Matriarchal Leadership Theory

Artifacts, Summary, and Conclusion

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Matriarchal Leadership Theory

Summary and Conclusion

Results

I am truly proud of the intellectual labors I have engaged in through creating this leadership theory, as it represents a complex relationship between the human experience and scientific theory, a partnership that is still working out its kinks in leadership practices across the globe. What I do know, as a result of this work, is that this ‘body of work’ is just the beginning stage for this theory; there will be more to include, edit, adapt, and advance as I continue to develop it, and as it is utilized and applied in unique and interesting ways, hopefully, for the betterment of women - and therefore, for society as a whole.

Examination of the application of the theoretical grounding

 This theory about how communication constitutes and brings form and shape to an organization was the perfect foundation for the concept of matriarchal leadership. The work of dismantling internalized patriarchy and rebuilding sensemaking for a self-leadership that empowers women to align their minds, body, and spirit - independent of patriarchal norms, systems, or cultures - was almost made for this theoretical foundation. Applying the framework to the theory, as it sits as a ‘flow’ system, however, remains a struggle, as the flow is also a continuum, so knowing where to stop in designing this theory, for this initial project, was/is difficult. What I love most about using it, is the fact that this theory is a flow, it is not fixed; it requires reflection, it demands continuity, and a relatable process for women and mothers - first responders to human development. By embracing more fluid theory-building, more fluid sensemaking, and more fluid leadership styles, human development might find a leadership flow that carries more inclusionary methods to aid organizational advancement. 

Ethical impact/concerns/limitations

I find there is still much more work to do in clarifying terms, defining gendered norms, and distinguishing between masculine and feminine leadership traits. There is also more work to be done in making space for highlighting the unique processes and cycles the female species engage in from adolescence through menopause. Is this not also leadership? I feel there are more paths to travel for highlighting the differentiation of value between masculine and feminine ‘leadership’ (e.g., military experience vs. maternal experience) and how to increase the value of the feminine within a patriarchal society. Does the physical transformation of the birth process limit or expand a demonstration of self-leadership? I know I am just scratching the surface here.

Technical lessons learned

Theorizing requires some kind of a path. The challenge was finding the ‘right’ path that could serve as an outline for the organization of such a complex and abstract idea. Utilizing visualization became helpful in assigning icons to concepts and arranging them in ways that told a story that made sense. As this ‘storyline’ grew, I utilized other design-thinking principles like storyboarding and value chain analysis and attempted to make sense of my content to a specific audience. I found several different theoretical frameworks for designing a theory, some more fluid and exploratory, others more rigid and mechanical. I am still seeking to learn how best to lay out this work for submitting to both academic journals and integrating personal experience for writing a memoir.

Limitations

Blending the left and right brain functions also takes balance, so the technical work of solid outline, organization of research, and cohesive processes for synthesizing information is still a work in progress. As a creative, I am most comfortable assigning colors, shapes, and design components while an idea is still abstract, it helps me feel like it is real as I work on constructing the communication to constitute it. Because this work is adaptive, it does come across as looking like the flight of the bumblebee. While that may sound charming, until I work to better create my process of organizing themes and concepts, while also categorizing the research, following tangents, burrowing into molehills, and following rabbit trials are common challenges.

Other key takeaways

Other takeaways include understanding the value of theorizing with others. Many journal articles are written by two or more researchers, and now I know why. My qualitative analysis skills found a great need for quantitative reflection and input to present the work as balanced. As a trial run, I now hope to explore future partnerships in continuing the work. It has also shaped my interest in continuing on to pursue a PhD on this subject of matriarchal leadership as an internal, self-leadership, endeavor. I also understand better how my creativity needs structure, or at least some guardrails and hedges, to take shape. I am more curious about communications leadership and theory development and will take this work further by looking into joining theorizing groups or joining courses that can help me formulate this theory in more structured formats for publication. This world of theory building is new for me, but I am fascinated by the possibilities and how my creativity can add value to the practice. 

