Comparison Study of Leadership Competences between Female and Male Mexican Expatriates

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to compare female and male leadership competences in Mexican expatriates in the USA, using a qualitative approach. A case study was conducted through a narrative analysis of the information. The study also revised the factors that contributed to the leadership competences of expatriates. The responses of one female and one male Mexican expatriates were collected through open responses using an electronic questionnaire.

The research questions were:

Which are the leadership competences in Mexican expatriates?

Which are the main differences between woman and man leadership competences in Mexican expatriates?

The comparison was made using Pablo Cardona's model on competences. Since leadership competences are observable behaviors, a narrative analysis was conducted. There were found some key differences between male and female leadership competences. For example, Mexican man expatriates tend to focus on leadership, receptiveness and informal features; while woman focus on values, information and formal position. There were found common features for both, man and woman, such as work and personal life related to time management competence. As a future research, a quantitative analysis must been done in order to find more evidence of these findings.

Keywords: Leadership, expatriates, gender, competences