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Decision-making, risk and gender: Are managers different?

Decision-making, risk and gender: Are managers different?
Decision-making, risk and gender: Are managers different?
This paper explores differences in the nature of decisions taken by males and females. Women are playing an increasingly important role in business management and managers are ultimately tested and evaluated in terms of their success in making decisions. Consequently any difference in the character and quality of decisions taken by male and female managers will have important implications for organizations. This paper reviews the literature, and reports two pieces of empirical work which investigate the connections between gender and decision making. The decision-making characteristics of males and females in a 'non-managerial' population in which the majority of individuals have not undergone formal management education are contrasted with a 'managerial' population of potential and actual managers who have undertaken such education. It is argued that women are often excluded from managerial positions of authority and leadership due to stereotypes, which have been constructed by observing 'non-managerial' populations at large. The paper concludes, however, that these stereotypes may not apply to managers as in the 'managerial' sub-population males and females display similar risk propensity and make decisions of equal quality.
1045-3172
123-138
Johnson, J.E.V.
6d9f1a51-38a8-4011-a792-bfc82040fac4
Powell, P.L.
bf5aad22-2cd7-40bf-9b1b-13cfde1992d6
Johnson, J.E.V.
6d9f1a51-38a8-4011-a792-bfc82040fac4
Powell, P.L.
bf5aad22-2cd7-40bf-9b1b-13cfde1992d6

Johnson, J.E.V. and Powell, P.L. (1994) Decision-making, risk and gender: Are managers different? British Journal of Management, 5 (2), 123-138. (doi:10.1111/j.1467-8551.1994.tb00073.x).

Record type: Article

Abstract

This paper explores differences in the nature of decisions taken by males and females. Women are playing an increasingly important role in business management and managers are ultimately tested and evaluated in terms of their success in making decisions. Consequently any difference in the character and quality of decisions taken by male and female managers will have important implications for organizations. This paper reviews the literature, and reports two pieces of empirical work which investigate the connections between gender and decision making. The decision-making characteristics of males and females in a 'non-managerial' population in which the majority of individuals have not undergone formal management education are contrasted with a 'managerial' population of potential and actual managers who have undertaken such education. It is argued that women are often excluded from managerial positions of authority and leadership due to stereotypes, which have been constructed by observing 'non-managerial' populations at large. The paper concludes, however, that these stereotypes may not apply to managers as in the 'managerial' sub-population males and females display similar risk propensity and make decisions of equal quality.

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Published date: 1994

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 35795
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/35795
ISSN: 1045-3172
PURE UUID: 0f2a1605-8893-4db4-9bda-fb052577cf40

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Date deposited: 01 Aug 2006
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 07:54

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Contributors

Author: J.E.V. Johnson
Author: P.L. Powell

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