Tertiary Education Management Conference 2006 Blue manager or pink manager: does it make a difference? B Wisneski

Blue Manager or Pink Manager: does it make a difference ? Bobbie Wisneski Dept of Strategy & Human Resource Management Waikato Management School

Lead Verb describing action, direction, energy and accomplishment About actively making a positive difference in the lives of others – personally and corporately

More women in the paid workforce No organization these days can afford to waste valuable brain-power simply because it is wearing a skirt In % of women are in paid employment outside the home New definitions of what is a career

Gender Socialization & Stereo-typing 21 st century and gender roles and sex-type qualities are still flourishing

Descriptors by Gender Women Helpful Kind Consensus seeking Interpersonally sensitive Men Aggressive Dictatorial Assertive Dominant Forceful

Transactional vs. Transformational Leadership Based on a transaction or exchange of something of value the leader possesses or controls that the follower wants Pay, security, tangible rewards Seeks to align everyone around a common purpose with a future orientation Encourages everyone to challenge and question assumptions and look at problems from new perspectives

Role Incongruity Stereo-typical female gender role is inconsistent with a leader role Organizations often construct leader roles based on masculine gender roles

Transformational Leadership Techniques Allow women to draw on their social skills Is more participative Helpful to employees in new or changing circumstances

Ideological Differences Women Less accepting of unethical practices More supportive of social provision More opposed to violence Men More accepting of unethical business practices More tolerant of extra-marital relationships, divorce and suicide More supportive of harsh policy

Brains Brains are different sizes Women have more grey matter Men have more white matter

More Brains Neuron – a cell that uses biochemical reactions to receive, process and transmit information. Men have more neurons but they function independently Women have less neurons but they are networked

Stress Women and men have different hormonal reactions to stress Men – hole up deal to it on their own Women – seek friends and socialization

Communication – what you say and what I hear Men and women can say the same thing and hear totally different meanings Women – hear underlying meanings about friendship Men – hear underlying meanings about status

Communication - online Gender differences are revealed in written communication – even on the internet behind user names Men are more adversarial, more put downs, self promotion and sarcasm and often contribute ideas as statements of fact Women are supportive, give thanks, ask questions and contribute ideas as suggestions

Communication Men tend to communicate more aggressively Women use more participative phraseology

So Does it Make A Difference ?

There are differences Physiological Brain Chemistry Socialization Communication Variables Industry you work in Management Structure Culture of society

But Does it Make A Difference ? Leadership skills are evolving Increasing emphasis on training, teamwork, networking and power and information sharing Men and women may lead differently but good managers do it equally effectively

Thank you