The Lived Experience of Caribbean Women and Their Experiences as Senior-Level Leaders| A Phenomenological Study

• Main Author: Francis, Toshi M.
• Language: EN
• Published: Capella University 2017
• Subjects: Caribbean studies|Social psychology|Occupational psychology
• Online Access: http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=10271908

<p> Leadership inequity and gender inequality continue to be a concern in society. While women move forward to achieve greater gender equality, a particular group of women, African Americans and Caribbeans, continue to experience significant challenges in the areas of leadership and gender equality in an organizational setting. For this dissertation research, the focus is on Caribbean women. The purpose of the study is to examine the lived experiences of Caribbean women in senior-level leadership positions. This researcher used Husserl&rsquo;s transcendental phenomenology approach to gain an understanding of each woman&rsquo;s individual experience as a Caribbean woman in her leadership position. The participants in the study were 10 Caribbean women in senior level leadership positions. The data were gathered using a conversational format and open-ended questions to help participants express their feelings on a deeper level. To analyze the data, a line-by-line approach was implemented to determine themes within the collected data. The results were that some of the Caribbean women faced challenges when making attempts to climb the leadership ladder. Those who faced challenges blamed the challenges they faced on the lack of support from family members, management, and their inability to find mentoring and networking services. They became frustrated with these challenges. Leadership theories&mdash;charismatic leadership theory, transformational leadership theory, transactional leadership theory and social identity theory&mdash;were used to guide the data analysis and findings of the study. Each participant reflected on an aspect of leadership and its application to themselves. The participants gained insight into how their social identities may have had an impact on their understanding of themselves in their leadership positions. </p>