Gender differences in leaders’ crisis communication: a sentiment-based analysis of German higher education leaderships’ online posts

Autor(en)
Angelos Angelakis, Petra Inwinkl, Adele Berndt, Selcen Öztürkcan, Anna Zelenajova, Veronika Rozkopal
Abstrakt

This study examined the communication styles of rectors and vice-rectors of German public universities during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore the influence of gender on leadership communication. We collected data from social media and university websites; and analysed the language used to identify transformational, transactional, and servant leadership styles. Our results showed that female leaders demonstrated more positive communication than men and a stronger preference for transformational leadership, while male leaders tended to use a transactional style. Additionally, we found that both male and female leaders exhibited a high degree of empathetic concern for their stakeholders, contributing to the overall positive tone of communication. These findings suggest that gender may play a role in how university leaders communicate during times of crisis, highlighting the importance of inclusive and compassionate leadership in higher education.

Organisation(en)
Institut für Rechnungswesen, Innovation und Strategie
Externe Organisation(en)
Jönköping University, University of Pretoria, Linnaeus University, Sabanci University
Journal
Studies in Higher Education
Band
49
Seiten
609-622
Anzahl der Seiten
14
ISSN
0307-5079
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2023.2246505
Publikationsdatum
08-2023
Peer-reviewed
Ja
ÖFOS 2012
502052 Betriebswirtschaftslehre
Schlagwörter
ASJC Scopus Sachgebiete
Education
Link zum Portal
https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/eeaf688f-bcad-46e4-9456-e0b618e97a78