Statement of the Problem, Aim, Objectives, and Research Questions or Hypothesis
Over the last few decades, men and women managers have been described as having similar leadership traits, particularly in developed nations. According to studies by Liu and Zhao (2019) and Wood (2020), men tend to be command-and-control-oriented managers, whereas women are more collaborative and conciliatory. However, these authors further asserted that the dynamic nature of structural employment usually erodes gender-based managerial disparities, thus necessitating frequent studies in this niche.
Therefore, this study aims at determining whether male and female managers adhere to the same traditional management approaches. To achieve the aim of the study, the following two questions must be answered during this research:
- In which ways do men’s and women’s managers differ in their management styles in the U.S.?
- Are there any policies that can be formulated to standardize management styles used by both male and female leaders?
The literature highlighted in the research innovation section supports the need to address the above questions under this topic. On the other hand, the objectives of this study are summarized below:
- To identify the difference in leadership styles between men and women leaders in the U.S.
- To investigate the impact of the changes in patterns of socialization and structural employment on managerial styles employed by men and women leaders.
The section that follows highlights the existing research gaps that prompted the need to conduct this study.
Research Innovation
There are only a few empirical studies that have established the differences in leadership styles between men and women managers in light of gender equality reforms. These researches include one by Abalkhail (2019), who concluded that whereas female managers were inclined towards transformational management patterns that depend on interpersonal abilities, male managers opted for more directive techniques. However, a study by Mireu & Grau (2019) found no discernible variations between the managerial styles employed by male and female managers. Their study is among the many works of literature already in existence that have been eroding earlier perceptions of gender disparities in management and leadership. This research, therefore, aims to bridge the aforementioned research gaps, thus contributing to the already existing literature. By comparing men and women in the same sample, the study avoids the polarizing male-female difference debate that is often associated with single-sex studies.
Methodology
Participants
A total of 150 managers will participate in the study. 75 female and 75 male managers between the ages of 35 and 60 will be sampled from different public firms within Wall Street, New York. These participants, having served for a minimum of five consecutive years at their respective positions, will be drawn from the low, middle, and high echelons of management.
Methods
Since the mono-method analyses data from a narrow perspective, the mixed methods framework will be used for this study. Combining qualitative and quantitative data makes it possible to explain discrepancies between different managerial techniques; thus, detailed and verifiable results can be easily obtained. The data collection phase in this study will rely on primary data from a pilot survey conducted via Zinklar Online Surveys (ZoS) that would then supplement the open-ended mail questionnaire technique in the large-scale study to either oppose or support the topic.
For triangulation purposes, the pilot survey will employ Likert scale questionnaires, which will be sent to a placebo group consisting of 71 different firms. The questions, drafted in English, will be based on the two hypotheses, and respondents will have to either agree, disagree, strongly agree, strongly disagree, or neither agree nor disagree. The results of the placebo group would then be used to evaluate the instruments’ construct validity and reliability as well as to improve the clarity of the questions in the main study.
Expected Outcome
The study’s key expected findings are that a higher proportion of male managers will be found to employ the authoritative (57%) style of management, followed by the collaborative (13.4%) and entrepreneurial (9.6%) styles. In contrast, women managers are more likely to use collaborative (46.5%), entrepreneurial (23.8%), and authoritative (10.6%) styles. These results are in line with those of studies by Judy (2020), Wilson (2019), and Wu et al. (2019), which found that men typically exhibit their authoritative managerial style whilst women prefer being collaborative and accommodating. Irrespective of the leadership styles employed, this study recommends the use of open and flexible approaches by both male and female managers. The study suggests the formulation of standardized policies such as employee-friendly and interactive systems as they foster good interpersonal relationships in organizations.
References
Abalkhail, J. M. (2019). Women in management in Saudi Arabia. In R. J. Burke & A. M. Richardsen (Eds.), Women in Management Worldwide: Signs of Progress, (3rd ed, pp. 341-356). Gower. Web.
Judy, M. (2020). Women in management in New Zealand. In R. J. Burke & A. M. Richardsen (Eds.), Women in Management Worldwide, (2rd ed, pp. 247-261). Routledge. Web.
Liu, J., & Zhao, X. (2019). Is there a gap in female entrepreneurship research in China and worldwide? In 5th International Conference on Economics, Business, Finance and Management, Shenzhen, China, 8(34), 6-8.
Mireu, L. H., & Grau, M. (2019). Women in management in Spain. In Women in Management Worldwide, (3rd ed, pp. 85-106). Routledge.
Wilson, F. M. (2019). Women in management in the United Kingdom. In R. J. Burke & A. M. Richardsen (Eds.), Women in management worldwide: Signs of progress (3rd ed, pp. 109-120). Gower. Web.
Wood, G. J. (2020). Women in management in Australia. In R. J. Burke & A. M. Richardsen (Eds.), Women in Management Worldwide, (2rd ed, pp. 225-245). Routledge. Web.
Wu, J., Li, Y., & Zhang, D. (2019). Identifying women’s entrepreneurial barriers and empowering female entrepreneurship worldwide: A fuzzy-set QCA approach. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 15(3), 905-928.
Other References to be Used in the Final Paper
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