Abstract:
The twentieth century brought the beginning of scientific reflection on management processes, which translated into interest in the traits of managers and the emergence of the so-called trait theory. However, early work has shown that individuals do not become leaders solely because they possess certain character traits. The role of situational factors was also recognized. Mere possession of a specific set of necessary qualities does not in itself guarantee that a given person will become a leader. Trait theory also tried to analyze whether the gender of the leader matters when it comes to the set of considered traits.
The analysis of individual characteristics possessed by leaders rather poorly explains the organizational reality and possible successes of leaders. However, it seems that leaders are different from other people, and research provides important insights on this. One conclusion may be that it is rather a conglomeration of traits that interact and reinforce each other. One of such key manifestations of a manager's traits is his/her management style. The discussion of manager traits has evolved towards the topic of management styles, which in some sense unify or synthesize the thread of traits into larger recognizable complexes of behavior, which have been called management styles.
The study presented in the article partly concerns the management styles demonstrated by the female leaders of social enterprises operating in central Poland. Attention was paid to the factors of success, obstacles standing on the way to the development of the organization, the characteristics of female leaders, management styles and their self-esteem. A qualitative study using the individual in-depth interview technique was conducted among 12 female leaders of social economy entities. The qualitative study was supplemented with elements of quantitative analysis, allowing for comparisons between the surveyed women. The result of these preliminary studies presents a certain existing picture, which may be an inspiration for further research.
