Self-Leadership and Female Entrepreneurship: A Narrative Multi-Case Study

Sydney Richardson

doi:10.66815/ajqr/19290

Sydney Richardson ¹ ^*

More Detail

AM J QUALITATIVE RES, Volume 10, Issue 4, pp. 172-193

https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19290

OPEN ACCESS 33 Views 12 Downloads

Download Full Text (PDF)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore ways in which self-leadership appeared among women entrepreneurs who were also caretakers for others, such as children and elderly parents. For this research, I utilized a narrative multi-case study approach, followed by thematic analysis, in which to explore the roles of the women. Aside from the interviews, I collected and analyzed two years’ worth of digital information for each business, including marketing posts, YouTube videos, business website information, and podcasts. The findings of this study showed that self-leadership among women entrepreneurs looked slightly different from the original theory of self-leadership developed by Charles Manz in 1986. For the women participants, self-leadership was self-defined, multi-faceted, and incorporated overcoming obstacles personally and professionally due to gender roles. This study enhanced earlier research surrounding the notion of self-leadership by depicting the theory from a gendered point of view through the narratives of the participants as entrepreneurs and caretakers.

Keywords: Women entrepreneurs, self-leadership, narrative inquiry, case study, qualitative research

References

Acker, J. (2006). Inequality regimes gender, class, and race in organizations. Gender and
Society, 20(4), 441-464. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27640904
Adikaram, A.S. & Razik, R. (2023). Femininity penalty: Challenges and barriers faced by
STEM woman entrepreneurs in an emerging economy. Journal of Entrepreneurship in Emerging Economies, 15(5), 1113-1138. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEEE-07-2021-0278
Ahmed, S.K. (2025). Sample size for saturation in qualitative research: Debates, definitions, and
strategies. Journal of Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health, 5, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glmedi.2024.100171
Ahmed, S.K., Mohammed, R.A., Nashwan, A.J., Ibrahim, R.H., Abdalla, A.Q., Ameen, B.M.M.,
& Khdhir, R.M. (2025). Using thematic analysis in qualitative research. Journal of Medicine, Surgery, and Public Health, 6, 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.glmedi.2025.100198
Avolio, B.J. & Gardner, W. L. (2005). Authentic leadership development: Getting to the root
of positive forms of leadership. The Leadership Quarterly, 16(3), 315-338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2005.03.001
Ay, F.A., Karakaya, A., &Yilmaz, K. (2015). Relations between self-leadership and critical
thinking skills. Social and Behavioral Sciences, 207, 29-41.
doi.10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.10.147
Banton, C., Garza, J. A., & Jones, T. (2026). Exploring Gender Dynamics and Diversity in the
Technology Industry: A Qualitative Examination of Women’s Experiences. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(1), 332-349. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/17875
Bendell, B.L., Sullivan, D.M., & Marvel, M.R. (2019). A gender-aware study of self-leadership
strategies among high-growth entrepreneurs, Journal of Small Business Management, 57(1), 110-130. DOI: 10.1111/jsbm.12490
Birks, M., Chapman, Y., & Francis, K. (2025). Memoing in qualitative research: Two decades
on. Journal of Research in Nursing: JRN, 17449871251386323. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/17449871251386323
Boddington, M.I. (2024). Reshaping gendered norms in entrepreneurship: Incorporating gender
identity and entrepreneurial practice. Gender, Work & Organization, 31(2): 378–98. https://doi.org/10.1111/gwao.13075.
Botke, J.A., Tims, M., Khapova, S.N. & Jansen, P.G.W. (2022). Transfer of self-leadership
skills within the Dutch Police: A three-wave study. Journal of Police Criminal Psychology, 37, 650–668. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-021-09480-9
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2019). Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative
Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589-597. DOI: 10.1080/2159676X.2019.1628806
Bridges, D., Wulff, E., & Bamberry, L. (2023). Resilience for gender inclusion: Developing a
model for women in male-dominated workplaces. Gender, Work, and Organization, 30, 263-279. DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12672
Brush, C.G., de Bruin, A. & Welter, F. (2009). A gender‐aware framework for women's
Entrepreneurship. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 1(1), 8-24. https://doi.org/10.1108/17566260910942318
Coffman, C. D., & Sunny, S. A. (2021). Reconceptualizing necessity and opportunity
entrepreneurship: A needs-based view of entrepreneurial motivation. Academy of Management Review, 46(4), 823-825.
Conroy, T. & Low, S.A. (2022). Opportunity, necessity, and no one in the middle: A closer
look at small, rural, and female-led entrepreneurship in the United States. Applied Economic Perspectives, 44, 161-196. DOI: 10.1002/aepp.13193
Crammer, G.A., Goldman, Z.W., & Houghton, J.D. (2019). I’ll do it myself: Self-leadership,
