This question is really difficult to answer meaningfully by just watching or listening to these few women and the men who are CEOs of large companies. The question formulation assumes we know there is a difference, which is something to be explored through research. A second layer of this question is the implicit assumption that these "cognitive styles" are innate. Lastly, even if we were to find any differences, we'd still face the uphill task of linking cognitive styles to anything that matters regarding management of the companies (outcomes, processes, organizational climate, etc.)

Good question though: I'd be very interested to see any research that establishes such differences and links them to company performance measures.

Dear Professor Sandra Kaufman,

Thank You for your answer.

Previous studies in applied cognitive psychology demonstrated gender "cognitive styles" differences. Overall, there was some tendency for women to follow intuitive strategies more than men. Importantly, the gender

differences in all instances were orthogonal to the cultural differences.

So, I work to link such differences to institutional logics (and to company performance measures)

Best regards

Dorota Leszczynska

I think that is very interesting indeed - and I am aware that in general such gender differences can be identified (though the devil is, as always, in the details). However, the CEO crowd is so very small that perhaps it does not allow us to draw any meaningful conclusions about institutional logics. It is the leap to company performance measures that gives me pause. As for the orthogonality of cognitive styles with culture, that is not the only influence we might imagine. Your question sounded as if it were eliciting information/opinions but it seems that you have the answers...

For the moment we have little answers...

At the moment the methodology of research is qualitative

CEOs (woman) are more and more numerous thus I explore this interesting subject

There are certainly limits and every answer is precious for me

Thank you for your valuable answer

Dear DOROTA, u r right to much extent. for understanding the difference, May I ask to look the subject from another perspective i.e, nature.... By nature, men and women though created equal, have some psychological differences too, Somewhere, women is stronger while somewhere men are. Like men are more stronger physically but women are not, women are more sympathetic while men may not be. Women are more intuitive than men, women idealize every thing, while men may accept things with flaws being more realistic.

Now, keeping above into consideration, come to corporate life. Here, women, in the male dominated environment, rises to the level of CEO; where she gains the precious experience which calls for to act against her basic instinct i.e nature. She realizes that in order to be successful, she needs to work through her experiences however, during that sometimes her very basic instinct overrides her experience and therefore she sometimes idealizes and works on her intuitions,,, sometimes take lenient actions against defaulters which are often objected by male colleagues.

Hope I have added up little here...

warm regards

Dear Dorota ,

The success of organization call fall successful management requiring a very capable & fast decision making CEO or all managing Director.It is not at all necessary that only a male can carry & dominated the success for the organization .

Female in certain respect can carry more weighted because of very nature ,temperament ,proving quite good human relation value & growth for the organization .Besides it may create & establish moral value - a disciplinary stage of for organization which may also indirectly excel the image with the other structure of the organization .

The basic positive nature in every female is that they are also creators .A nature also so to say god 'given gift to them .

The main end of expressing my views are not in any way under estimate the male power for carrying out the important assignments ..For selection of CEO should be done only on merits basis & not by whether they are male or female .In any way they should not be any water tight compartment .