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Race, Gender, and Leadership

Re-envisioning Organizational Leadership From the Perspectives of African American Women Executives

• By Patricia S. Parker

• Price: $26.95
• Binding: Paperback (also available in Hardback)
• Published by: Psychology Press
• Publication Date: 23rd March 2006
• ISBN: 978-0-8058-6080-1

About the Book

Much has been written about a model of leadership that emphasizes women's values and experiences, that is in some ways distinct from male models of leadership. This book redirects the focus to a view of leadership as a multicultural phenomenon that moves beyond dualistic notions of "masculine" and "feminine" leadership, and focuses more specifically on leadership as the management of meaning, including the meanings of the notion of "organizational leader."


This volume focuses on leadership "traditions" revealed in the history of Black women in America and exemplified in the leadership approaches of 15 African American women executives who came of age during the civil rights and feminist movements of the 1960's and 1970's and climbed to the top of major U.S. organizations. It advances a vision of organizational leadership that challenges traditional masculine and feminine notions of leadership development and practice, providing insights on organizational leadership in the era of post-industrialization and globalization. Additionally, by placing African American women at the center of analysis, this book provides insights into the ways in which race and gender structure key leadership processes in today's diverse and changing workplace. It is a must-read for scholars and researchers in organizational communication, management, leadership, African American studies, and related areas.

Table of Contents

Contents: Preface. Introduction: Re-Envisioning Leadership in the Postindustrial Era. Part I: The Need for Race- and Gender-Inclusive Visions of Leadership in the Postindustrial Era. Visions of Leadership in Traditional (White Masculine) and (White) Feminine Leadership Approaches: A Review and Critique. A Meaning-Centered Approach to Leadership in the Postindustrial Era: A Critical Feminist Perspective. Part II: African American Women: An Untapped Source of Leadership Knowledge. The Seeds of a Tradition of Leadership: Resisting Discourses of "Black Women as Fallen Womanhood/Black Women as 'Natural' Laborers" During U.S.-Institutionalized Slavery. Forging a Tradition of Leadership: Resisting Discourses of "Black Women as Marginal Workers" From Legal Emancipation Through the Civil Rights Movement. Part III: African American Women Executives and 21st-Century Organizational Leadership: Deconstructing "Masculine" and "Feminine" Leadership, Embracing Duality in Leadership Practice. Re-Envisioning Instrumentality as Collaboration. Embracing Duality in Leadership Practice: Re-Envisioning Control as Empowerment and Community Building. Organizational Leadership Communication in the 21st Century: Toward Inclusive Leadership Theory, Research, and Practice. Appendix A: Interview Protocols.