How different are the roles displayed by female and male managers?

Abstract

Describes a 1988 study by Quinn which identified eight managerial roles that managers must display if they are to be effective. The eight roles are innovator, broker, producer, director, co‐ordinator, monitor, facilitator and mentor. Reports on the present study where 149 managers, of which 35 per cent were females, responded to a survey exploring the extent to which they displayed each of Quinn’s managerial roles. The self‐perceptions of all managers was that the female managers displayed co‐ordinator, monitor and mentor roles more than did male managers. For each manager, their staff, peers and boss were also asked to respond to the questionnaire. Their staff reported that their female managers displayed five roles (innovator, producer, director, co‐ordinator and mentor) more frequently than did the male managers. Peers reported a difference in two of the managerial roles: broker and mentor (females displaying each role more frequently). Bosses did not see the male and female managers differently. The managers and their peers reported that female managers were more effective than male managers. Concludes that these findings have significance for how managers need to interact with their staff and peers and the need for male managers to develop their managerial roles more if they are to be more effective.

Citation

Vilkinas, T. and Cartan, G. (1997), "How different are the roles displayed by female and male managers?", Women in Management Review, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 129-135. https://doi.org/10.1108/09649429710171154