| dc.description.abstract | The past century has seen a gradual gender shift in leadership positions in general, and educational leadership positions in particular. This has motivated questions such as whether women and men lead differently, and if so, whether one gender group tends to lead in more efficient ways than the other. This study examines the possible existence of gender-linked differences in the leadership styles and communication styles of middle leaders in a Norwegian upper secondary school. Four informants from the same upper secondary school were subjected to qualitative research interviews using a variation of the interview guide approach. While the results do not indicate that the women in the study, as a group, perform leadership and communication skills differently from the men in the study, distinct differences do appear at the individual level. Three informants, both women and one of the men, constitute a group with similar qualities. The remaining man shows a somewhat different profile compared to the others, although all four share a basically similar understanding of the leadership role and how to exercise it. Despite the fact that gender-linked differences were not clearly demonstrated amongst the informants in the study, the possible existence of such differences in the general population has not been unequivocally refuted either. One important implication of the present study is that when seeking to build competent leadership teams, it may be wise whenever possible to ensure that they are comprised of both women and men. Finally, further research on the subject of gender-related differences in leadership and communication skills might benefit from being conducted with reference to other theoretical frameworks than the ones chosen for the present study. | eng |