Women make better business leaders than men in all but two areas of management, but men have the upper hand when it comes to focusing on the bottom line, according to an Australian survey released on Monday.
 
Women make better business leaders than men in all but two areas of management, but men have the upper hand when it comes to focusing on the bottom line, according to an Australian survey released on Monday.

Data collected from 1,800 Australian female and male chief executive officers and managers found women exhibit more strategic drive, risk taking, people skills and innovation, and equaled men in the area of emotional stability.

But men came out on top when it came to command and control of management operations and focusing on financial returns.

The survey, conducted for the Steps Leadership Program by employment consultancy firm Peter Berry Consultancy, found women were more likely to take a chance with their ideas and challenge the status quo.

"Women are ambitious, bold, mischievous¹, colorful and imaginative. They are more confident, competitive, visionary and have a stronger presence," Gillian O'Mara, general manager of the Steps Leadership Program, said in a statement.

But the survey found that men were more task focused and concentrated on getting the job done rather than dealing² with relationships.

"(Men believe that) that bottom line dollars are the only game in town. Their key motives³ and preferences in life appear to be around revenue, budgets and profit. At work and at home, they are driven by financial opportunities," said O'Mara.

"Men are task focused and concentrate on getting the job done without bothering too much with relationships. They are more comfortable with hierarchies⁴, title silos and processes."

The results of the survey, which was based on an international research-based personality test called the Hogan Assessment⁵ System used by organizations to select employees, will be presented at a female leadership seminar in Sydney on May 14.

本周一公布的一项澳大利亚调查显示，除两个领域外，女性的领导能力都优于男性。不过，男性在抓问题关键方面还是要略胜一筹。

针对澳大利亚1800名男性和女性主管和经理的调查数据显示，女性管理者更具战略意识、冒险精神、人际交往能力和创新精神，但在情绪稳定方面与男性管理者差不多。

不过男性在管理工作的整体掌控及关注利益回报方面要强于女性。

该调查是由彼得•贝利就业咨询公司为“领导能力指南项目”开展的。调查发现，女性管理者比男性管理者更勇于尝试自己的想法或挑战现状。

“领导能力指南项目”主管吉里安•奥马拉说：“女性有志向，她们大胆、淘气、有趣，富有想象力。与男性相比，她们更加自信、更喜欢竞争，爱幻想，表现能力也更强。”

但调查发现，与女性管理者相比，男性更关注工作本身，他们更专注于搞好工作而不是忙于处理各种关系。

奥马拉说：“（在男性看来）他们唯一的游戏规则就是最终的利润。他们的人生动力和喜好似乎都与收益、预算和利润有关。无论在家还是工作，他们都在为赚钱而奋斗。”

“此外，男性更关注工作本身，更专心于搞好工作而不是忙着处理各种复杂的人际关系。他们更能适应层级、头衔差别和升迁的过程。”

该调查是根据一项名叫“霍根评价体系”的国际研究型人格测试开展的，该评价体系常被各类组织用来挑选雇员。该调查结果将于5月14日在悉尼举行的女性领导能力研讨会上发表。

Vocabulary: 

status quo:现状