WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT
ARE STEREOTYPED
AS RIGHT-BRAINED
Right-brained or left-brained? Many scientists believe there is simply too little information to make sweeping generalizations on this subject. So the brief discussion below is intended only to explain the assumptions people are probably making when they use those terms.
Each Side of the Brain
Processes Information
Differently
The left hemisphere processes informational laterally, meaning one step at a time. This dominance is characterized as:
- Rational
- Sequential, verbal
- Textual
- Viewing the world quantitatively
These people are list makers, analyzers, classifiers, detailed, and methodical. They like rules, facts, certainty, reality, practicality and security.
The right hemisphere processes the same information intuitively, meaning it jumps to conclusions. This dominance is characterized as:
- Visual
- Creative
- Emotional
- Viewing the world instinctively
These people are visual, “gold miners”, quick to make decisions, bored by detail, imaginative, sensual and conceptual. They like qualitative research and are risk takers.
While some people may be truly one or the other, most are a mixture of both.
How Much Credence
Should the Theory
Be Given?
Please understand that I’m nowhere near an expert in this field so am really unqualified to answer that question. I’ve just done some research and am passing the information along.
Neurological researchers claim to have proven that women’s and men’s brains are physiologically “wired” differently - which probably accounts for the generalization considering the stereotypical personality traits associated with each. Interesting, but even if true, what can you do about it?
For our purposes, the most useful way to look at this subject is to say that your dominant hemisphere has more to do with how you process information (learn, think and make decisions) than how you come across as a person.
Of course, if you really are purely right-brained, this analysis won't matter much to you anyhow. Just tuck the information away in case it might explain something some day.
(You can pretty well guess which side of my brain is dominant!)
Return to HOMEPAGE from RIGHT-BRAINED
