'Suddenly you are told that you are leaders.' The framing of leadership among members of feminist NGOs in New Delhi.

Abstract: Leadership is often proposed as a key solution for social change, although the actual meaning remains unclear. By studying leadership in the context of Indian feminist NGOs’ hybridity, situated in-between Western structures and the values of the Indian Women’s Movement, I intended to deepen our understanding of the lived meaning of leadership and followership, beyond its buzzword character. Through an embedded single-case study of the feminist NGO circle in New Delhi, using semi-structured interviews, I explored how leadership is framed by their members, and what this implies for their everyday leadership experiences. In a cross-case analysis, I found that the members’ leadership frames were mostly positive, yet contradictory. Their frames, influenced by feminist thought, emphasised agency by seeing everyone as a leader of their own life. However, they also applied more conventional understandings of leadership that acknowledge their group context and ascribe more power to the leader. The members highlighted their feminist identity by speaking about feminist leadership. I argued that the accelerating process of NGOisation hinders this aspirational concept to flourish. By strengthening feminist leadership in theory and practice, especially examining followers’ roles in the process, I hope that we will inspire others to lead and follow like feminists.