ABSTRACTLEADING WHILE FOLLOWING: MID-LEVEL WOMEN ADMINISTRATORS IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGEByJodie M. BeckleyPrevious research indicates that mid-level women administrators are under-valued as leaders and followers despite their capacity and influential connectivity up, down, and across the organizational chart. Few studies have provided insight into the leading and following experiences of mid-level women administrators in the community college. The purpose of this qualitative research study was to explore what meaning mid-level women administrators ascribe to the experience of being both a leader and a follower within the community college sector. Participants discussed their experiences through in-depth, semi-structured interviews and described the perceived effects of those experiences on their leadership and followership practices.The study employed criterion sampling to recruit ten participants in the Midwestern United States who held mid-level administrative positions of director, assistant/associate dean, or dean in community colleges. It was guided by an integrated conceptual framework of leadership identity construction, feminist standpoint theory and gendered organizational theory. Data analysis revealed findings related to leading and following interactions, influences of cognitive development on leading and following, and navigating an adverse work environment. Implications from the findings suggest that community college practitioners and leaders will benefit from enhanced leadership professional development, interrogation of implicit gender bias embedded with the institution, and the reduction and removal of race-based microaggressions among faculty, staff, and administrators.
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