In a new survey published by the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, which was based on a poll of 624 board directors in Canada, women on corporate boards are better decision makers than men on corporate boards.
Linda Nguyen of the Canadian Press reports that according to the study, women are more likely to “rock the boat,” be open to new ideas, and use “co-operation, collaboration and consensus building” when dealing with complex decisions while men are more likely to use “rules, regulations and traditional ways of doing business” to make decisions.
The study authors (who are male) also found that women are considered to be more inquisitive which makes them able to see more possible solutions to problems. In addition, they are more likely to consider multiple stakeholders and focus on fairness when making decisions.
One of the highlights of Nguyen’s article is a quote from study co-author Chris Bart, professor of strategic management at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, who said, “Men are pack animals and they are very much quick to recognize the hierarchy of the alpha males in the group. They would be very unhappy with people coming in with different values or views to the board.”
It’s important to point out that women are very much in the minority in the corporate board rooms of the top Canadian companies. Follow the link at the beginning of the article to read Nguyen’s full article complete with more of the study findings and data related to the percentage of women on corporate boards in Canada. It’s not a diverse picture.
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
Follow Me:
