The transition of women to leadership in post-secondary institutions in Canada: An examination of the literature and the lived DIM experiences of two female leaders

Abstract

Authentic leadership is conceptualized as leadership that ‘makes things happen’ including but not limited to changes in vision, culture, and infrastructure. In this chapter, the authors explore how two women in mid-to-later career transition from practice to authentic leadership in post-secondary institutions in Canada. The chapter includes consideration of traditional and more contemporary understandings of leadership and how these ideas play out in universities and Colleges; differences between men and women regarding leadership and what they mean in the post-secondary sector; women’s experiences carrying out authentic leadership in academic settings including experiences of dissonance, incivility, and microaggression (DIM). DIM will be discussed as incongruence with personal expectations; expectations involving faculty and staff; expectations held by supervisors; environmental factors; and attitudes and behaviors that convey hostility or jealousy toward the female leader.