A Social Information Processing Perspective on the Influence of Supervisors and Followers on Women’s and Men's Adaptability to Change

Research on gender differences in adaptability to changing work conditions has revealed equivocal evidence. We provide a new perspective to this stream by proposing a model, grounded in theory of social information processing, that takes into account individuals’ responses to important others in their environment–namely, supervisors (for non-managerial employees) or subordinates (for managers). The model suggests that the performance of each category of important others can have differential impact on women’s and men's work outcomes amid changes. We use two-wave data collected from employees and managers who transitioned to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find no differences in adaptability across genders when important others are perceived to be effective. Among employees, when supervisors are perceived to perform poorly, changes at work relate to lower performance among men than among women. Among managers, when followers are perceived to perform poorly, changes at work relate to lower performance among women than among men. We offer recommendations to help men and women sustain performance over the course of a change. MAD statement Investigating inconsistent evidence on gender differences in adaptability to changing work conditions, we suggest that the performance of important others (supervisors, followers) have differential impact on women’s and men's work outcomes amid changes. Data from employees and managers who transitioned to telework during the COVID-19 pandemic reveal no differences in adaptability between men and women, when they perceive important others to function effectively during the situation. Among employees, when supervisors are perceived to perform poorly, changes at work relate to lower performance among men than among women. Among managers, when followers are perceived to perform poorly, changes at work relate to lower performance among women than among men.