The Humility Double Bind in Women Leadership: What is the Role of HRD Scholars and Practitioners

Abstract: Leadership has often been associated with qualities like assertiveness, agency, competitiveness, and self-confidence, which is historically aligned with the ideal male leader (Acker, 2006; Bierema, 2016, 2017). These traits of exemplary male leaders have become a blueprint for good leadership. As women increasingly take on leadership roles, their leadership style is often perceived as incongruent with the prevailing and traditionally dominant leadership traits, resulting in a leadership paradox (Richard et al., 2023; Diehl et al., 2020). Humility is one of the traits that hinder women leadership creating a double bind. Owens et al. (2013) defines leadership humility as an interpersonal quality that enables leaders to admit their limitations, be open to new ideas, and recognize the merits of others. Often, male leaders who exhibit humility receive appreciation and a surge in followership. Humility, a feminine trait, comes to women leaders naturally; however, women leaders often lose followership and, in some cases, experience backlash when exhibiting humility. Recent research has shown that humility is a key component of effective leadership. However, the perception of humility is influenced by the leader's gender. For example, male supervisors tend to rate humble female leaders lower regarding leadership competence and promotability (Chiu et al., 2020). Similarly, another study revealed that women pay a penalty for not displaying humility and for inflating their ideas and opinions compared to men (Priebe & Van Tongeren, 2023). As a result, women leaders face navigating the expectations and perceptions of humility in leadership roles, which impedes women from practicing authentic leadership and puts them in a humility double bind.
While there has been increasing attention to leadership humility in organizations in recent years, women leaders’ humility double bind needs deeper exploration. Previous research explored the moderating effect of a leader's gender on leadership humility, demonstrating a significant impact on leadership perception and followers' outcomes (Wang et al., 2021). However, this body of literature needs to be critically reviewed to fully grasp and address the challenges faced by female leaders in relation to humility.
In addition to this research gap, the concept of humility double bind needs to be explored in HRD research and practice. While this issue significantly affects women leader’s evaluation performance, career development to leadership roles, and leadership development, HRD has not yet addressed it in research and practice. Therefore, using an integrative literature review, we will explore the challenges caused by humility double bind in women leadership. We answer this question: How does leadership humility manifest in women leadership?
Research purpose
Using an integrative literature review, we explore the relationship between humility double bind and women's leadership through the theory of role incongruity. Role incongruity is a “mismatch between beliefs about the attributes typically possessed by members of a social group (that is, their stereotype) and beliefs about the attributes that facilitate success in valued social roles” (Eagly & Diekman, 2008, p. 19). Society's assumptions about gender roles shape leadership perceptions, favoring masculine traits over feminine traits. Women often face challenges of these gender expectations in leadership, and deviating from traditional feminine norms can trigger negative reactions due to the perceived role incongruity. The role incongruency theory will help further explore existing gender stereotypes and their influence on the perception of humility among women leaders.
Methodology
Using the role incongruity theory, we will conduct an integrative literature review by integrating literature on leadership humility and women's leadership. We chose an integrative literature review because the topic of leadership humility among female leaders has yet to be explored in HRD and related disciplines. While no literature review exists reviewing humility in women's leadership, only a few empirical articles examined and explored the relationship between gender and leadership humility (Wang et al., 2021; Owens & Hekman, 2012). In our search, we will identify relevant articles from a list of databases including web of science, Eric, and academic search complete. With a focus on the link between leadership humility and women leadership, we will use the keyword combination of (leadership OR leader OR lead*) AND (gender OR female OR women) and (humility OR humble).
Implications to HRD
This study emphasizes the importance to question and reassess gender stereotypes and conventional leadership norms. We posit that HRD plays a pivotal role in addressing the challenge of the humility double bind and fostering an inclusive setting for feminine traits in leadership roles. Through this study, we will offer insights that can inform leadership development programs and encourage them to consider the nuanced impact of the humility double bind on women's leadership experiences.