Role of Women in Nation Development (Book of Conference Proceedings of NIT Jamshedpur 2020) ISBN- 978-81-948050-4-5

Authors: Dr. Shwati Sudha, Ankita Singh 

Abstract: Introduction: Leadership generates an environment in which people convert challenging opportunities into a remarkable success. The acknowledgment of an individual’s armoire of accomplishments is imputed to the leader’s qualities. The leader’s tools are hardly mentioned in the context. But, a good leader always takes more shares of the fault and fewer shares of the appreciation. As an individual rises in the hierarchy of the organization they take on numerous leadership roles which ultimately provide the authority to make critical decisions. Historically, gender precluded most women from taking the position of a leader in any organization. But, their determination to adjust to the male-dominated culture provided an exigent curve to this thought. This encouraged a transformed perspective to eliminate the invisible and impenetrable barriers associated with women's progress in the organization. Women leaders everywhere in the world today are on the lead, even in the worst situation of the COVID-19 crisis. The reason behind is the opportunities women seek in every difficulty in contrast to the difficulty in every opportunity. To maintain the organizational environment and to keep the morale of the manpower high is the key motto of women leaders during the crisis. This provokes an understanding of the extraordinary contribution of women as leaders in the organization.

Objectives: The research in the domain of leadership proliferated in the last few decades. But, the different styles in which women and men deal with leadership continue to encounter numerous unanswered questions. The study focuses on the qualities of women as Situational Leaders in the organization during the crisis. This highlights the following objectives of the study:

1. 1.       To identify women’s strategy to handle the coronavirus crisis in the organization.
2. 2.       To demonstrate key leadership behavior required in the organization during the crisis.
3. 3.       To specify the dominant leadership behavior and style women exhibit during the crisis.

Research Methodology: The exploratory study is based on the collection of qualitative secondary data. This involves the technique of systematic review to sieve the data according to the objectives of the study.

Conclusion: The study specifies the different concerns of women considered by them to implement the strategies during the crisis. This involves their concern towards risk, safety, and overall view of the crisis. The study also identifies different leadership behaviours necessary in the organization during the crisis. Among the different leadership behaviours, women often choose the development of people, optional rewards, and role models as the key leadership behaviour during the crisis. Hence, women exhibit a collaborative and democratic style of leadership in the organization. This is treated as the qualities of women for the position of Situational Leaders in the organization.

Keywords: Women, Leader, Situational Leader, Leadership Strategy, Behaviour, Leadership style, COVID-19 crisis