Recent studies suggest that female leaders more than males tend to employ transformational behaviors. More than men, women leaders tend to place greater value on relationships, with emphasis on cultivation and nurturing. Eschewing the traditional perks and privileges, which separate the leaders from the rank and file in traditional organizations, female leaders tend to construct ties to each individual. There may be some good reasons for the differences. According to one study, because women often do not have the same access to formal power as men, they learn to rely on personal power and influence, teamwork and other non-traditional methods to get the work accomplished.
Research also suggests that men and women employ different management approaches.
In leadership situations, women tend to behave more democratically, placing greater emphasis on maintaining effective working relationships and valuing cooperation more highly. Female leaders tend to seek solutions that address the concerns of all parties rather than viewing issues as resolvable only on a basis of winning or losing. We investigated leadership styles in our study of female entrepreneurs. We found high correlations among items related to being transformational and interactive leaders, interest in people and human resource skills. The entrepreneurs with an interactive leadership style differed from the other entrepreneurs on a number of important management dimensions.