Leading Beyond Leadership Stereotypes: Adaptive and Inclusive Leadership Among Women Leaders in Malaysian Research Universities

Abstract

Despite the increasing participation of women in the academic workforce, they remain underrepresented in senior leadership positions within higher education. Existing research has largely focused on gender inequality, barriers to career advancement, and women's representation in leadership, while comparatively little attention has been given to how women leaders are perceived by their subordinates. This study explores how academic and administrative personnel perceive the leadership practices of women leaders in Malaysian research universities and examines how these practices contribute to organisational effectiveness. Guided by Leadership Styles Theory and the Capability Approach, the study adopted an interpretive qualitative design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 academic and administrative personnel who had direct experience working under women leaders in senior academic and administrative positions. The interview data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis supported by NVivo software. The findings revealed that women leaders adopted multiple leadership styles rather than relying on a single dominant approach. Transformational and democratic leadership emerged as the most prominent styles, characterised by mentoring, collaboration, empowerment, participation, and open communication. Transactional, autocratic-directive, and laissez-faire leadership behaviours were employed selectively in response to organisational accountability, crisis management, and professional autonomy. Overall, the findings demonstrate that women leaders practise adaptive and inclusive leadership by balancing relational and strategic leadership behaviours to foster employee development, trust, engagement, and organisational commitment. The study extends current understanding of women's leadership by showing that leadership effectiveness is context-dependent rather than inherently gendered and by highlighting the importance of subordinate perspectives in explaining adaptive leadership within Malaysian research universities.