The gender factor in management: how significant others perceive effectiveness Available to Purchase

Robert Quinn’s competing values framework identified eight managerial roles that managers must display if they are to be effective. The eight roles are innovator, broker, producer, director, co‐ordinator, monitor, facilitator and mentor. In this study 509 managers, 127 of whom were females, responded to a survey exploring the extent to which they displayed each of Quinn’s managerial roles. Each managers’ staff were asked to respond to the questionnaire. When the gender of the managers and that of their significant others (staff, peers and boss) was taken into account there was no significant difference reported in the extent to which the eight roles were displayed nor the effectiveness level of male and female managers. The results of this study indicate that the gender of the manager does not impact on how they are perceived by their significant others. Rather it is how effective they are as managers that determines their significant others’ perceptions.