Effect of Gender Composition on Group Performance

Abstract

The effect of gender composition on group performance was investigated over three years using the MARKSTRAT 2 simulation. Senior undergraduates formed groups and competed within five-firm (group) industries over 10 weeks, as well as submitting group reports on their performances. Performance and report marks were independent of group size and individual performance in other course assessment. Women per group (numbers, percentage, gender ratio) was positively related to simulation performance, with few women-dominated groups ranking lower than first or second within each industry. Very few all-men groups achieved first or second rankings. There were no significant correlations between group gender compositions and marks for the group written report.Women's more interactive, people-oriented and co-operative work styles apparently facilitate the MARKSTRAT 2 group process and, when combined with men's more analytical decision-making tendencies and competitive orientation, appear to explain the superior performances of mixed groups. The emergence and utilization of these tendencies within groups are discussed in terms of Social Contact Theory and Competition Theory. Although generalizations from student-based studies to the workplace is problematic, the results indicate that groups may be more effective when women outnumber or equal men, especially in complex management activities requiring extensive information management and processing, planning and decision-making over protracted periods.

Evaluating meeting support tools

“…In some studies, it was assumed that the combination of different skills that males and females bring to the team task results in a higher level of performance. However, a test of this premise has resulted in contradicting outcomes [31][32][33]. As a consequence, the effect of the team's gender composition on our outcomes cannot easily be predicted.…”

“…As a consequence, the effect of the team's gender composition on our outcomes cannot easily be predicted. In general, however, women have a more interactive, people-oriented and cooperative work style, whereas men have more analytical decision-making tendencies and competitive orientation [32,33] and this may affect the scores on communication and leadership. Another limitation concerns the team members' lack of experience with the design task.…”

Female directorship, director compensation, managerial shareholding, and price-earnings multiple of Nigerian firms

“…For instance, Fenwick and Neal (2001) could not find any significant correlation between gender group structure and market value of equities. Equally, Fenwick and Neal (2001) and Rose (2007) studied a sample of listed Danish companies and established that Danish boards are to a significant level controlled by men directors. The research could not find any significant relation between firm value and female representation in the board.…”

Feminization of Boards and Cameroonian Public Enterprise Performance

“…They differ notably in their attitude to risk (Booth & Nolen, 2009;Byrnes et al, 1999;Eckel & Grossman, 2002), their management practice (Fenwick & Neal, 2001), their attraction to the competition (Niederle & Vesterlund, 2007), their decision making (Barber & Odean, 2001) and their motivations (Kalleberg &Leicht., 1991). They argue that unlike men, women are more oriented towards harmonization of relations and help from others.…”