An examination of associations among manager-boss gender, self-awareness, and managerial derailment

Using the data of managers in the United States (N = 42,792), United Kingdom (N = 3,797), and China (N = 1,893), we examined the associations among manager-boss gender combinations, self-awareness and the managerial derailment potential. First, the study demonstrated an association between manager-boss gender combinations and managerial self-awareness, even though the specific gender joint effects were not consistent among the three countries. Second, both self-awareness and manager-boss gender combinations contributed to explaining additional variance of managerial derailment potential. Consistently across three countries, overestimators were more likely to derail than the managers who were in touch with their bosses. In terms of gender effects, compared to male managers, female managers with male bosses were more likely to derail. These results imply that, to achieve high levels of self-awareness and provide accurate prediction of managerial derailment potential, organizational scholars and practitioners must consider both the gender of both managers and their bosses.