4/11/2019 Women 'make better bosses than men' - Telegraph

Women 'make better bosses than men'

Women make better bosses than men because they are fairer and have more scruples,
according to a new study.

The study found that when there were conflicting interests, women board members tended to make fairer decisions than
men Photo: ALAMY

By news agencies
4:14PM GMT 27 Mar 2013

Companies with female board members are more likely to make decisions that benefit everyone from
investors to staff and not just themselves and other directors, the study added.

Business school researchers said the findings show that having women in the boardroom is not just good
for equality but good for business too.

The study for the International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics surveyed 600 board directors
about their approach to decision making and other corporate issues.

It found that when there were conflicting interests, women board members tended to make fairer
decisions than men.

Female directors were more likely to consider how the decision would affect others, whether it is
employees, investors or stakeholders for instance.

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4/11/2019 Women 'make better bosses than men' - Telegraph

To do this, women on the board were also more likely to use others in the decision making process,
which led to a much more co-operative feeling within the company itself.

As a consequence, female influenced companies were generally more successful than male dominated
ones, it found.

The study was conducted by strategic management professor Chris Bart of Canada's McMaster University
and Gregory McQueen of A.T.Still University in Arizona.

Of the 600 board members studied, 75 per cent were male and it found men were more likely to take
decisions based on rules, regulations and traditional methods.

Women, however, were more likely to try new ways and 'more prepared to rock the boat' it said.

Professor Bart said: "We've known for some time that companies that have more women on their boards
have better results.

"Our findings show that having women on the board is no longer just the right thing but also the smart
thing to do.

"Companies with few female directors may actually be shortchanging their investors."

Britain's top businesses are making some progress in promoting women though they still have some way
to go according to recent reports.

There are now just seven companies in the FTSE 100 which have no female directors, of which five are
mining companies.

But a similar study from 2010 showed there were 21 of the 100 without a single female director,
suggesting things have moved forward.

Yet in 2010 there were only two female chief executives and although there were four by the end of
2012, two of these have since left their jobs as well.

Gregory McQueen said: "Women seem to be predisposed to be more inquisitive and to see more possible
solutions.

"At the board level where directors are compelled to act in the best interest of the corporation while
taking the viewpoints of multiple stakeholders into account, this quality makes them more effective
corporate directors."

Previous studies have shown that corporations with women on the board perform better and are less likely
to go bankrupt.

Edited by Nadia Khomami

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