Dr. AC (Astrid) Homan
Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Program group: Work and Organizational Psychology

Non-Prototypical Leadership: The Case of Younger Leaders (and Other Underrepresented Groups) 

Diversity management includes increasing diversity at work, managing existing diversity at work, and retaining diversity at work. With regards to retaining a diverse work-force, opportunities for leadership and career progress are crucial. However, previous research paints a rather pessimistic picture with regards to the leadership opportunities and effectiveness of so-called non-prototypical leaders. More specifically, in the increasingly diverse workforce, an increasing number of individuals are likely to not match the prototypical "male, white, and older" image of a leader. This mismatch not only creates obstacles for non-prototypical individuals to rise to certain leadership positions, but also potentially limits their effectiveness once they have obtained such higher hierarchical positions. Within my talk, I will discuss my research on non-prototypical leadership, with a strong focus on the potential pitfalls for younger leaders. I will focus on the origin of a bias against younger individuals as leaders, how these biases might result in negative consequences for younger leaders, how the context can stimulate leadership selection of and motivation in non-prototypical individuals, and how the challenges non-prototypical leaders encounter can be mitigated by their leadership behaviors.

If you are interested in attending, please request the seminar Teams link by emailing sxh147330@utdallas.edu.