Shattering the glass ceiling : A study on the preferred leadership style of Saudi women entrepreneurs

Abstract

The principal objective of this research is to study the different leadership styles being practiced by Saudi women entrepreneurs, as well as to study the effectiveness of these leadership styles. The leadership style of Saudi women is investigated in this study because Saudi women’s role is distinctively separated from men in the male-dominated culture of Saudi Arabia and they are considered less competent and assertive than men. Primary data was collected through a structured questionnaire which consists of questions designed to collect data about the leadership style being practiced by the Saudi women entrepreneurs. The participants for the survey were identified through several organizations such as Monsha’at, MISK Foundation and Wa’ed (Aramco's entrepreneurship centre). For the survey, we focused only on female-owned small businesses that are operating for minimum two years in their respective business area as our target respondents. The sampling technique in this study was a judgemental sampling. Data was collected from 210 women entrepreneurs in Saudi Arabia. The survey data was analyzed using SPSS 21.0. The result shows that authoritarian leadership style is highly practiced by women entrepreneurs followed by democratic leadership style in Hail and Riyadh region. The unique contribution of this study is that it gives an insight on how the leadership style in Saudi firms is impacted by gender disparities in work values. The findings of this study can help educators and government to identify the weaknesses and develop training programs to develop the necessary leadership skills in Saudi women. Based on the findings, the government can develop programs for women small business owners which can develop their identity and characteristic adaptations in addition to skills.