1 Gender Stereotypes, Communication Styles, and Effective Managerial Communication Michelle Howe Warren Weber California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

2 Gender Awareness Quiz ? How do men and women learn to be “who” and “what” they turn out to be as adults? What are the benefits and drawbacks of being male or female? What is better about the other gender? What do you wish you could say to members of the opposite sex that they would really hear?

3 Sex-Role Attitudes Perpetuate Belief That Men Are: Independent Objective Competitive Better suited to management

4 Women are Stereotyped As: Gentle Sensitive Passive Less suited to responsible positions in business

5 Childhood Training of Sex Roles—Males Boys play competitive games with rules Learn independence Work on a team Handle competition based on rules

6 Childhood Training of Sex Roles—Females Girls enjoy turn-taking games Develop empathy for others Regard rules more flexibly

7 Gender and Management Style Assume women will adapt male business models “Maleness” equates with effective leadership People in power advance people most like themselves

8 Feminine Management Style Human-relations-oriented approach Intuitive, expressive management style Increased importance of participative management in work force

9 Gender Trait ID and Communication Style Feminine—gentle, sensitive, understanding, compassionate, excitable, sentimental Masculine—Aggressive, dominant, forceful, stern, analytical, competitive Neutral—Equally typical

10 Perceived Gender-Stereotype Communication Styles and Effective Managerial Communication Problem—Many people regard communication style to be gender related Purpose—to determine whether communication styles of males differed from females in a managerial situation

11 Methods and Procedures Subjects—119 managers of medium- to large-sized hotels Null hypothesis—Communication styles of females are no different from males in a managerial communication situation Fourteen skills rated by respondents as typical of males, of females, or equally typical of both; and, what is the importance of the skills Do subjects identify communication skills as gender-related?

12 Skills Examined Confidence Building Ability to speak to a group Nonverbal communication Professionalism in attitude Assertiveness Giving and accepting feedback Attention to detail Listening Competitiveness Flexibility Organized Ability to lead Ability to strategize Put others at ease Male FemaleEqual

13 Findings Females more likely to identify communication skills as gender specific Males showed preference not to choose skills based on gender Both male and females ranked assertiveness and competitiveness low in importance Gender did not influence the importance ranking of 14 communication skills

14 Conclusions Females more likely to stereotype managerial communication Males avoided gender specific rankings because: (1) of sensitivity to implications of answers, or (2) they are more accepting of female managers Low value placed on masculine traits of assertiveness and competitiveness Some skills viewed as important regardless of which gender traits the skills represent

15 Recommendations Men and women should not discount certain communication skills as feminine and not use them Establish management communication training programs for giving and accepting feedback

16 Recommendations, Cont’d. Managers of the 90’s need to be human relations-oriented rather than competitive. Men and women need to be flexible by combining skills thought of as typically male and female

17 Questions?