Sex Differences, Organizational Level, and Superiors' Evaluation of Managerial Leadership

Abstract

Sex differences and leadership research literature includes many findings concerning subordinate evaluations of managers' performance, but little is known about superiors' perceptions of male and female managers. This study explored superiors' evaluations of the leadership skills of their managers to determine if sex differences exist. A sample of 400 male and female managers, representing middle and upper organizational levels, were rated on Benchmarks, a multirater feedback instrument developed at the Center for Creative Leadership. A 2 x 2 MANOVA detected no interaction effect between sex of the manager and organization level. Main effect analyses revealed one difference: Female managers were rated higher on 1 of 16 scales, putting people at ease. Upper level managers were evaluated higher than middle level managers by their superiors on 8 scales. Results indicate that sex differences are not salient in distinguishing managerial leadership ability once the manager has crossed a threshold of organizational experience.