Personality, Gender, and Leadership Effectiveness: Gender-Sensitive Approaches for Leadership Assessments (LeadGenAC)

Personality traits play a central role in whether and how individuals are perceived in leadership roles, assume leadership responsibilities, and ultimately succeed in them. In particular, regarding how people are perceived in leadership positions (i.e., leadership emergence) and how effectively they perform these roles (i.e., leadership effectiveness), many traits have a double-edged effect. For example, narcissism can draw attention and increase the likelihood of leadership emergence, while excessive self-confidence and low empathy can undermine effectiveness in the long term.

Gender differences further complicate this picture. The same traits, such as narcissism, can be perceived and evaluated differently depending on gender. Men with high levels of extraversion or narcissistic traits are more often perceived as dominant and charismatic, whereas women with similar traits are more likely to be judged as unapproachable or inappropriate. This creates a tension for emerging leaders: traits that facilitate initial access to leadership roles may undermine long-term effectiveness, and vice versa. Thus, not only differences in the expression of personality traits are relevant, but also biases in their evaluation.

These gender-specific differences and biases present challenges for leadership assessment and development. On the one hand, it is important to understand how gender influences the expression of personality traits, leadership emergence, and behavior, and thereby affects leadership effectiveness. On the other hand, it raises the question of how valid measurement, free from gender-related biases, can be ensured in personnel diagnostics, such as in assessment centers.

The project aim is to systematically identify gender-related biases in the evaluation of leadership emergence and effectiveness and to develop practical tools, such as gender-aware rater training and compact decision aids (AC Pocket Guide).