Role congruity, impostor feelings and women's leadership development: Evidence from a leadership intervention in an Indian public university

Despite a steady increase in women's participation in academic roles, their representation in senior leadership positions in Indian Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) remains disproportionately low. This persistent underrepresentation reflects not only structural and organisational barriers but also psychological constraints related to leadership identity. Women leadership development programmes (WLDPs) have emerged as a key intervention to address these issues. However, there is limited evaluative evidence on their effectiveness, particularly in the Global South. Therefore, the present study, based on role congruity theory and leadership identity, examines the effectiveness of a WLDP conducted in an Indian public university. The study adopts a single case study design using a single group pre–post survey comprising closed-ended items and open-ended written responses from 30 women participants. Quantitative findings indicate significant short-term perceived improvements in leadership identity. Analysis of the open-ended written responses suggests that participants perceived the programme as supporting leadership identity development. They reported better understanding of value-based and relational leadership, teamwork and participatory leadership practices, along with leadership confidence, greater self-awareness and emotional regulation and a learning orientation. The mid-career stage has emerged as a bottleneck in career progression, indicating that this phase of the career is crucial for women's leadership development. The study contributes to educational leadership research by providing context-specific evidence from an Indian public university and demonstrating that WLDPs can serve as an identity shaping intervention.