Gender and Management-An Overview Gender Matters in IB Nila Wiese, Ph.D.

History of Women in Management Biases have historical roots: Pre-Industrial America (colonial times) American Revolution and its aftermath (1750s-1850s) Late 1800s and early 1900s (1860s-1910) World War I 1920s-30s and the aftermath (Great Depression and the New Deal) World War II and its aftermath 1960s-70s 1980s-Present Examples of political, legal, social/demographic, economic or technological factors or events that have impacted women’s roles in the workforce and organizations over time? How have the interactions of gender, race and social class shaped the roles of women in the labor force, organizations and management?

The Concept of Power Four types of power: Other frameworks (Max Weber) Traditional: Power over Empowerment: Mutual empowerment focused on given power to others or enhancing others’ power Personal Authority: Power to be self-determining and make independent choices based on knowledge Reciprocal Empowerment: Combination of personal authority and empowerment Other frameworks (Max Weber) Authority is power accepted as legitimate by those subjected to it. Sources of legitimate authority: Charismatic, Traditional, Legal

The Concept of Power – Cont. Question: Extent, sources, and impact of power differentials between men and women in the context of organizations ‘Interventions’ (personal or organizational) related to leveling the playing field for the exercise or power in organizations depend on our definition of power Some key areas of organizational intervention: Recruitment & Selection Training & Development (including overseas assignments) Promotion Performance Evaluation Compensation

Gender and Definitions of Power Different theoretical approaches point to different roads to enable change. Liberal Feminism: Men and women are equal, should have same individual rights (level playing field) so that differences don’t matter. Focus is on Personal Power—ability of women to be self determining. Interventions: Overcoming barriers to individual advancement and ‘acting powerfully’ (i.e., like men). Socialist Feminism: Focus is on structural and societal power inequalities as determined by access to and control of valuable and needed resources. Empowerment. Interventions: Remove barriers to access to resources; articulate resource needs as essential to fulfilling role/meeting objectives of position of authority within organizational hierarchy.

Gender and Definitions of Power Cultural Feminism: Differences between men and women are deemed as positive. (e.g., Power over vs. Power with/to; women as relational leaders). Mutual empowerment. Interventions: Need to shift organizational views on leadership and power (e.g., from heroic / individualistic to relational / interdependent). Effectiveness of this theoretical view is challenged by the ‘disappearance’ of these behaviors. Disappearance of Relational Practices: Identify the various relational practices in the reading and the specific acts of ‘disappearing’ discussed.

Disappearing Acts… Define/explain these four practices and how they are of experienced and perceived by men and women: Preserving Mutual Empowering Self-achieving Creating team Explain/Summarize these 3 disappearing acts: Misattribution of motives/intentions Limits of language Social construction of gender

Gender and Definitions of Power Poststructuralist Feminism: Focus is on discourse, language, rules, practices, symbolism that produce and reproduce unequal power relations in organizations. How do these practices become legitimate? Informal structures that support these practices and norms? Example: Use of anger, loud voice, short answers, interruptions to convey ‘power’ or ‘authority.’ Interventions: Questioning gendered definitions of ‘effective leadership;’ deconstructing assumptions & interpretations of leadership behavior based on binary and oppositional discourses of power (masc. v fem.).

Gender and Definitions of Power Transnational and Third World Feminism Acknowledges: The role of the state on the lives and struggles of women. The complex nexus of power and domination that is gendered, patriarchal, racialized, (hetero)sexualized, and global in context (ex. child care and migration). Consider the agency of those less powerful, facing more/different challenges Can we learn from and adopt initiatives and approaches ‘tried’ in other countries or by foreign organizations?

Does Manager Equal Male?

Perceptions of an “Ideal” Manager

Based on these descriptions, which manager would you hire. Promote Based on these descriptions, which manager would you hire? Promote? Fire? This study found no gender-based differences in objective measures of performance (e.g., grades, fitness scores, class standing). Dataset: 81,000 evaluations of 4,000 individuals in a military setting.

A Classification of Barriers Macro-Environmental/Structural/Institutional: Economic, Political, Legal, Socio-Cultural, Technological Organizational Factors: Culture, Talent Mgmt. Practices, Leadership Individual: Needs, Motivations, Aspirations, Beliefs, Values Real vs. Perceived Barriers? Visible vs. Invisible Barriers? What is the ‘double bind’? Are there moderating factors that impact our ‘think manager/think male’ paradigm?