Male and Female Managers in United States and India: A Study of Change Agent Styles Personality Factors and Biographical Differences

This paper reports results of a study conducted to investigate the differences in male and female managers in America and India. Two samples were used, one male and one female, in each country. The samples were matched cross-culturally for comparability in age, education, and level of management in the company. The Indian data were collected from participants attending management development programmes at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. The American data were collected from attendees at MBA programs (evening and weekend further education for practicing managers) in business schools in New Jersey. Three questionnaires were used for data collection. Hall and Williams Change Agent Questionnaire was used to collect data on change style. Personality data was collected on Cattell’s Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. The biographical questionnaires collected data on educational level, managerial level, age, salary, area of work, type of industry etc. Analysis of data showed the female managers to be significantly different from the male mangers. These differences were across all the three areas that were inveighed, namely, change agent styles, personality factors, and biographical characteristics. The female mangers used the credibility style of introducing change more often than the male managers. Female managers emerged as more hardworking, achievement-driven, having higher standards, experiencing greater conflict and being more hurting than their male counterparts. Female managers were younger, more educated and less paid than male mangers. A comparison of the American female managers with Indian female managers showed the former to be further behind the salary of male American managers than their Indian counterparts while being comparable in education and job status.