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Argumentative Men: Expectations of Success

Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo

Argumentativeness, an assertive style of communication, has been conceptualized as both constructive and desirable; it is linked with several managerial qualities, such as group leadership, better decision-making, and enhanced credibility. A rea sonable expectation is that supervisors would exhibit a higher level of argumenta tiveness. However, most efforts to show a direct link between argumentativeness and workplace success have led to equivocal results. In fact, a recent study of employed women shows that women above the first supervisory level are more moderate in their argumentativeness. The present study, which surveys nearly 300 full-time employed men, shows that men at all levels exhibit the full range of argu mentativeness. Moreover, the mean argumentativeness of supervisors at all levels is significantly lower than that of the non-supervisors. The contrast is even more striking when only the ambitious, qualified entry-level men are compared to the supervisors. The similarly-high mean argumentativeness of male college students and management track non-supervisors suggests intervention by business communi cation instructors could be helpful.

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