Marianne Nicol

Citation

Thesis Title
Her Worship the Mayor: Women's leadership in New Zealand local government

Read article at Massey Research Online:

This study looked at leadership in a different setting, by researching women mayors in New Zealand. The research aimed to discover how women mayors perceived exemplary mayoral leadership and how their views compared with leadership theory. The findings of the research were that research participants saw leadership as a process of working with the community to achieve mutually desired leadership goals. There were four areas considered by participants as requirements of exemplary mayoral leadership: being at the centre of webs of people rather than at the top of a hierarchy; having less concern for ego than for working towards change; being committed to making a difference in the community; and being prepared to sacrifice one’s own interests for the good of the community. These findings imply that being concerned to make a difference with, and through, others is at the core of leadership.

Supervisors
Professor Tony Vitalis
Professor Robyn Munford