by Silva Payne

Created on: November 19, 2009

There has been much discussion about the differences between male and female managers. The question of whether women make better bosses than men is a highly subjective one. The answers will depend on an individual's experience of having a female boss, and the particular management style they used.

The qualities of a good boss are, however, not difficult to define. The ideal manager should be industrious, calm in the face of chaos, sympathetic without being a push-over, and have excellent interpersonal and organisation skills. Do women lend themselves to these qualities more so than men? Some would argue that women are generally more sympathetic and empathetic than men, but that may not necessarily be the case for a women in a position of management.

Women are thought to be good at multi-tasking. It could be that men are simply better at identifying what a women can do more efficiently and letting her get on with it, which gives the impression that they cannot multi-task. Whatever the reason, women often gain experience of multi-tasking from running their home life as well as holding down a job. Keeping track of their children's homework, after school activities and appointments, along with the logistics of getting a family from one place to another plus eating and taking the family pat to the vets requires a good level of organisation. Women generally have plenty of experience for this part of management. Men, often, only have to roll out of bed, go to work, come home to dinner and watch TV. A generalisation, obviously, but one many women can relate to.

Being able to deal effectively with a crisis is also a skill many women learn through having a family. Sometimes, events dictate your response, and having a child present to you a broken arm or a 6 inch nail embedded in their foot calls for definite calmness. With this skill comes the ability to problem-solve. Men are very good at this, and will often be able to see the issue and all possible solutions in the blink of an eye. Where women score extra points is their ability to see a problem on the horizon.

A strength that is often attributed to women bosses can also become a weakness; empathy. In a working environment where the majority of employees are women, a particular kind of empathy emerges where some women use it to gain dominance or status over others. The same can be seen in single-sex school, where cliques quickly form and in a work situation this can easily lead to preferential treatment and favouritism. Men do not appear to have such loyalties to a small group; they usually focus on what is best for the company and in this respect are far easier to deal with.

Can women be effective in the boardroom? Undoubtedly the answer to that is yes, but commonly only when they play a man's game. One of the most famous female bosses in modern history is the English former Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. It was often said during her term in office that she lacked certain female qualities and that this was a reason for her rise to the position of party leader. She was thought to not let sentiment or emotion cloud her judgement, and could often come across in debates as having a calculated and forceful tone. Was this adopted with the belief that any show of femininity would impede her career aspirations? It is generally thought that women bosses have to work harder than their male counterparts in order to reach the top, but perhaps they also have to sacrifice more of themselves along the way.

On the whole, women make more sensitive and creative bosses then men. Whether that is a good or bad aspect will depend on the particular sector or field they are working in, and whether you are a male or female working for them.

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