Amy Gould

Social Differences & Management Styles: a Study of Conformity Amy Gould

Are the cultural attributes (gender, race, religion, native spoken language) of managers within city organizations correlated with specific management styles? If so, are the specific cultural attributes of managers correlated with levels of management style conformity (low, medium, high) when managers interact with other people in the same organization? Finally, do managers who have cultural attributes in the minority conform their management style at a higher level than managers who have cultural attributes in the majority? The demographic composition of the workforce in the U. S. has changed to a more heterogeneous one and will continue to do so. This trend has led to a growing body of research about a diverse labor force which suggests that a variety of interacting cultural attributes may present specific obstacles within organizations. However, very little is known about why cultural composition has these effects. These reactions are actually levels of conformity to given stereotypes and prejudices about the cultural attributes of others as related to our own. For managers in public organizations, these acts of conformity play out in their management styles.