Revisions or suggestions for future iterations

Future iterations will include a series of podcast episodes to introduce the theory, and then I plan on completing a memoir on matriarchal leadership, where I weave into the research my personal leadership journey through cancer, solo parenthood, beginning academia at midlife/menopause, and research on millennial women in the workplace from my undergrad capstone. I did write a manuscript in 2012 about matriarchal leadership, strictly from a personal experience, pop culture, and Wonder Woman comic book obsession, but I tucked it away until I could engage in academic work to help give it bones. I am excited to bring this concept to life in new and interesting ways!

Melinda

DEI & Leadership

Matriarchal leadership is designed as a communication-centered view of women’s

leadership, rooted in the tool of mindfulness, or what I call the art of paying attention.

Mindfulness contributes to an “effective communication competency” useful for “observing and analyzing communication phenomena” (Cunningham, Hazel & Hayes, 2020, p.19). With a relational lens, matriarchal leadership inspects the health, strength, and unique intersections between people, cultures, and processes. To reduce the presence and impact of neglectful leadership, mindfulness looks at the individual behaviors that create and uphold “systemic forces that contribute to discrimination and prejudice” (Allen, 2011, p.3). When we are mindful of our values, our intentions, our actions, and our opportunities, we become responsible guardians of self and of others.

An attument to human flourishing brings about awareness of power dynamic, as “power is a reciprocal process” (p.24) but not always equally respectful or mutually beneficial across a diverse landscape. A matriarchal lens analyzes power dynamics within degrees of hierarchy, identifies infrastructures that support imbalance, and designs a recalibration of structural components. With “communication as constitutive” (Griffin, 2019), matriarchal leadership voices a search for clarity of meaning, intention, and purpose, while designating time for reflective response. With patriarchal systems as a predictor of counterproductive workplace behavior (Bareket, 2018), matriarchal leadership, through the tool of appreciative inquiry, works to highlight, regard, and repeat highly productive behaviors - and with respect to diversity of lived experiences.

The four communication flows of matriarchal leadership act as a skilled plumber,

inspecting junctures where the flow of agency is siphoned, leaked, or caused to evaporate.

Through the ongoing cycle of communication follow-up, power dynamics can be restored to balanced function within each juncture, increasing the fortitude and velocity of power throughout entire organizations.

Witnessing a lack of clear and consistent internal communication channels in various

industries throughout my career, a common theme was how lower-level, non-dominant voices are casually muted and unconsciously distorted. This ongoing practice of exclusion leaves issues to compound, becoming sources of dysfunction, or causing harm. Matriarchal leadership theory fills the gap by including and actively listening to the language that may propose an “ideology of rationality” (Allen, p.35), instances where emotionally expressive communication styles are received with inequity. This led me to design matriarchal leadership with an open embrace of difficult, tension-filled, yet necessary, conversations. A matriarchal lens positions internal communication systems at the helm of an organizational ecosystem, steering with ethical, strategic, appreciative, and adaptive tools capable of hosting a healthy and robust challenge to dominant norms. This embrace of tension works to help reduce the hiding out and reproduction of “discursive closure” (p.36), the invisible processes of muting voices.

The limitations of matriarchal leadership are many, as my work will continue to develop

processes, modes of operation, and lenses for mindful investigation of how these communication junctures differ within a variety of industries. As each industry hosts unique tiers of competence, mastery, leadership expectations, and degrees of patriarchal norms, matriarchal leadership begins as a simple framework, a translucent layer of relation and nurture upon the transactional practices within patriarchal structures. Developing unique matriarchal language for each industry, curating frameworks that overlay “best practices”, and continuously recalibrating for rebirth and renewal in step with industry changes will be ongoing work.

With mindful attention to power dynamics, inclusionary language, and embracing diverse expressions, I believe the embrace of a matriarchal leadership and its sensemaking processes of communication, will help to better allow for the expression of one’s essence, a release of human flourishing that overflows from the human to the home, the home to the workplace, and from the workplace to the rest of the world.