proactivity, and socialization. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 40(6), 684-698. DOI: 10.1108/LODJ-11-2018-0389
Darwin Holmes, A. G. (2020). Researcher positionality - A consideration of its influence and
place in qualitative research - A new researcher guide. Shanlax International Journal of Education, 8(4), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.34293/education.v8i4.3232
Davis, A. M., & Zolnikov, T. (2026). Unresolved Childhood Trauma in Women Leaders: A
Phenomenological Qualitative Study. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(4), 42-57. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19199
Dickens, D.D. & Chavez, E.L. (2018). Navigating the workplace: The costs and benefits of
shifting identities at work among early career U.S. Black women. Sex Roles, 78, 760-774. DOI 10.1007/s11199-017-0844-x
Dickens, D.D., Womack, V. Y., & Dimes, T. (2019). Managing hypervisibility: An exploration
of theory and research on identity shifting strategies in the workplace among Black women. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 113, 153-163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2018.10.008
Dodgson J.E. (2019). Reflexivity in qualitative research. Journal of Human Lactation, 35(2),
220-222. DOI:10.1177/0890334419830990
Doering-White, J., Sanchez, J., & Creasey, H. (2021). Entrepreneurship as community practice
strategy: Lessons from Detroit. Journal of Community Practice, 29(1), 46-61. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2021.1881935
Dy, A.M. & Jayawarna, D. (2020). Bios, mythoi and women entrepreneurs: A wynterian
analysis of the intersectional impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on self-employed women and women-owned businesses”, International Small Business Journal: Research Entrepreneurship, 38(5), 391-403. DOI: 10.1177/0266242620939935
Ebneyamini, S., & Sadeghi Moghadam, M. R. (2018). Toward developing a framework for
conducting case study research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 17(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918817954
Estefan, A., Caine, C., & Clandinin, D.J. (2016). At the intersection of narrative inquiry and
professional education. Narrative Works, 6(1), 15-37. https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/nw6_1art01
Fabeil, N.F, Pazim, H.A. & Langgat, J. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 pandemic crisis on
micro-enterprises: Entrepreneurs’ perspective on business continuity and recovery strategy. Journal of Economics and Business, 3(2), 837-844.
Gimenez-Jimenez, D., Edelman, L.F., Dawson, A., & Calabro, A. (2022). Women
entrepreneurs’ progress in the venturing process: the impact of risk aversion and culture. Small Business Economics, 58, 1091–1111. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-020-00435-8
Goldsby, M.G., Goldsby, E.A., Neck, C.B., Neck, C.P., & Matthews, R. (2021). Self
leadership: A four-decade review of the literature and trainings. Administrative Sciences, 11(25), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3390/admisci11010025
Grandy, G., Cukier, W., & Gagnon, S. (2020). Invisibility in the margins: COVID-19, women
entrepreneurs and the need for inclusive recovery. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 35(7/8), 667-675. DOI: 10.110/GM-07-2020-0207
Goundar, P. R. (2025). Researcher positionality: Ways to include it in qualitative research
design. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 24, 1-7. DOI:
10.1177/16094069251321251
Iheduru-Anderson, K., Waite, R., & Murray, T.A. (2024). Invisibility/hypervisibility paradox of
Black women navigating the nursing academic environment. Nursing Outlook, 72(6), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2024.102291
Krampitz, J., Seubert, C., Furtner, M. & Glaser, J. (2021). Self-leadership: A meta-analytic
review of intervention effects on leaders’ capacities. Journal of Leadership Studies, 15, 21-39. https://doi.org/10.1002/jls.21782
Lane, J. L., & Bourdo, K. (2026). The dual meaning of trustworthiness: How member
checking can promote more rigorous and ethical research. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(3), 233-248. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/18541
Linfang, Z., Khalid, R., Raza, M., Chanrawang, N., & Parveen, R. (2021). The impact of
psychological factors on women entrepreneurial inclination: Mediating role of self-leadership. Frontiers in Psychology, 12(796272), 1-13. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.796272
Liu, G., Peng, H., & Wen, H. (2023). How self-leadership promotes job crafting: Based on the
perspective of self-determination theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 14:1079196. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1079196
McKim, C. (2023). Meaningful member-checking: A structured approach to member-checking.
American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(2), 41-52. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/12973
Manz, C. C. (1986). Self-leadership: toward an expanded theory of self-influence processes in
Organizations. Academy of Management Review, 11, 585–600. DOI: 10.5465/amr.1986.4306232
Merriam, S.B. & Tisdell, E.J. (2016). Qualitative research: A guide to design and
implementation. Jossey & Bass. San Francisco, CA.
Mustafa, F., Khursheed, A., Fatima, M., & Rao, M. (2021). Exploring the impact of COVID
