| Abstract: | In a study of the possible impact of leader and follower sex-similarity on leadership criteria, survey responses of 1,974 military cadets in 167 squads were analyzed at the completion of a month-long field training exercise. Analyses (which included a series of hierarchical linear models that explicitly accounted for the nested character of squad membership relative to a leader) yielded results that indicated that same-sex leader–subordinate pairings had more positive working relationships than different-sex pairings. However, leader ratings of subordinate performance did not yield clear evidence of such an effect. In addition, increases in the proportion of female members in a squad were not associated with differences in squad-level cohesion, while being associated with decreases in squad-level leader–member exchange (LMX). Subordinate reports of participation in decision making, although correlated positively with LMX, were not significantly different as a function of leader–subordinate sex-similarity. Implications are derived for managing demographic diversity in order to enhance within-unit functioning. |
