An Examination of the Leadership Roles of Senior Generation Women in Family Firms: How Does Servant Leadership Apply?

Abstract

Women in family firms possess multi-faceted leadership roles. This study focused on senior generation women who provide extensive leadership expertise, which has been historically under-appreciated. We employed a qualitative case study approach involving 14 U.S. family firms with senior generation women in leadership positions. Utilizing servant leadership as a theoretical guide, our findings support four leadership roles for women in family firms: Next Generation Managers, Top Management Team (TMT) Executives, Matriarchs, and Dominant CEOs. Senior women commonly filled the roles of Matriarchs and Dominant CEOs. Both roles were highly associated with servant leadership characteristics with Matriarchs being very highly associated.