Gender and Influence Strategies in Work Settings: Diminishing Differences

Present work investigates the gender differences in the selection of influence strategies by the managers. Previous findings indicate that male and female managers use different types of influence strategies. However, two sets of explanations have been offered to explain these differences, namely, social-role model and structural model. Since the findings in this area were not conclusive and there were several unanswered questions, the present study was undertaken by the authors. In order to answer specific research questions in this area, three sets of studies were conducted. In the first study results were mixed and it indicated that there could be a possibility of social-role model playing a role. However, in the later studies there was no significant effect of gender on any of the dependent variables. Therefore, it was concluded that due to changes in the work place and societal norms over a period of time, stereotypical gender role expectations are getting diminished day by day. This work will be of interest to scholars from psychology, sociology, management or anyone interested in the field of organizational behavior.