Social-Role versus Structural Models of Gender and Influence Use in Organizations

Abstract

We adopted a strong inference epistemological approach and confronted predictions derived from 2 competing paradigms that attempt to explain poor evaluations and slow organizational advancement of female managers as compared to male managers. Participants viewed a video tape of a manager (female, male) occupying identical roles in the organizational structure and using 1 of 2 forms of influence behaviors (direct or indirect). The prediction of the social-role model was that female managers would receive more negative evaluations than did male managers when using (sex-role incongruent) direct influence behaviors. The prediction of the structural model was that there would be no gender-based differences and there would be a main effect for influence use (because direct influence is more congruent with the managerial position than is indirect influence). Supporting the structural model, ratings of managerial power, leadership effectiveness, managerial attributes, and reactions to an influence attempt were affected by the type of influence used and not by gender.