Third possibility leaders: the invisible edge women have in complex organizations

Complexity science may be described as a feminine science because it demands holistic thinking, something that women are generally better at than men. A total of 50 women leaders in the USA, Canada, Australia, and the UK were interviewed, women who displayed what is called “third possibility leadership”, that is they were able to hold masculine and feminine values and behaviors in dynamic balance. Finds that they displayed characteristics in common: they were “paradoxical”, they gathered people together, they were “wholistic” thinkers, and they displayed well‐developed “relational intelligence”. Although they were effective leaders, their style of leadership was often invisible, and even demeaned, for socio‐cultural reasons.