But when the study was published two years ago, Joohyung Kim, assistant professor at the City University of Hong Kong, and Manuel Vaulont, professor at the D’Amore-McKim School of Business at Northeastern University, weren’t sure if it told the whole story. What if the creativity of men and women was perceived differently by those around them?

Vaulont and his colleagues decided to examine the behaviors that lead to creativity rather than analyzing creative outcomes. They defined creativity as “the development of novel and useful ideas.” The two behaviors most important to creative thinking are risk-taking and empathy, they found. However, people often overestimate the importance of risk-taking and novelty, forgetting that creative ideas must also be useful and require an understanding of the community or customer.

They analyzed 700 studies with more than 265,000 participants. And they found that men are usually more willing to take risks, while women show more empathy. In addition, empathy in women correlated more strongly with creativity than risk-taking in men. By these standards, women have an advantage when it comes to creativity.

Her study debunked the false myth that men are more creative than women, while showing that women can have an advantage thanks to a more subtle type of creative thinking that prioritizes the community over the individual. “Creativity is not just about coming up with bold, new ideas, but also about coming up with useful ideas that address the needs of an audience,” says Vaulont.

This is not the first time that women’s different approach to business has led to an undervaluation of their skills. Take the early days of the pandemic as an example. Suddenly, empathy was a crucial skill for CEOs and other business leaders, whereas before the global crisis, toughness and other more stereotypically male traits were considered more important for leaders. This study shows the same phenomenon for another important business skill.

Importantly, creativity is one of the human skills that cannot be replaced by AI. From traditionally creative fields like advertising and editorial to creative problem-solving in other business contexts, it is a key differentiator for workers in the coming decades. That women are perceived as less creative, even as this skill becomes even more important in the workplace, is an unfair disadvantage. In fact, women are only just starting to think about how to use creativity to solve problems for others – not just come up with a flashy idea for its own sake.

Emma Hinchliffe
[email protected]

The broadsheet is Assets’s newsletter for and about the most powerful women in the world. Today’s edition was curated by Nina Ajemian. Subscribe here.

ALSO IN THE HEADLINES

– Not seen and not heard. The Taliban have passed laws banning women from speaking in public and wearing no makeup. The bans are part of a document that includes the first formal introduction of “vice and virtue laws” since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021. AP

– Give them some space. NASA announced that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been stuck in space for more than two months, will stay in the International Space Station until February 2025 and then return with SpaceX; their spacecraft, which encountered problems on the flight to space, will return to Earth without a crew. The mission was supposed to last eight days but will now become an eight-month orbit. BBC

– Not up for debate. An abortion rights bill in Arkansas will not go to a vote in November because the state Supreme Court ruled that organizers did not submit all the necessary documents to put the bill to a vote. New York Times

– Love and basketball. Bumble, the online dating and networking app led by CEO Lidiane Jones, has partnered with WNBA team New York Liberty after signing a comprehensive partnership with the league. The deal includes events, contests, social media activities and Bumble as the primary sponsor for a home game during the postseason. The essentials

MOVERS AND SHAKERS

Principal Financial Group Deanna Strable President and Chief Operating Officer. Strable currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Seed Health, a microbiome research company, named Cathrin Bowtell President. Previously, she was Chief Commercial Officer.

Perry Ellis International, a clothing company, called Kim Manna President of Global Licensing. Previously, she was Senior Vice President of Retail, E-Commerce and Licensing at Hard Rock International.

PureTech Health, a clinical-stage biotherapeutic, added Michele Holcomb to the Board of Directors. Previously, Holcomb served as Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer at Cardinal Health.

ON MY RADAR

Why Democrats stopped asking if a woman could win the White House New York Times

I run a large bank in Kenya. That’s why we invest in Africa’s female entrepreneurs Assets

Will a joint business relationship destroy our friendship? The cut

FAREWELL

“I am a working mother who can structure her day very differently than someone with a regular nine-to-five job.”

— Nara Smith, influencer and model, does not identify with the narrative of the “traditional wife” with which she is associated

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