19 pandemics on women entrepreneurs in Pakistan. International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, 13(2), 187-203. DOI: 10.1108/IJGE-09-2020-0149
Neck, C. P. & Houghton, J. D. (2006). Two decades of self‐leadership theory and research:
past developments, present trends, and future possibilities. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(4), 270-295. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940610663097
Ozasir-Kacar, S. & Essers, C. (2023). The regulatory environment for migrant and women
Entrepreneurs. International Migration, 61, 107–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12958
Pettigrew, R.N. (2021). An untenable workload: COVID-19 and the disproportionate impact on
women’s work-family demands. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 113(4), 8-15. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.14307/JFCS113.4.8
Platt, C., Goates-Jones, M., Maile Cutri, R., Fidalgo Wheeler, L., & Walden, T. (2022).
Interrupted Systems Mitigating Social Gender Roles: A Qualitative Inquiry of Motherscholars During a Pandemic. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 6(1), 153-177. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/11645
Rasdi, R.M., Hamzah, S.R., & Yean, T.F. (2020). Exploring self-leadership development of
Malaysian women entrepreneurs. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 22(2), 189-200. DOI: 10.1177/1523422320907048
Reichard, E. A., Smith, D. J., Reichard, R. J., & Houghton, J. D. (2025). Advancing the construct
of self-leadership: A bibliometric review. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 32(2), 149-171. DOI: 10.1177/15480518251316085
Richardson, S.D. (2023a), Making the entrepreneurial transition: Stories of women
entre-employees, Palgrave MacMillan, Cham, Switzerland.
Richardson, S.D. (2023b). Higher education leaders as entre-employees: a narrative study.
American Journal of Qualitative Research, 7(3), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.29333/ajqr/13222
Schoch, K. (2020). Case study research. Burkholder, G.J. et al. (Eds.), Research design and
methods: An applied guide for the scholar-practitioner, SAGE Publications, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, 245-258.
Shen, W., & Joseph, D.L. (2021). Gender and leadership: A criterion-focused review and
research agenda. Human Resource Management Review, 31(2), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2020.100765.
Sonday, A., Ramugongo, E., & Kathard, H. (2020). Case study and narrative inquiry as merged
methodologies: A critical narrative perspective. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 19, 1-5. DOI: 10.1177/1609406920937880
Tenschert, J., Furtner, M. & Peters, M. (2025). The effects of self-leadership and mindfulness
training on leadership development: A systematic review. Management Review Quarterly, 75, 2811–2862. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11301-024-00448-7
Verleye, K. (2019). Designing, writing-up and reviewing case study research: An equifinality
Perspective. Journal of Service Management, 30(5), 549-576. DOI: 10.1108/JOSM-08-2019-0257
Wang, Q. (2019). Gender, race/ethnicity, and entrepreneurship: Women entrepreneurs in a US
south city. International Journal of Entrepreneurship Behavior & Research, 25(8), 1766-1785. DOI: 10.1108/IJEBR-05-2017-0156
Woods, S.A., Napiersky, U., & Rivkin, W. (2023). Learning to self-lead: examining self
leadership strategies, personality traits and learning attainment. Applied Psychology, 72(3),1324-1338. DOI: /10.1111/apps.12422
Yingjun, Z., Jahan, S., & Qamruzzaman, M. (2021). Access to finance and legal framework in
female entrepreneurship development in Bangladesh: The mediating role of self-leadership. Asian Economic and Financial Review, 11(9), 762-780. DOI: 10.18488/journal.aefr.2021.119.762.780
Yip, S. Y. (2024) Positionality and reflexivity: Negotiating insider-outsider positions within and
across cultures. International Journal of Research & Method in Education, 47(3), 222-232, DOI: 10.1080/1743727X.2023.2266375

Citation

Richardson, S. (2026). Self-Leadership and Female Entrepreneurship: A Narrative Multi-Case Study. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(4), 172-193. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19290

Richardson, S. (2026). Self-Leadership and Female Entrepreneurship: A Narrative Multi-Case Study. American Journal of Qualitative Research, 10(4), pp. 172-193. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19290

Richardson S. Self-Leadership and Female Entrepreneurship: A Narrative Multi-Case Study. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2026;10(4), 172-193. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19290

Richardson, Sydney. "Self-Leadership and Female Entrepreneurship: A Narrative Multi-Case Study". American Journal of Qualitative Research 2026 10 no. 4 (2026): 172-193. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19290

Richardson, Sydney "Self-Leadership and Female Entrepreneurship: A Narrative Multi-Case Study". American Journal of Qualitative Research, vol. 10, no. 4, 2026, pp. 172-193. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19290

Richardson S. Self-Leadership and Female Entrepreneurship: A Narrative Multi-Case Study. AM J QUALITATIVE RES. 2026;10(4):172-93. https://doi.org/10.66815/ajqr/19290