Although men undeniably come out ahead in the workplace when it comes to the pay gap and the leadership gap, new research from PsychTests.com indicates that a managerial gap may exist — and that in certain areas, women have a leg up on men.
In its third Management Skills and Style Assessment, PsychTests.com reveals women significantly outscored men on over 20 managerial competencies and traits. Analyzing test results from more than 300 men and women, PsychTests' research reveals that while men outscored women on a scale from zero to 100 in skills and traits related to the business side of management (managerial courage, 78 vs. 73; nose for opportunity, 74 vs. 71; comfort with risk-taking, 65 vs. 62), women scored higher on scales related to employee relations and development, including recruitment and hiring (72 vs. 67), giving praise (85 vs. 79), rewarding performance (77 vs. 72), and building effective teams (76 vs. 72).
Women also were more likely to have clear ethical standards about their behavior as a manager and the organization as a whole, and were more comfortable delegating, considering it an essential aspect of empowering employees. Female managers excelled in the more personable side of management as well, showing stronger social skills, empathy and insight.
"On average, male and female managers just have different approaches and strengths. Excelling as a manager means that a person needs to be able to juggle multiple roles, and our data show that women are very good at this," says Dr. Ilona Jerabek, president of PsychTests.
Gender aside, which traits characterize good managers in general?
Comparing managers who were rated as "good" versus those who were only "satisfactory," the former group proved to be, among other things, more adaptable (77 vs. 71), more ethical (78 vs. 71), better at resolving conflict with employees (71 vs. 64), and showed better self-control (73 vs. 66).
What do you think? Do you agree with these findings? Do men or women make better managers? Personally, my best-ever manager (and professional mentor to this day) is a woman; what is your experience? Share your thoughts in the comments.
