A Different World A new study highlights the differences between male and female entrepreneurs.
By Charlotte Mulhern •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
It's a well-known fact that men and women run theirbusinesses differently, but exactly how entrepreneurial behaviorsdiffer is less understood. To shed some light on the matter, BrookeR. Envick, an assistant professor of management at St. Mary'sUniversity in San Antonio, recently released the results of herstudy, Behaviors of Entrepreneurs: A Gender Comparison.
While previous studies examined only the psychologicaldifferences between the sexes based on self-reported data, Envickobserved eight behaviors in her study: planning, controlling,internal communication, human resources management, work-relatedtasks, customer service, networking and on-the-job personaltime.
One of Envick's most surprising findings was thatcontrolling behavior, previously considered a male-dominant trait,was actually more prevalent in female entrepreneurs. "I'velooked through [previous corporate management studies] and foundcomplete support for the [idea] that men are more assertive andcontrolling," Envick says. "But in this study, femaleswere more controlling." Her explanation? "Femaleentrepreneurs are motivated by the desire to have control, so itmakes sense that [control] is exhibited at work."
