Innovation capability of women and men managers: evidence from Kazakhstan

The relationship between gender and managers’ innovation capability is not thoroughly investigated, and the innovator’s contribution and men and women’s impact on innovation management is not clearly stated in the research literature. Although recent studies have shown a positive impact of gender on organizational innovations, women managers are still considered less innovative compared to their male counterparts. The paper examines an under-researched role of innovators and their genders in managing innovations in organizations and aims at identifying women and men managers’ innovation capability in the context of newly emerging economy of Central Asia. The quantitative research method (a multivariate closed questionnaire) was utilized among 224 respondents from Kazakhstani private organizations functioning in extraction, construction, production, energy, service, trade, and education industries. Subordinates assessed their supervisors’ (first-line, middle-level, and top managers) innovation capability: stance on innovations, support of subordinates for innovative ideas and activity, and adopting innovations. Linear regression analysis was used for the hypotheses testing and further data assaying. The findings define that women and men managers demonstrate an equally positive attitude towards innovations in organizations but the former outperform the latter in adopting innovations and encouraging employees to innovate. The work lays the ground for further research in the region of Central Asia and emerging countries with dynamic but unstable economic development. The involvement of more women managers in innovations will further a long-term impact on subordinates' satisfaction, dedication to organization and performance. The social implication of the present work lies in increasing executives and senior officials’ awareness of the positive effect of gender diversity on organization innovative capability.