They say that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, and there is simply no way to ever bring the two on an even playing field, because they are simply too different. Martians are also showoffs, wanting to display their proverbial peacock feathers to show the Venusians how good they are. Interestingly, while this has always been seen as something negative – no one likes a show off, after all – it now turns out that it is something very positive as well. And, interestingly, it has demonstrated why men are more likely to be engaged with a top idea management software option.
Essentially, what a researcher at Northwestern University has uncovered was that men are much more likely to share their creative works, including art, songs, videos, and writing, than what women are. This is because they want to show off about how well they have done. Men and women produce equal amounts of creative work, but women are far less likely to share their works with others. Indeed, only 50% of women share their work, whereas almost 70% of men do.
Pictures Can Increase Creativity
The strength of images is incredibly powerful and not to be forgotten. This is even reflected in perceptions of people. For instance, did you know that, at a trial by jury, people who are perceived as being good looking, are more likely to be given a lighter sentence than those who are classed as ugly. Why the issue of images matter, is because men are far more likely to share images that they have created than what women are.
However, does this balance itself out again in other ways? Women, for instance, are known to be more openly critical of others. This is particularly true with women in top level positions, who are also quicker to develop negative feelings towards another woman. These are all very important psychological issues that you must incorporate if you are to move forward with your innovation efforts.
What we know, in other words, is that men are more likely to share their innovative idea. Whether they do that to boast or not is irrelevant, when what matters is that they put the information out there. Women, meanwhile, are quicker to criticize these creative ideas. At the same time, however, men are more likely to then come to the defense of their fellow creators, because they are not as critical. While this may sound like a mean psychological mind game to play, effectively pitting people against each other, the reality is that it is not quite as dramatic as that. Rather, you simply have a far better chance of coming up with something that is truly unique and that will truly benefit the organization. And once it does, everybody on the team can congratulate each other for a job well done, even if it does show them that they behaved like psychological stereotypes. Becoming aware of that may be innovative to them, in fact!