Do emotional connections make women better business leaders than men? – RetailWire
06 Aug 2021
A university to study shows that when women express calm and happy emotions, they are seen as more effective leaders than men. The effect is most pronounced for leaders in senior positions in an organization.
The results go against stereotypes that falsely claim that women are “too emotional” for effective leadership.
Researchers at the University of California – Riverside and Drexel University claim to be the first to examine prototypes, or blueprints, for the types of emotions displayed by leaders.
Respondents were asked to describe the types of emotions leaders feel and express. Six emotional patterns associated with leadership have been revealed:
- Three – cheer, calm, pride – were associated with effective leadership.
- Three – anger, fear, remorse – were associated with ineffective leadership.
The broader conclusion was that implicit theories of leadership emotions had the most impact on perceptions of leadership effectiveness at the highest levels of management. For lower-ranking leaders, such as a boss or a person’s immediate supervisor, first-hand information plays an important role in assessing leadership effectiveness.
Thomas Sy, professor of psychology at UC Riverside, said in a statement: “We generally have little contact with leaders at the highest levels and less information about them. Therefore, we tend to rely on patterns. Patterns are powerful. Even in the absence of data, they shape our behavior.
A surprising finding is that although men have more leeway to express negative emotions, women are considered to be more effective than men when they do not express negative emotions.
In recent years, many articles have promoted the increased importance of emotional intelligence, or the understanding and management of emotions, for managing interpersonal relationships in a meaningful and empathetic manner.
An article published in the Harvard business review, “7 Leadership Lessons Men Can Learn From Women,” lists a list of traits that authors Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Cindy Gallop say belong to a definitely “female” leadership style, including emotional connection with employees.
The authors wrote: “While AI will divert the technical elements and difficult skills of leadership, as long as we have humans at work, they will need the validation, appreciation and empathy that only human beings have. humans – not machines – can provide. Men can learn a lot about how to do this effectively by watching and imitating women. “
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Do women leaders have an advantage in making emotional connections with employees, or does this conclusion misjudge men? In general, would you encourage leaders to expose or hide their emotions?
“All leaders need to be genuine and show empathy and understanding towards their teams, regardless of gender.”
“I think women are stronger leaders in leading companies for growth.”
“Do emotional connections make women better business leaders than men? YES.”