organizations to refine interventions and better understand the contextual factors that shape women’s leadership identity development.
ISBN
9798291551646
Recommended Citation
Chan, Emily L.. (2025). Women’s Leader Development: Examining the Impact of Leadership Grants, Bias Interrupters, Stereotype Threat, and Purpose on Leader Identity. CGU Theses & Dissertations, 1017. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgu_etd/1017.
