MANAGERS AS NEGOTIATORS - A TEST OF POWER VERSUS GENDER AS PREDICTORSOF FEELINGS, BEHAVIOR, AND OUTCOMES

This study explores the impact of gender and power on the feelings, be havior, and outcomes achieved by managerial men and women engaged in a n intra-organizational conflict. Forty pairs of practicing managers (4 0 men and 40 women in same- and mixed-gender pairs) took part in a sim ulated negotiation in which the parties differed in organizational pow er. This design permitted the testing of several hypotheses about the direct effects of gender and power, as well as the question of whether gender and power would accumulate to men's advantage and women's disa dvantage. Results show that managerial women expressed less confidence and less satisfaction with their own performance than managerial men but did not differ in their behavior or in the outcomes they achieved. High-power managers, of both genders, attempted to engage in cooperat ive behavior with their partners, and believed they achieved cooperati ve outcomes. But low-power managers were more competitive and felt the y gained their own ends at the expense of the other party. Some intera ctions between gender and power are suggested by the results, but none of them match predictions from existing theory. Implications and limi tations of the study are discussed.