Steal Women Superstars But NOT Men

I have written before on research by Harvard Business School Professor Boris Gryosberg.  I wrote about the investment houses that he studied that used the no asshole rule to attract and keep great people, and encourage them to engage in teamwork that drove impressive perfomance among investment analysts, and his related research that shows how superstars aren't portable -- that when they leave, they tend to much worse at their new firm. 

Boris has a brand new Harvard Business Review article that amends this finding: His research shows that although male superstars aren't portable, female superstars are portable. Go here to see a summary of the article  (Sorry, if you want the whole thing, you need to buy it). Some of the highlights according to Harvard Business Online:

"According to Groysberg, talented women who switch firms maintain their stardom, and their new employer’s share price holds steady. Groysberg provides two explanations for this discrepancy:

• Unlike men, high-performing women build their success on portable, external relationships—with clients and other outside contacts.

• Women considering job changes weigh more factors then men do, especially cultural fit, values, and managerial style.

These strategies enable women to transition more successfully to new companies. And that has crucial implications for all professionals. By understanding successful women’s career strategies, women and men can strengthen their ability to shine in any setting."

So, there you have it. If you are out shopping for superstar employees, the evidence suggests that hiring woman rather than men will give you an advantage (I wonder if this research means that sex discrimination in this situation is legal, as it can be shown to be linked to performance, a reversal of the argument about why there are no female major league baseball players....). And if you are a man, and want to be portable superstar, study what women do. 

Facinating stuff.  I've always loved Boris' work, now I love it even more.

Comments

[John]

It isn't a male-female thing, necessarily. At the risk of pulling a Larry Summers, each gender likely has a distribution of skills and attitude types within it. Men excel at some things, women excel at others. It would seem women excel at information sharing and team dynamics. Just as heavily male teams fail due to a density of "locker room" and Alpha-male ego-centric mentality, heavily female teams often struggle due to a similar lack of distribution of personality types.

Ensuring a broad range of personality types, as opposed to tracking male/female ratios, is a smarter path to building an optimal team.

[Kenji Gracia]

For now i have only gone to 20 job interviews and i'm in my current job finally (i spent 1 year working as a waiter, for i had a hard time finding a job here in Tijuana)

I do weight a lot of points, not just pay and hours. I try to look how much i can fit to the place and if i will be of use to the staff. So far i am adaptive but i'm no supestar.

[Anthony Kuhn]

Bob:

Thank for your thoughts on why women make more portable superstars than men! I had never considered that all that board room/locker room stuff would end up being a liability, but Harvard Review can't be wrong, can they? I linked to your post on my blog for the Innovators-Network in hopes that some of my readers will visit Work Matters and read the piece for themselves. Keep up the insightful musings and I'll continue to visit and read.

Anthony Kuhn

[Michelle Greer]

We have to weigh culture when evaluating a job. There is nothing worse than moving into a company and then having your ideas completely ignored because you don't fit into "the boys' club." It's the biggest way to waste your efforts.

Think about it. If a man walked into an office where a woman is the CEO, another woman is COO, and most of the managers are women, wouldn't he look hard and long at the company culture before wasting his time in a place where he probably won't fit in?

As sad as this sounds, I have not had a female boss since high school. Evaluating whether my boss will look at me as a piece of meat or an actual contributor is crucial in my career path.

[Sean Murphy]

I guess Carly Fiorina would be an exception to the rule?

[Anita Bruzzese]

I can't speak for men, but in my experience, I've always asked to speak to non-management types when I interview for a job. While they may not tell me everything I need to know, things like body language, how easily they laugh or smile when the boss is around, how they relate one another, etc., can tell you a lot. If I see a lot of tense shoulders, people barely speaking to one another, sidelong glances when the boss comes around...that's when I wonder if things may not be as peachy keen as the boss intimates. I don't take a job to try and "survive" it, I take it to "thrive" in it.
Anita Bruzzese
www.45things.com

[David Christiansen]

I think there's a lesson here for male job seekers - take the time to evaluate cultural fit before you decide to jump ship. I think we (men) tend to focus too much on stature and pay and overlook working conditions, relationships, and likelihood of success based on being a good fit. We should ask for second interviews if we're serious, and ask questions that help reveal whether the company is a good fit for us or not. I'm an IT guy, so I like to measure how bureaucratic the place is by asking my prospective employer how long it takes, from the day someone identifies the need for a new piece of equipment to the first day it is connected to the network and usable. The answer to that question tells me a lot about the company, and helps me to understand whether I will fit in or not.

I think anyone can learn to take culture, fit, etc. into consideration when evaluating a career move. It may test the male ego a little more than the female ego to admit you wouldn't be able to succeed in a certain environment, because we like to think we can do anything, but we'll be happier if we learn to do it well.

I hope this didn't somehow come off as sexist. If so, it was unintentional and hopefully will be forgiven. Thanks for pointing out Boris's research Bob!