Gender, Diversity and Working Styles

Presents evidence from a research study into the impact of gender on management styles, using repertory grid as a methodology. Generalized differences were identified in the approaches of women and men to definition of the job, overall style, decision making and interpersonal relationships. Men had greater visibility to other men, while a broader insight was offered by women interviewees into the women managers' approaches. In the context of patriarchal power relations, in which masculinity is defined as opposite and superior to femininity, feminine working styles are perceived as less effective in organizations, while masculine attributes tend to be regarded as normatively the way to manage. Such values can imbue recruitment, selection and development practices with gender bias. Recent management and leadership theory has advocated the value of a people-centred approach, which traditionally and stereotypically has been associated with women. This might appear to open up opportunity for women. Concludes that there is a need to be alert to a redefinition of patriarchal relations as men seek to maintain status.