Melinda

Matriarchal Leadership Theory

Theoretical 'Bones'

Communicative Constitution

Most leadership theory is patriarchal, “developed for men on male samples based on men’s experience of leadership” (Cunningham, Crandall & Dare, 2017, p. 71), however, McPhee’s communicative constitution of organizations theory (CCO) lays a foundation for matriarchal leadership, as communication is fluid, not fixed; it is a process that shapes ideas, relationships, and entire social environments (Griffin, Ledbetter, & Sparks, 2018). CCO is rooted in the process of sensemaking, where placing phenomena into a framework allows us to structure the unknown, enabling us “to comprehend, understand, explain, attribute, extrapolate, and predict” (Starbuck & Milliken, 1988, p. 51).

The four flows of CCO, member negotiation, self-structuring, activity coordination, and institutional positioning, conceive and identify both the individual and an organization, acting as strategic pathways for “increasing agency” (McPhee, 2015, p.488). McPhee called them flows because they are “interactive, enduring, multiform, and multicurrent” (p.488), providing clarity of communication necessary for revealing stagnant, stuck, and toxic cultures. Instead of a fixed template, CCO fortifies matriarchal leadership as a vessel for engaging in a communications leadership process from within, and for the benefit of the whole.

Experiential Learning

With matriarchal leadership as generative, each communication flow hosts opportunities for a leadership values check. Applying the experiential learning model 4MAT (McCarthy, 1987), four distinct learning styles, aligned with the purposes of each communication flow, act as levers for whole-brain thinking and evaluation (McLeod, 2013). By utilizing both the right and left brain hemispheres, and processing information as it travels along a cyclical path of feeling, thinking, reflecting, and doing, communication flows become a journey of generative transformation.

As organizational leadership is directly responsible for creating, maintaining, and perpetuating workplace culture, matriarchal leadership works to increase the value of an internal leadership process, where ethical, strategic, appreciative, and adaptive leadership components present themselves. With the four flows carrying intention, four learning styles circulating meaning, and four leadership principles acting as islands for exploration, learning, and practical application, the ship of matriarchal leadership sails along a sea of self-discovery.

Sensemaking

Karl Weick’s (1996) work in conceptualizing sensemaking states “sensemaking is about the enlargement of small cues. It is the search for context within each small details fit together and make sense. It is a continuous alternation between particulars and explanations, with each cycle giving added form and substance to the other” (p. 133). Surrendering one’s right and responsibility to conceive, nurture, and develop cognitive mastery and agency to engage in sensemaking on one’s own, perpetuates dependency.

Sensemaking abounds within instructional design strategies for many trades institutions, often partnering with experiential learning theory (Kolb, 1984), where information travels through a cycle of four modes of learning: emotional, analytical, practical, and dynamic. Through ongoing conscious reflection of meaning, logic, application, and effect, a value for the process of learning finds increase as skill mastery improves. Experiential learning guided by sensemaking furthers human development, creates space for “open-ended purpose” (Rylander, Navarro Aguilar & Amacker, 2022), and unleashes dynamic capabilities (Bertolini & Larentis, 2021).  

Leadership Pillars

Most leadership frameworks were designed with a masculine default, where matriarchal leadership reflects that of femme, or womankind, hosting a capacity to mother the human essence while partnering towards the co-creation of new and healthier pathways for human flourishing. 

Ethical communication is connective to values. 

Strategic leadership aligns intentions.

Appreciative leadership highlights what is working well.

Adaptive leadership is willing to iterate and recalibrate.

Through experiential sensemaking of aligned leadership intentions, matriarchal leadership measures the degree to which human flourishing exists. Through assessing and anticipating human needs, matriarchal leadership exists in service of the future.

Matriarchal leadership invites healthy partnerships between constructed social divides such as masculine and feminine, linear and abstract, or racial qualities, and takes on a cura

personalis approach – care for the whole person.

Through this process of utilizing a framework of communication flows, experiential sensemaking, and evaluating information through an ethical, strategic, appreciative, and adaptive leadership style, matriarchal leadership is formed.

M

Matriarchal Leadership Theory