Industrial Management

MAR-APR 2016

Issue link: https://industrialmanagement.epubxp.com/i/656209

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 23 of 31

24 Industrial Management 2. Resistance to women's leadership. According to Eagly and Carli, the resistance to women as leaders stems from long-held beliefs about how members of the genders ought to behave. Men are expected to display a range of agentic behaviors associated with leadership, which include being self-confident, forceful, aggressive, ambitious and dominant. Women are expected to display a range of communal behaviors that include being helpful, friendly, kind, sympathetic, gentle, soft- spoken and interpersonally sensitive. Typically, communal behaviors are not associated with leadership. This attitude creates a stumbling block for women who are expected to display communal behaviors but then get criti- cized for not being agentic. 3. Issues of leadership style. There are a number of ways of distinguishing leadership style, such as autocratic vs. democratic, task-oriented vs. relationship-oriented or transforma- tional vs. transactional. Transformational leaders are leaders who inspire followers to transcend their own self-interests and who are capable of having a profound and extraordinary effect on followers. Transactional leaders are leaders who guide their followers in the direction of established goals by clarifying role and task requirements. Transactional leaders use rewards and punishment to accomplish tasks. Researchers have looked at whether there are style differences in the ways men and women lead. One meta- analysis of studies comparing leadership styles found that women were more likely than men to display transfor- mational leadership and were more likely to reward their followers for good performance, while men were found to take more corrective action than women. However, what is perhaps most striking about the studies is that the differences between how men lead and how women lead tend to be very small. 4. Demands of family life. While family life makes demands on both men and women, there is clearly a biological disparity that results in women having What is perhaps most striking about the studies is that the differences between how men lead and how women lead tend to be very small. to take maternal leave, while men can take paternal leave or not. Studies show that men in the U.S. contribute more hours to their home and family lives than ever before, but women still contribute more time and take more leaves of absence, more sick days and are more likely to opt for part-time work to meet the demands of family life. Studies also show that parenthood tends to work in a man's favor, as the underlying assumption is that women with children won't be able to meet the increased demands that come with a promotion. 5. Underinvestment in social capital. Meeting the demands of family life leaves women less time for social- izing and networking at work. This reduced investment in social capital results in women missing opportunities at work that, in the long run, hamper their career progress. Navigating the path to success The path to career success is arguably complex, and the impediments are multifaceted, which helps explain why only a small percentage of women who graduate college and enter the workforce are able to make it to the C-suite. Let's examine what individuals, organizations and the larger social environment can do to facilitate the progress of women to these higher level positions. Sandberg's suggestions. There are various debates about how women can boost their chances at career progress. One of the themes embedded in these conversations centers around what women can do to assist their own progress. A key contributor is Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook, who generated a great deal of attention with her TED talk and the subsequent publication of her book in 2013. In her book, Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead, Sandberg makes 11 recommendations to women to help advance their careers. First, she asks of women, what would you do if you weren't afraid? Sandberg suggests that there is a double standard for men and women in that ambition is generally perceived as a negative quality for women, while it is perceived as a positive quality for men. Second, she suggests that women "sit at the table" and consider taking opportunities despite reservations they may have about their abilities to execute them. Third, Sandberg identifies another double standard with respect to success and likeability. Men are liked for being successful, while women are disliked for being successful. The fourth piece of advice is that there are multiple paths to the top, not just a single ladder, and that women might consider accepting lateral transfers and opportunities to contribute in growing fields. Fifth, Sandberg stresses the impor- tance of working with a mentor and, sixth, of seeking and speaking their truth. The seventh key notes that all too often, women give up career advancement in order to have a family. Her advice is that women should not leave (psychologically) before they leave (physically), but instead they might stay connected to their career path and take concrete steps to assist them with their career progress. The eighth suggestion is that women make their partner "a real partner," and this involves sharing household and childcare responsibilities with their spouses. The ninth note surrounds the erroneous notion that any one person r p r o g r e s s .

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Industrial Management - MAR-APR 2016
loading...
Industrial Management
Remember me