Do Men and Women Have Different Management Styles?

In the last decade, women entered management positions in record numbers. According to Catalyst Research women comprise nearly half of the U.S. labor force, and approximately 50 percent of those working women are employed in management positions. So how do women rate as managers? Are men comfortable taking orders from a woman? Do women prefer working for other women?

Management style is one of the most important skills in any businessperson’s repertoire—male or female. Leadership, communication, decision-making, fairness and personality all have an effect on management style. Poor management skills can cost a company in employee turnover, training and lost revenue. More than anything, management style reveals the shining strengths and glaring weaknesses in a manager’s ability to work with people and run a business effectively. Stereotypical notions of women as nurturers lead many workers to expect women to behave in interactive ways—more sympathetic, encouraging, friendly, helpful; in decision-making, they will ask for others’ opinions. On the other hand, men may be expected to behave in autocratic ways—take charge, give orders, practice individual control and decision-making. Stereotypes are often deceitful, however, and many managers break the stereotype mold for their given sex.

Stan Edwards, who works in management in the restaurant industry, says that he has seen managers who break the traditional male/female roles.

“I have seen men mangers who help the servers serve food, help the kitchen prepare food, and help the hosts seat people. They have also worked on reward systems of encouraging workers,” he said.
“Then I have seen women managers [who] were very standoffish when it comes to the workers and not interactive.” One woman in particular, Edwards said, “even abused power. She did not encourage workers and would even discourage them with threats. Eventually, she fired workers faster than she could hire them and worked the business into the ground.”
Carol Johnson works in health care management and says that managers she has had in the past used a combination of management styles according to a given situation.

“The typical masculine model of central command and control is most effective in crisis situations when decisiveness and action are essential. Lives depend on immediacy and quick thinking with results,” she said.

For non-emergency daily operations, Johnson said the participative/democratic approach works best. “Committees often use an interactive model of leadership with the participation of all members. Dealing with customer service it is also necessary to respond to customers’ needs, listen to their expectations and provide customer satisfaction.”

Today managers need flexibility in their management style to meet specific needs of different situations—a toolbox of management skills—that includes effective decision-making, strategic planning and leadership as well as good communication, team dynamics and instilling empowerment that will encourage employees to develop to their full potential. Strong management skills are neither male nor female designated but rather they require the ability to adapt accordingly to each management situation.

“I have enjoyed working for both men and women who are able to combine leadership styles,” Johnson said. “Some employees want more structure, clear instructions, definite job descriptions and are secure with knowing exactly what is expected of them. Others may need less direction, more independence and work more effectively with room to share their ideas and grow.”

Edwards added that attributing stereotypical traits to men’s or women’s management styles can be a mistake. “If you assume that people behave like stereotypes, then you need to wake up,” he said. “Gender stereotypes do not determine a person’s management skills—you have to adapt your views and take each person on an individual basis.”

 

 

Gretchen Gregg