The latest findings of Seton Hall University Buccino Leadership Institute's Future of Leadership Survey shed light on questions about hair traits and leadership appearances for the newly emerging leaders of tomorrow—Generation Z. The survey garnered more than 900 responses.
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J., April 26, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- With the recent passage by the House of Representatives of the CROWN Act of 2022 (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair Act of 2022), we again ask ourselves, "do appearances matter? and specifically, does hair matter?" Recent research conducted by the award-winning Buccino Leadership Institute of Seton Hall University helps shed light on this question, a question that has been probed for more than 70 years of research on leadership. What is especially novel about the Institute's research project, called the Future of Leadership Survey, is that researchers pose questions about, among other topics, leadership appearances to the newly emerging leaders of tomorrow—Generation Z. Prior research has uniformly posed questions on leadership to those already in their mid-level to C-Suite careers. This research project is conducting a long-overdue examination of the topic from a new perspective.
As it turns out, the findings of scholars Ruchin Kansal, M.B.A., Karen Boroff, Ph.D., Steven Lorenzet, Ph.D., and Alex McAuley, graduate student, show that the current generation still has expectations that their leaders should be attired appropriately for the given leadership role. In addition, they should be healthy. Third in importance is that a leader's hair be well-groomed. "Interestingly, when the data was examined by gender or race, there was no difference in the ranking of the top two traits. However, for the third trait, that hair should be well-groomed, those who identified as non-white judged well-groomed hair as a little less important than white respondents," said Kansal, lead author who directs the Business Leadership Center.
Other physical traits, such as height, physical attractiveness, or deep voice, were considered unimportant, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or race.
So, is CROWN needed? "Anytime we can work to reduce bias and discrimination, we move closer to the goal of all our Equal Employment Opportunity laws," says the research team. "The CROWN legislation aims to remove another bias—to prohibit hair discrimination throughout the workforce."
The research team also acknowledges that "hair, regardless of the race or gender of an employee, can pose a safety or health hazard at work. As such, even without CROWN, employers can continue to be able to set job requirements for their work. However, these requirements must have a nexus to the job, cannot run afoul of important rights under the federal Civil Rights Act and associated state-level laws, and must be applied even-handedly."
At the same time, the research team finds that "there is the recognition among our leaders of tomorrow that leaders, regardless of organization, have a figurehead role in that organization, representing all who are employed there. Given that figurehead role, it seems the GEN Z cohort surveyed still places value on their leaders being attired appropriately for the organization that they lead, are healthy, and have hair that is well-groomed for the position."
To learn more, view The Future of Leadership Survey.
ABOUT THE BUCCINO LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
The Buccino Leadership Institute at Seton Hall University is the first interdisciplinary undergraduate leadership program of its kind in the United States. The innovative four-year certificate program focuses on purposeful and strategic development of seven essential pillars of leadership development: character, civic engagement, change management, ceaselessness, collaboration, conflict management and courageous communication. Infused by Catholic ideals, the program develops students to become the next generation of effective leaders, responding to today's demand by many national and international organizations for employees who possess the necessary skills to succeed in a diverse multifaceted environment. Within the Institute there are established distinctive leadership centers in the University's College of Arts and Sciences, College of Communication and the Arts, College of Education and Human Services, College of Nursing, School of Diplomacy and International Relations, and the Stillman School of Business. Each college or school is the thought leader for a specific pillar based on the philosophy and work of that academic discipline.
For more information, visit http://www.shu.edu/leadership.
ABOUT SETON HALL UNIVERSITY
One of the country's leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall has been showing the world what great minds can do since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 80 rigorous majors, Seton Hall's academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, US News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek. Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and caring global citizens. Its attractive main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, offering a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. A new independent economic analysis of the University found that Seton Hall provides a significant impact on New Jersey's economy, totaling over $1.6 billion annually and creating and sustaining nearly 10,000 jobs. The university's nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. The University's Interprofessional Health Sciences (IHS) campus in Clifton and Nutley, N.J. opened in the summer of 2018. The IHS campus houses Seton Hall's College of Nursing, its School of Health and Medical Sciences as well as Hackensack Meridian Health's Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
For more information, visit http://www.shu.edu.
Media Contact
Laurie Pine, Director of Media Relations, Seton Hall University, 9733782638, [email protected]
SOURCE Seton Hall University
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