Research Paper on:
Management Effectiveness and Gender Influence

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
management models as well as favourable characteristics. One of the more recent aspects of management style and influence has been the study of gender on management through masculine and feminine  styles of management, and the impact that this may have on effective management techniques. The issue of feminine and masculine styles of management, although only recently attracting attention, may  be considered retrospectively to models that have been used and recognised before feminine or masculine management was coined as a term. Before we look any further we need to consider  what we mean by feminine or masculine management. Although it is easy to associate this with gender, it also needs to be separated, as a feminine manager may be masculine,  and a male manager may have feminine management qualities. Traditionally male management styles have been seen as a harder style of management (Vinnicombe, 1999, Chorn, 1995, Reid, 1992). Male  management appears to be associated with aggressiveness (Vinnicombe, 1999), sharp business practices (Oliver, 2002), the use of power and how the power is held in a strict hierarchy or possible  autocracy, and strong leadership. These may be applied positively or negatively, there are times when a business will need strong leadership, but power may also be utilised in a negative  fashion, depending on circumstances. The converse is true of feminine style management. Feminine management styles are associated with softer qualities, higher degrees of team working and negotiation, more open  communication, and a greater degree of sensitivity, leading to better people management, whilst embodying a lower level of aggression and competitiveness (Kakabadse, 1999, Vinnicombe, 1999, Entine and Nichols, 1997).  These are more often than not associated with the gender of the manager. However, it is interesting to note when studies have been undertaken to ask individual manager about their