Successful leaders influence others and help people move towards greater achievements through their own power. But previous research tells us that many women have difficulty in seeing themselves as powerful.
They often associate power with manipulation or control over others and distance themselves from that type of leadership, preferring to think of themselves as ‘effective’ and ‘influential’.
The truth, however, is that power is not bad in and of itself – it is what you do with it that determines its impact and how ethical it is. In our research, we examined the issue of women and power, in particular whether the use of an avatar – a digital representation of self – in a virtual reality environment could help women learn to see the value of relational power in the workplace.
Virtual reality
Female leaders taking part in a development programme participated in a virtual session where they each became an avatar in their own confidential virtual reality. They created their own scenarios and were facilitated through a reflective process to explore and gain insight into their personal power and voice in the workplace.
After the exercise they were invited to spend a short period of time in guided reflection, write in their journals and then join a small breakout group to share their experience. Participants were invited to continue exploring this with a coach or mentor following the session if desired.
Data from 70 women was also collected through an online survey, plus deeper conversations with those willing to participate in discussion groups. We were interested in how this learning experience impacted on their thinking and acting in the world. The following insights emerged.
Transformational learning: In order to use power for good, you first have to embrace power. Many of the participants appreciated the opportunity the avatar session gave them to step back, reflect and analyse in depth some of the issues and situations they were contending with at work.
The research revealed that using avatars can aid changes in perspective and encourage behaviour change. It gave these leaders an opportunity to gain a multi-dimensional sense of their own power and explore the tension between power and effective leadership. In short, it reframed their view of ‘power’ and enabled them to embrace their power in a positive way.
Self-awareness: The combined survey and focus group data also revealed that many participants were able to improve their levels of self-awareness through working with avatars. Increased awareness of their personal responsibilities for the problems they were currently facing was also apparent. They were consequently able to generate solutions or progress in their situations.
Empathy: The findings of this study support previous research which suggests virtual worlds can be used effectively as a tool to develop empathy and perspective taking. The use and manipulation of avatars in the ProReal virtual landscape gave participants the opportunity to recreate their workplace or a work situation.
They were able to step back from their situations, looking at them from different perspectives and put themselves in the shoes of their colleagues and others. One participant described how seeing things through other people’s eyes has made her more empathetic with her team.
Implications for the workplace
There is clearly a place for exploring and learning using avatars in virtual reality. This innovative medium offers female leaders an opportunity to gain a multidimensional sense of their own power and exploration of the tension between power and effective leadership.
Many of the participants came to understand that being an effective leader meant recognising not only that you have power but that it must be used carefully and thoughtfully, if it is to have the desired impact.
How leaders understand and use power affects employees and colleagues either positively or negatively, and renders their leadership effective or ineffective. Employees also learn the skill of using power from their leaders through their day-to-day interactions.
It makes sense then that organisations continue to create opportunities to enable leaders to hone this aspect of their skillset.
Debbie Bayntun-Lees is professor of organisational development and leadership at Hult International Business School
