The award, sponsored by The Leadership Quarterly journal and the Center for Creative Leadership, recognises the best paper published in the journal in 2024. Hentschel won the prize together with colleagues William Obenauer (University of Maine), Jost Sieweke (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam), Nicolas Bastardoz (KU Leuven), Paulo Arvate (São Paulo School of Business Administration) and Brooke Gazdag (Kühne Logistics University).

Women in crisis leadership

The winning article, Are women strategic leaders more effective during a crisis than men strategic leaders? A causal analysis of the relationship between strategic leader gender and outcomes during the COVID-19 crisis, revisits an influential claim: that women leaders were more effective in handling the COVID-19 crisis.
Earlier research suggested that U.S. states with women governors experienced fewer COVID-19 deaths. Hentschel and her co-authors replicated these findings with the original methods, but then applied more rigorous analyses, including tests across U.S. counties and Brazilian municipalities. When alternative approaches and methodological checks were introduced, the gender effect disappeared across all settings.

No leadership advantage by gender

The study shows that conclusions about a supposed 'women leadership advantage' in times of crisis do not hold up under closer scrutiny. Instead, the findings provide strong evidence that leadership effectiveness in a crisis is not determined by gender.

Upcoming symposium

The authors, led by William Obenauer and Jost Sieweke, will present their findings on Wednesday 1 October, 17:00–18:00 (CET) during an online symposium organised by the US-based Center for Creative Leadership. Those interested in attending can contact Tanja Hentschel to receive the link.