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Example research essay topic: Gender Based Difference In Managerial Styles - 1,771 words

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This report looks at several researches that have studied the managerial styles of males and females with an attempt to define perceived differences between them. In addition discussed are the results from studies on the effectiveness of managers between the two genders. The results of these studies have been analyzed through readings of several researches and personal experiences of the students doing this report. Studies say both genders are at least equally effective in the business world and that success is affected by diverse individual factors and has very less to do with gender. Commonly held perceptions of males being more effective managers are not only a loss to the female manager, but a loss to the organization and society as a whole. A note on the report writers The team consists of six members - five males and one female.

The gents are in Executive positions with at least four years of full-time work experience and the lady a middle level manager with a total of 10 years in the corporate world out of which five have been in a management position. Although cultural issues are out of the scope of this assignment, the ethnicity of the members is thought to be relevant. All group members are from the Indian sub-continent, except one member who is a Middle Eastern male. All members work experience have been derived in the UAE and most members have been in the country for at least six years. Snap-shots of the brainstorming session Researches Used Extensive researches have been conducted on the topic of gender-based difference in managerial styles. All members prior to commencing of the session have thoroughly read these.

An example of one of the researches used has been attached in the appendix and outlined below: Management Research Group (MRG) has conducted a study on gender differences and leadership that claims to have eliminated key shortcomings that other such researches have, such as small number of participants, reliance on self-reports, use of inappropriate subjects, uncontrolled differences etc. This research claims to be the largest controlled study of gender differences in leadership style with data compiled over 15 years. Further details of this research participants and form of research can be found in the research report in the appendix section. Discussion between the team members Almost all the team members have reported to both male and female bosses at some point in their career. A couple of team members have also supervised / managed members of both sexes. The discussion between the team members included an example of two managers (one male and one female), coming from similar cultural backgrounds, in the same organization, with about the same level of experience, managing (almost) the same team, in similar business situations, over different periods.

Another notable, example used was between two managers from different organizations but from the same (Tourism) industry and at similar designations and responsibilities. The presence of both genders in the team evenhanded the debate well. The report and its conclusions we believe are well-balanced and a result of - studying and scrutinizing several researches in detail and hours spent discussing, brainstorming and intelligent probing of views and experiences Democratic Vs Autocratic Management styles Several studies reviewed either conclude, state or at least hint that women managers adopt a more participatory management style. This can be partly substantiated by one such extensive meta-analysis of 162 studies by Early and Johnson (1990: 108, 233 - 256). They concluded one major difference in leadership style is that women tend to have a more democratic approach, with more collaboration and sharing of decision-making, while men tend to be more autocratic and directive. There is a strong consensus amongst the group members that the level of participatory management style followed is also influenced by other factors, one major factor being the nature of business or the type of division the manager heads.

Concluding on this factor however, the personal experiences and perception of the group correspond with the studies. Instead of defining the female manager as democratic and the male manager as autocratic, it is more unanimously agreed that female managers are generally more democratic or less autocratic than their male counterparts. In both personal experience examples discussed earlier on, it was found that the male manager was relatively more directing, while the female manager more participative. Task Vs Strategy Orientation The first dimension considers an orientation towards task achievement or getting things done, whereas the strategy orientation is a where the leader considers the big picture and is thinking more strategically. The MRG research report on Leadership and Gender (Kabacoff, Peters 1998: 4 - 5) states that women tended to be more task focused and scored higher on leadership scales measuring an orientation toward setting high standards of performance and the attainment of results. Women were far more apt to organize work in a structured way, to follow-up to ensure objectives were met and to push for results.

Men were viewed as more apt to take a strategic approach to the leadership role. They score higher on scales assessing and orientation towards strategic planning and business vision. Men appeared to co-workers to be more open to new ideas and willing to take risks. In general, men's orientation seems to be more thoughtful, considering both lessons from the past and viability of opportunities for change in the future (Kabacoff, Peters 1998: 5). Generally, personal experiences of the group matches with this research. However, the (only) woman in the group strongly held on to the perception that women appear to be only task-oriented and that behind the tasks are constantly planned strategies.

