Survey: Risk doesn't deter women business leaders

Old-boy myths allege that women are "risk-averse" business leaders, but a survey just released by the Simmons School of Management reached the opposite conclusion.

According to a survey of more than 650 women managers polled during the 2008 Simmons School of Management national leadership conference, "businesswomen are highly likely to take risks related to business or professional opportunities," the Boston school said in a press release issued today.

"When you actually unpack the research, the finding that women avoid risk is based on very specific contexts and a limited concept of risk-taking actions," Sylvia Maxfield, a professor at the School of Management, said in a statement. "By including contexts in which significant investments of time and money are placed in projects which require learning-by-doing, and where the likelihood of success is very hard to predict, we found women engaged in a lot of risk-taking actions."

The Simmons School of Management is gearing up for this year's national conference, which is scheduled for Saturday at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. To visit the conference's website, please click here. To learn more about the survey, please click here.

Among the scheduled speakers is Diane Keaton, the award-winning actor, director, and producer.

The photo of Keaton that appears with this post was taken from the event's website.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)