Women are ditching the stereotype of the imperious, tyrannical boss in favor of the nurturing ''office mom.'' Is that a good thing?With women coming close to outpacing men in payroll jobs for the first time in U.S. history--in July University of Chicago professor Casey Mulligan noted in the New York Times that women held 49.9% of jobs--it may be time to reconsider the old stereotypes of ambitious women in power. The idea of bringing some emotional warmth into an oft-chilly corporate world is proving advantageous, and women seem to be more than willing to take on the role.
''For such a long time people thought emotions had no place in the business world; you're either emotional or rational,'' says Kristin Byron of Syracuse University. ''That dichotomy doesn't exist.''
Byron's research has found that female managers who were better able to read emotions were rated by employees as more supportive and informational, and by supervisors as more effective.
In Pictures: How Stay-At-Home Moms Can Get Back To WorkIn Pictures: What Mom Taught Me About Life And BusinessEight Ways To Market To The Modern MomIn Pictures: 10 Steps To Take Before Mom Moves InIn Pictures: 10 Cool Gadgets For New MomsThe reasons for the switch from witch are debatable. Most studies and anecdotal evidence suggest environmental factors are at play. Joanna Barsh, a senior partner at consulting firm McKinsey & Company and leader of the McKinsey Centered Leadership Project, whose goal is to help develop women leaders, says females are simply conditioned to nurture.
''Women have a 'tend and befriend' instinct,'' explains Barsh who co-authored the book How Remarkable Women Lead. ''When they see someone in distress, instinct leads them to think: ''Let me take care of you, and by the way, would you like a bagel?'' she says.
''Office mom'' behavior can range from generosity (mentoring a young employee) and team-building (organizing monthly brainstorming sessions) to sweet (baking cookies) and cozy (inviting employees home for dinner with the family).
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