Successful Female Corporate Managers and Entrepreneurs

Abstract

Research was conducted comparing personality, sex role, and demographic profiles with data from in-depth interviews of successful professional women in entrepreneurial and corporate work settings. Results demonstrate significant differences on measures of trust and level of control, with managers scoring as more trusting and requiring lower levels of control than entrepreneurs, who seek to define their own work environments and parameters. Although managers view corporate environments as safe and supportive, entrepreneurs consider them confining. The thrust of this exploratory study is unique in that it compares and contrasts characteristics of high-achieving women in these two distinct, yet complementary, nontraditional arenas.