Having a woman manager can improve productivity with mixed-gender teams, Harvard study finds

BOSTON – A new study out of Harvard Business School shows reason for more women managers in the workplace.

Lack of communication between managers and their employees can lead to poor productivity and customer dissatisfaction. However, the study found female managers are better equipped to build rapport among mixed-gender teams, leading to better organizational performance and greater employee retention.

Researchers at Harvard Business School analyzed data from a fast-food chain in Colombia. They found that cisgender men managed other men well and cisgender women managed other women well, but when the staff was mixed, women “outshined” the men when it came to rapport, by creating optimal schedules, looking out for the workers’ interests, and discussing and reaching goals.

They say women are poorly represented at the management level in almost every industry, and this study provides additional evidence that giving more women opportunities to lead can improve productivity.

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.