Do Men and Women Differ in How They Delegate?

Modupe Akinola, Ashley E. Martin, and Katherine W. Phillips recently published an extraordinary paper in the Academy of Management Journal titled “To Delegate or Not to Delegate: Gender Differences in Affective Associations and Behavioral Responses to Delegation.” It reports on the results of five separate but related research studies that explored gender differences in delegation at a depth that has not been done before. The great part about this paper is that they end by offering advice on how to help women reframe delegation so it is a more positive behavior.  

Background

As we know, the effective delegation of work to others is an important ability and skill needed in management and leadership today. The benefits to individuals who delegate include reduced workload, improved speed and quality of decisions, and greater respect from workers who see that the leader is participative. For the workers, benefits may include an increase in intrinsic motivation, more opportunities for professional development, a greater feeling of empowerment, and a potential relationship-building experience between the leader and worker. Yet, the question remains: do men and women differ in how they delegate? Akinola and colleagues explored this question by conducting a series of studies, each with a different purpose. The paper explains the details of each, but I will stick with summarizing the findings. I would definitely recommend reading the full paper!

Results

For decades, research has found that women tend to be more communal (e.g., kind, sympathetic, sensitive, nurturing, helpful, relationship-focused) and men more agentic (e.g., assertive, task-driven, independent, self-confident) in their behaviors and styles. Individuals are socialized into these gendered patterns, and society typically expects those gender-based behaviors of individuals. So, what did these researchers find about delegation and these gendered behaviors?

• First, they found that women see delegation as more agentic than men do; therefore, women look more negatively on delegation than do men.
• Second, although women self-reported that they did not delegate less than men in one study, another study found that they did indeed delegate less often than men.
• Third, when women did delegate, these researchers found, they spent less time with their workers and had lower-quality interactions with them as compared to men. Because of this the workers felt “unsupported, less trust, and less motivated” (p. 1486).
• Fourth, one of their studies found that women felt more guilt after delegating than did men, and they were more likely to “fear backlash for being perceived as too agentic in their delegation behavior” (p. 1486). Yet, women who delegated outperformed those who did not.
• And, finally, Akinola and colleagues found that reframing delegation in a way that helped bring out the communal elements—like telling women that delegation would help their workers learn, develop, and grow from the experience—made women feel better about delegating and doing so more often.

Concluding Thoughts

Since delegation skills are so important in management and leadership today, it is imperative that women learn to delegate effectively and that leaders clearly understand their own gender bias around these issues. These tendencies and behaviors are important for both men and women to understand, and reframing delegation by highlighting the communal elements can lead to more effective delegation by women. Delegating can be an important component in a women’s leadership programs and initiatives moving forward. Thanks to these scholars for sharing such powerful research!

 Dr./Prof. Susan R. Madsen is a global thought leader, author, speaker, and scholar on the topic of women and leadership. She is also the Orin R. Woodbury Professor of Leadership and Ethics in the Woodbury School of Business at Utah Valley University and the Founder of the Utah Women & Leadership Project. Learn more about her global efforts at http://madsengloballeadership.com/.