Author: Cecilia Björklund

Supervisor: Mikael Johnson

Title: The impact of leadership and gender roles on service quality

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to increase the understanding of how leadership and gender roles affect the leader’s understanding of service quality in the banking sector. The study will follow three research questions:

1.      How is service quality perceived by leaders?

2.      How can leaders influence service quality?

3.      How does leaders gender roles affect service quality?

Theoretical framework: The study's theoretical framework initially presents the concept and history behind service quality and some of the various tools that can measure perceived service quality applicable to the banking sector. The theory chapter then leads on to various factors that enable the leader to influence the quality of service. The chapter concludes with research that sheds light on gender roles in the banking sector and service quality, as well as why women are portrayed as less natural leaders as a result of gender roles.

Method: The study method is based on a qualitative approach where 10 semi-structured interviews selectively distributed between men and women in a leading position at Swedish banks were conducted.

Empirical foundation: The results from the interviews are intertwined in themes around how service quality is perceived by leaders, the leader's understanding of the tools, how different leadership styles influence service quality in which customer-oriented, personal and attentive leadership was touched. The final theme dealt with how gender roles affect service quality.

Conclusion: Service quality is a factor that leaders in Swedish banks consider to be very important, even though they are not particularly aware of the factors that affect service quality. The type of leadership is an important factor that affects the quality of service and there is no indication that gender roles affect how important service quality is perceived. However, it was shown that women are more caring which could contribute to a higher quality of service. Perhaps women are relationship-oriented and men are results-oriented. However, relationship-oriented leaders are not necessarily better leaders, but it may not be possible to rule out one in favor of the other.

Keywords: service management, service quality, leadership, gender roles, banking sector