LEADERSHIP CHARACTERISTICS OF ... - Drake University

shared. Women believe people perform best when they feel good about
themselves and their work; hence women attempt to create an
environment which enhances self worth (Rosener, 1990). Additionally,
Rosener found that men and women describe themselves as gender
neutral in their leadership traits as opposed to having masculine or
feminine leadership traits.
The leadership styles of 150 male and 79 female managers at the
top management level in six Fortune 500 companies were assessed using
the MLQ. The authors concluded:
Women managers, on average, were judged more effective and
satisfying to work for as well as more likely to generate extra effort
from their people.. . .The profile that emerges here is of a female
manager who is seen as a more pro-active role model by followers
who is trusted and respected, and who shows greater concern for
the individual needs of her followers (Bass & Avolio, 1 994, p. 554).
A survey of 120 female and 184 male leaders as well as 52
supervisors and 588 subordinates revealed that supervisors evaluated
female managers as more transformational than male managers, and
females rated themselves as more transformational than males. The
findings also suggested that subordinates rated males and females
equally. Results indicated that males and females who perform the same
organizational duties and occupy equivalent positions within the
42