Why aren’t women viewed as visionary?

The good news is that in a study of executives, women did better than men on several measures. The bad news is that women fell significantly behind in one key area: vision.

Research by INSEAD professor Herminia Ibarra and PhD candidate Otilia Obodaru shows that women leaders are not perceived to be as strong as men when it comes to articulating a vision of the future and translating that vision into a strategic direction for the organisation.

As a neuropsychiatrist who studies the differences between male and female brains, I’m often asked whether such differences play a role in professional achievement—and particularly, in men’s dominance of the highest ranks of many fields. Male and female brains are more alike than not, and business’s famous glass ceiling has nothing to do with raw intellect. Yet the distinct demands that are put on men’s and women’s brains at key career phases may help explain the gender inequality in top management.

Professional women face a common double standard: how the display of emotion can be perceived as an indicator of the incapacity for leadership; don't show emotion and be rejected as unfeminine. Communication and organization experts at Emory University and its Goizueta Business School explore the role of women and emotion in the workplace and note that for future generations, many of the stereotypes may no longer be a factor.

The evidence of women's success in the corporate world is plentiful. But two professors from the Olin School of Business at Washington University in St. Louis wondered whether women's evident prowess in business is something that most people generally recognize when making investment decisions. Their conclusion: perceptions of female business leaders aren't keeping up with reality.

New research shows that women managers outperform men in almost every management dimension. For women financial managers, this can translate into increased faith in their ability to climb to the top. The message for men is twofold: a call to develop their leadership skills and to recognize that their companies have a superior resource that is tremendously underutilized.

Gender is not a good predictor of negotiation performance, but ambiguous situations can trigger different behaviors by men and women. Here is how to neutralize the differences and reduce inequities.

At a recent Wharton presentation, a New Yorker cartoon flashed on the screen showing a group of women in what looked suspiciously like a faculty club dining room. The caption read: "I hear we're all getting Valentines from Lawrence Summers." The reference, of course, was to the Harvard University president's famous remark that the lack of women in science and engineering might be caused in part by gender differences in aptitude. Stanford University economist Muriel Niederle used the cartoon to highlight some of her research into other possible factors behind the scarcity of women in top engineering and science positions. She focused in particular on a paper titled, "Do Women Shy Away from Competition? Do Men Compete Too Much?" co-authored with economist Lise Vesterlund.

Recruiters hiring business-school grads see a clear difference between male and female candidates.

Workers' general notions about the effectiveness of male and female managers can be as important as their actual leadership abilities or business results, according to a recent Wharton Executive Development program entitled, "Women in Leadership: Legacies, Opportunities & Challenges." As a result, women executives need to be exceptionally aware of their own leadership styles and strengths -- as well as changes underway in their organizations -- in order to make an impact. Participants also discussed the role a strong corporate culture has played in the success of such companies as cosmetics giant Mary Kay Inc.

Women executives who leave the corporate world when they hit a glass ceiling, want to raise a family fulltime or decide to focus on other interests, encounter frustrating roadblocks in their attempts to re-enter the workforce, according to new Wharton research. To overcome the obstacles, women should confront the difficulties they face and prepare for their return to the labor force the moment they leave, says Monica McGrath, adjunct professor of management at Wharton, executive coach and co-author of the study entitled, "Back in the Game. Returning to Business after a Hiatus: Experiences and Recommendations for Women, Employers, and Universities."

Since the 1960s, have married women increased their participation in the labor force to compensate for the decline in employment and disappointing earnings growth of their husbands? Are married men working less today because their wives are working more?

In the workplace, employers need to take into account women who take a temporary "off-ramp" from their careers. Here is how to keep them connected to your company.

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It's one thing to aspire to please and play by the rules. It's another thing altogether to aspire to shake things up and be an agent of change. To effect change on a wide scale, women must leverage their resolve, their internal wisdom, their authentic voice

Six no-nonsense ways women can close the gender wage gap.

Are women still at a disadvantage when it comes to attaining career success? Yes and no, says a new study. Women across the board seem to be enjoying greater parity with men-except in "good-old-boy companies," where a woman's personal style and needs for work/family balance may clash with organizational expectations, values, and demands.

Many women who think they aren't good negotiators simply have never been taught how. Here are four typical mistakes women make when negotiating and how to correct them, so you can get what you want in business and in your personal life.

Women face plenty of obstacles on their way up the ladder, but those that are self-imposed may be among the most difficult to overcome.

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The founder and CEO of the premier consultancy dedicated to women's marketing, Quinlan has personally interviewed 3,000 women -- uncovering profound and enlightening truths that can't be learned from traditional research.

Are women in business still expected to exceed expectations? What should women ask before accepting a job offer? What does Tupperware have to do with women's lib? Can the number of women on corporate boards really quadruple in the next decade? What does it take to smash through a real, honest-to-god glass ceiling? And what does a businesswoman resemble more: a windmill or a fax machine [and why would we even ask such a question]? All is revealed in our special report.

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Information technology has helped reduce boundaries between cultures and nationalities, adding fillip globally to organizational change. The impact on women as a representative group however, has not been as distinctive. On the one hand, transformations in social structure and relations have driven changes in roles and behaviour patterns. On the other hand, there are (gendercentric) resistances to change, perversely also on the part of women themselves.

By now, plenty were supposed to be in the corner offices. It's not working out that way. In many fields, men still rule, while women often choose more nuanced paths that keep them from reaching the top. But who are the real winners?

Frances Hesselbein offers some thought-provoking ideas on leaders who are women.

When negotiating compensation, women often sell themselves short. Some practical advice on claiming the power to lead in this interview with HBS professor Kathleen L. McGinn and Harvard's Hannah Riley Bowles.

From evolutionary biology to discrimination to personal preferences, science and society have offered many reasons for why women have not caught up with men in the workforce. New research suggests that part of the answer lies in the different ways men and women react to the incentive of competition.