MANAGEMENT STYLE: MODELING OR BALANCING?

SUMMARY An examination of the style of managers (N = 155) in a simulated work environment shows that they tended to model the style of their boss. Females evidenced this tendency to a greater degree than males. Furthermore, when the boss was a female, male subordinate managers became somewhat more participative than the boss, while female subordinate managers became more authoritarian. A compensatory or balancing hypothesis is proposed as a possible explanation for this sex difference. These results should not be generalized beyond an American population. Possible cultural differences were not explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]