She says that women generally feel that an aggressive woman is not welcomed in the business world, whether it is her male or female bosses, counterparts or sub-ordinates. Several researches second this claim that many women in the workforce consciously work on their communication to appear less aggressive had also found this to be true. Reflecting on her own management style, she discusses how her 'strategic's elf is kept under covers and put across in subtle ways to avoid being branded seen as aggressive. Tasks are tackled with strategies in mind, some of which are put across giving her senior (male) the credit. Give some study results that say women use indirect language etc, we have something need to find the right sentence to include here (reference) Expressiveness Vs constraint Another dimension that the MRG research covers is the willingness to display enthusiasm and be seen as approaching the leadership roles in a lively and dynamic way, as opposed to constraint, being more low key, reserved and thoughtful (Kabacoff, Peters 1998: 5). As per the research women are definitely seen as higher on the expressiveness dimension.

They operate with more energy, intensity and emotional expression, and have a greater capacity to keep others enthusiastic and involved as well. They demonstrate more concern for others and are more apt to develop close working relationships and be more involved in the development of others. Women can be perceived as more candid and sincere than men (Kabacoff, Peters 1998: 5). Men are seen to be more constrained, they are more likely to maintain, a low-key, understated and quiet interpersonal demeanor through the control of emotional issues in an unemotional and objective manner than women.

Men are also seen as using language more effectively to persuade others and to build commitment for their ideas and initiatives (Kabacoff, Peters 1998: 5). The group unanimously agreed on this and this difference in management style between the genders seems to be more widespread and crosses cultures. However, it is stressed that this difference is applicable once individuals have reached management levels. Members state that administrative or lower management staff in some cultures may have relatively constrained women then males. Transformational Vs Transactional Leadership - including Management by exception and Contingent rewards leadership Transformational leadership style is providing individual consideration and intellectual stimulation to subordinates. Transformational leaders are said to possess charisma (Robbins 2004: 674) Transformational leaders provide more meaning and challenge to subordinates work.

They encourage others to approach problems from new perspectives. They work one on one with subordinates to meet their professional and emotional needs (Turner 'n. d'. : 11) Transactional leadership style is where the leader guides or motivates followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements (Robbins 2004: 674). This includes Management by Exception and Contingent reward leadership. Management by exception, under this command and control style, managers wield power based on their position in the organization. They concentrate on identifying and correcting mistakes and taking disciplinary action (Turner 'n.

d'. : 9) Contingent reward leadership is the management style where the manager lets subordinates know what is expected of them and what they will receive if they meet the stated objectives (Turner 'n. d'. : 10) A meta-analysis of 45 studies of transformational and transactional styles found that female leaders were more transformational than male leaders and also engaged in more of the contingent reward behaviors that are a component of transactional leadership. Male leaders were generally more likely to manifest the other aspects of transactional leadership (active and passive management by exception) and laissez-faire leadership (Early et al 2002). Another research on gender differences in management style specifically covering the Accounting profession, (Turner 'n.

d'. : 10) came to a similar conclusion as above, i. e. Females are more likely than males to use the most effective style of transformational leadership and less likely to use the least effective style management by exception, which is the more commonly used style of male managers. A couple of examples below showing the presence of these management styles and how they were managed: Mary Westheimer has hired a Chief Operating Officer for Book Zone. 'This frees me up to be more involved in motivating people, 's he says. 'We pride ourselves on being a family. We try to maintain the feeling that we " re working toward a common goal. ' (Formichelli, 2001) Taking an approach exactly the opposite of Westheimer's, Dan Poynter hired a business manager to take care of employees, so that he could spend more time planning, researching and creating new business for the company. (Formichelli, 2001) The group collectively agrees that transformational leadership is a better and more modern approach to management. However, some of the group members' perceptions and experiences did not agree with the study that men are any less transformational in general.

The younger generation of managers seem to display more of transformational leadership styles regardless of gender. As the group discussion progressed on this aspect a...


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Research essay sample on Gender Based Difference In Managerial Styles

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