Relational Leadership and Technology: A Study of Activist College Women Leaders
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J. Patrick Biddix
This qualitative study examines women's experiences using infor- Q1 mation and communication technologies (ICTs) such as computers, cell phones, text messaging, and social networks as leaders in campus activist organizations. Institutional ethnography (IE), a framework and research approach drawn from feminist sociology, was applied to consider aspects of the campus environment that influence women's work. Interviews and text investigation informed a collective map of how campus activist work is accomplished. The results indicate that women leaders struggled to balance the efficiency promised by technology to facilitate work and the necessity for face-to-face connections to build engagement. The IE perspective revealed campus practices, including an overinvolvement emphasis and policies restricting the use of space, which can hinder initial student involvement. However, women's relational leadership behaviors and use of ICT, emphasizing personal connection and inclusivity (Komives et al., 2006), may best position them for future citizen-leadership roles.
©2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin/Boston
Articles in the same Issue
- Editor's Note
- Editor's Note
- Article
- Female College Students Working in the Sex Industry: A Hidden Population
- Relational Leadership and Technology: A Study of Activist College Women Leaders
- How Should Colleges and Universities Respond to Peer Sexual Violence on Campus? What the Current Legal Environment Tells Us
- Catholic Women's College Students' Constructions of Identity: Influence of Faculty and Staff on Students' Personal and Professional Self-Understanding
- "I, too, am America" The Founding of Bennett College for Women
- Advancing Women Faculty to Senior Leadership in U.S. Academic Health Centers: Fifteen Years of History in the Making
- Bridging the Gap: 16 Years of Academic Leadership Development for Women
- Tenure Clock Extension Policies: Who Uses Them and to What Effect?
- The Power of Living the Writerly Life: A Group Model for Women Writers
- Women Faculty Post-50 Years of Age in Tenure Earning Positions: Opportunities and Challenges
- Program Description
- Women Who Lead: Utilizing a Strong Collaboration between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs to Facilitate the Professional Development of Our Students
- Have Baby Will Graduate: The Ohio State University ACCESS Collaborative Program for Young Single Parent Women
- Women's Leadership Development Program
- Book Review
- Review of The Gender Gap in College
- Review of On Becoming a Woman Leader: Learning from the Experiences of University Presidents
Articles in the same Issue
- Editor's Note
- Editor's Note
- Article
- Female College Students Working in the Sex Industry: A Hidden Population
- Relational Leadership and Technology: A Study of Activist College Women Leaders
- How Should Colleges and Universities Respond to Peer Sexual Violence on Campus? What the Current Legal Environment Tells Us
- Catholic Women's College Students' Constructions of Identity: Influence of Faculty and Staff on Students' Personal and Professional Self-Understanding
- "I, too, am America" The Founding of Bennett College for Women
- Advancing Women Faculty to Senior Leadership in U.S. Academic Health Centers: Fifteen Years of History in the Making
- Bridging the Gap: 16 Years of Academic Leadership Development for Women
- Tenure Clock Extension Policies: Who Uses Them and to What Effect?
- The Power of Living the Writerly Life: A Group Model for Women Writers
- Women Faculty Post-50 Years of Age in Tenure Earning Positions: Opportunities and Challenges
- Program Description
- Women Who Lead: Utilizing a Strong Collaboration between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs to Facilitate the Professional Development of Our Students
- Have Baby Will Graduate: The Ohio State University ACCESS Collaborative Program for Young Single Parent Women
- Women's Leadership Development Program
- Book Review
- Review of The Gender Gap in College
- Review of On Becoming a Woman Leader: Learning from the Experiences of University Presidents
