‘Women or men – who is a better leader’ is still one of the most debatable questions. Though a number of studies and surveys have revealed the fact that both men and women have similar capabilities of leading others in the corporate sector, our society is yet to be more liberal to offer powerful positions to women in the workplace.
A new study on gender effects on leadership
The latest research, headed by Steven Applebaum – the renowned management professor from the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) of the Concordia University, was aimed at finding out whether women make better leaders than men or not. Mr. Applebaum carried out the entire study with the help of a group of scientists of JMSB.
The objective of the study was to look into why the number of top executives around the world is not so impressive even though women are equally or more capable of executing their tasks perfectly than men. Researchers also tried to figure out how the factors like insufficient exposure, inappropriate assessment systems, obsolete stereotypes, and a pathetic office culture are restraining women from going ahead.
The resulting article named “Upward Mobility for Women Managers: Styles and Perceptions” has been published in the journal “Industrial and Commercial training” recently.
Focus on transformational leadership styles
The team of scientists paid attention to various transformational leadership styles and qualities to find out who is better among a man and a woman.
They worked on the leadership perceptions that usually people have, looked into the ways they deal with different issues that come along the journey of leadership, a variety of challenges that women might have to face in order to start as a high-level corporate professional, and so on.
Major differences between men and women
The team led by Mr. Applebaum has revealed that women are not at all lagging behind their male counterparts in terms of leadership skills or styles. Things holding them back are the ill-conceived concepts that they do not deserve to be compared with men, they are not capable of balancing their personal and professional life efficiently, and above all, they cannot work devotedly while nursing their old parents or taking care of their newborn babies.
It is of utmost importance that the leadership qualities of women are appreciated and welcomed all through the globe. Otherwise, we would not be able to get a number of worthy leaders in various reputed organizations.
