We all know that women can work very well together, but a new report indicates that is not always true. A study from Washington University in St. Louis finds that the benefits of adding women to workplace teams increased collaboration and creativity, but only when competition isn’t involved.
Researchers discovered that men benefit creatively from going head-to-head with other groups, while groups of women operate better in less competitive situations. As intergroup competition heats up, men become more creative and women’s self-confidence and creativity drops.
A little healthy competition shouldn’t stifle creativity or clobber self esteem. Women need to be more upfront about helping each other, but also helping themselves. I think that is where many women fall short by cutting themselves off at the knees and in turn have a difficult time with good ole healthy competition and expressing their desire to win and feel accomplished.
Read more about the study at Huffington Post.
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We want to hear from you…
- Does competition slow you down?
- Do you think women compete fairly?