Are women better at organisational learning? An SME perspective

The study compared male and female owned and managed SMEs and the impact of gender on the organisational learning taking place in these firms. This explores how the learning process is managed and developed, which staff are drawn into the process and how the organisational memory is developed within female and male run organisations. The managers described their own management style and these views were compared with those of their staff. In the process, patterns of internal communication were identified within female managed firms which aid organisational learning; which were not found within male‐run firms. As a result it is argued that communication needed for organisational learning is facilitated by female management processes even when the women involved have adopted ’‘male” management role models due to pressures within their business sector, while external links and networking need to be developed to aid success in these organisations.