University at Buffalo School of Management

22 Buffalo Business Spring 2018 insights Last year, five undergraduates helped me investigate gender differences in lead- er emergence, or the degree to which an individual is perceived as a leader by oth- ers. After gathering every study docu- menting gender and leader emergence, we combined the data to draw an overall conclusion. While the gender gap has de- creased over time, our research revealed that, all things being equal, men are still more likely than women to emerge as lead- ers. National statistics clearly illustrate this disparity: According to the U.S. Bu- reau of Labor Statistics, women occupy 39 percent of managerial roles. Just 4 percent of CEOs and 20 percent of board mem- bers at S&P 500 companies are female. Research attributes much of the gap to gender stereotypes. Women are seen as nurturing, kind and compassionate, while men are viewed as independent, asser- tive and dominant — traits more closely gender differences in leadership How to get patients to share electronic health records Education is the key to getting patients to share their medical records electronically with health care providers, according to a new School of Management study. Published in the Journal of Medical Internet research, the study found that while patient education has typically focused on the benefits of electronic records, privacy con- cerns are what keep most from signing up. "When a patient decides not to share their records electronically, it can result in in- creased costs, medical errors and undesired health outcomes," says study co-author Lawrence Sanders, professor of manage- ment science and systems. "But patients are more concerned about privacy, and health care providers should make it a priority to let them know about all the policies and security measures in place to protect them." By making patients more aware of existing privacy policies and security measures, health care providers create an environment where patients are more likely to share personal health information, and therefore reduce costs and errors, the researchers say. The authors analyzed results of a nationwide health survey with more than 1,600 partici- pants, which included questions about health conditions and lifestyles, intention to share personal health information and more. Be- yond patient education, they found educating health care providers is just as important. "Physicians need to know how important their relationships are with people who come to them for care," says Joana Gaia, clinical as- sistant professor of management science and systems. "As doctors spend more time with patients and involve them in decision-making processes, they will be more willing to share their medical records electronically — and see the benefits of doing so." Sanders and Gaia collaborated on the study with Mohamed Abdelhamid, assistant pro- fessor of information systems at the California State University Long Beach College of Busi- ness Administration. Gaia and Abdelhamid were lead authors. x aligned with our expectations of a typical leader. Thus, because of society's often un- conscious stereotypes, men will, on aver- age, be perceived as more leader-like than women. How can organizations limit the in- fluence of gender bias? First, leaders should make employees aware of our natural ten- dency to overvalue agentic attributes in leaders. In fact, while communal qualities, like kindness and compassion, are often seen as less leader-like, research shows these same traits increase a leader's effectiveness. Past research indicates people are less likely to depend on stereotypes when they spend more time together and are held ac- countable for their decisions. Therefore, when hiring, try to meet candidates multi- ple times and assign interviewers who will work closely with the new employee. x Excerpted from On Leadership, the School of Management's blog. Read more at mgt.buffalo.edu/onleadership. — Emily Grijalva Assistant Professor of Organization and Human Resources

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