Effective delivery of workplace discipline: Do women have to be more participatory than men?

This study investigated the effectiveness of male and female managers when they engaged in the masculine-oriented managerial behavior of discipline. A sample of 155 employed students rated their managers. When managers reportedly allowed two-way discussion with employees, their subordinates reported improved behavior. Two-way discussion and timely and private discipline behaviors were related to fewer negative outcomes. Male and female managers did not differ on discipline behaviors; however, manager gender by behavior interactions indicated that when women were low on two-way discussion, employees reported fewer improvements. This finding suggests that women may experience costs that men do not when they fail to discipline in a considerate way. Our results suggest that when females provide two-way discussion and discipline in private, they realize more improvements in employee behavior than males.