The Experience of Successful Leaders: An IPA Study on Senior Female Clinical Psychologists

Introduction: Although women are accessing senior leadership positions, female senior leaders still remain a minority in the public and private sectors. This has meant that much of the leadership literature has been developed from research using predominantly male samples, limiting the generalisability of the findings to female senior leaders. Therefore, the focus of this study was to offer an alternative narrative to the current leadership literature by exploring the successful leadership experiences of senior female leaders in the context of the NHS.

Method: A sample of seven female senior clinical psychologists (NHS agenda for change pay band 8C+) were interviewed using a semi structured interview. The data from the interview was transcribed and the transcripts were then analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Initially, individual analyses were conducted for each participant and then a group analysis was conducted.

Results: Five superordinate themes and fifteen subordinate themes were developed to describe the participants’ successful leadership strategies. Participants described relationships as being central to their success as leaders. The superordinate themes ‘The Nurturer’ and ‘The Diplomat’ described how they went about forming relationships. If this relationship began to rupture, participants described implementing strategies from the ‘The Repairer’. However, if participants perceived an unjust decision or act to have occurred they then described utilising the strategies of ‘The Activist’ and ‘The Warrior’. Participants also described combining and integrating these different leadership strategies which highlighted the complexity of successful leadership.

Discussion: The findings are discussed in relation to psychological theory. The method of the study was evaluated and areas for future research are recommended. Finally, the clinical implications for a range of stakeholders are discussed.