When we say that “women” are “better” managers because they “care” more, “relate” better, and “are less aggressive,” we are feminizing the qualities or attitudes of managers. Men can also care more, so to speak. They can also be very fair and objective than women. Are women better managers? I do not necessarily agree that men or women are good managers. While I consider women as good managers, I do not want to “label” their excellent management with their gender. Men and women are different because they have different gender and they have a different culture. According to Parcheta, et. al. (p. 241), we have specific characteristics, differences as formed by our personalities. They emphasize that our identities are determined by our environment, of our time and period, and contexts. Hence, we have an extraordinary perception of our affairs with others, how we manage our time, how we order things, among others (p. 242).
The diversity is never ending, and it gives each person a vantage point, a whole new way of seeing and understanding, a dynamic approach to problems, and different innovations (p. 242).
I believe that the challenge for modern day management is to be able to grasp and embrace this diversity and make it very useful for the business entities and organizations.
Each uniqueness provides certain benefits and advantages for the organization and hence, the management’s role is to cultivate these disparities into something very productive and efficient (Cleveland, et. al., p. 150). Many people see it as a social responsibility.
However, the acknowledgment of gender difference should not only be seen as a thing of our social conscience. It must be a powerhouse of a human resource development.
However, gender stereotypes still hinder management’s total effectiveness.
According to CNN, just about 14.2% of the top five leadership posts at the S&P 500 companies are occupied by women (Egan, p. 1). There are only 24 female CEOS out of 500 companies (p. 1).
Previously, some high profile women managers or CEOs became “talk of the town.” This list included Lockheed Martin, Marillyn Hewson, and Mary Barra, who was the first ever woman leader in a male-dominated auto industry (p. 1).
Other famous women managers are Indra Nooyi, who is the Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo and Ursula M. Burns, who is the Chairman and CEO of Xerox (Arora, et. al., p. 1).
CEO Nooyi became Pepsico’s president in 2001. She was instrumental in the company’s acquisition of Tropicana, Gatorade and the Quaker Oats Company (p. 1). She became Pepsico’s CEO in 2007 (p. 1).
Nooyi has a sharp eye on global strategy. With her leadership, Pepsico has overtaken the global brand, Coca-Cola for the very first time. She has also served as a leader of cause-oriented organizations.
Meanwhile, Ursula Burns has a remarkable story. She used to be a poor girl from New York. Burns rose through the ranks and eventually became instrumental in saving the company from bankruptcy.
She was the first Black American CEO of a Fortune 500 company (p. 1).
Usually, other successful women are taken into the sidelines. They end up in human resources and investor relations posts which are equally important but not entry points to being chief executives (Egan, p. 1).
This prevalence is brought forth by gender stereotyping. People, especially those in management and business, usually picture a CEO to be a male.
Women managers are also not very much supported by their peers or fellow managers as they move their way up. Male sponsors are more common than female ones (p. 1).
Unwittingly, it was shown by a study of Fortune 500 companies that business companies with a high membership of female board members remarkably outdone those with no female board directors (p. 1).
This scenario implies that leaders with varied management experiences and skills will certainly be successful in financial management. Consultants attribute this to the fact that women have different skills sets than men (p. 1).
These unique skills include their careful consideration of risks.
Management gurus also attest to the multi-tasking abilities of women, including their practical sense and service orientation (p. 2).
According to Cleveland, et. al. (p. 150), the female paradigm of management assumes a set of feminine qualities such as sensitivity (or caring for others) and intuition (sixth sense) which can be very useful for the firms or organizations.
These qualities can be integrated into the other qualities, which may be present in the male counterparts, towards attaining the larger goals of the group. In a more practical sense, it is not an issue of gender inequality but more of gender sensitivity.
Both males and females must acknowledge that they are different and they must work towards understanding their differences in varied contexts.
At present, many women managers still idealize being homemakers, and they forego higher career opportunities. They think that greater management involvement will take more time away from their homes. Hence, they sacrifice their careers over their families.
Perhaps, in a future time, management would not take up much of a manager’s time and being chief executive should not mean sacrificing the whole of one’s self for the company. Meanwhile, some males are also taking the role of a “stay at home dads,” enabling their wives to be more career-oriented. Even when twenty-first century organizations are now more gender sensitive, diversity committed, among others, women managers are still a minority (Parcheta, et. al., p. 242). It is evident that gender stereotypes influence companies and the entire workforce. As management and staff become more conscious of gender stereotyping, human resource practices, mentoring, sponsorship of new executives should also be reformed. In the last two decades, many changes have occurred in the leadership of business companies and organizations. However, as already stated, women managers are still few due to gender stereotyping. We should not add up to the stereotyping by acknowledging the leadership qualities without endearment to any of the gender. The never-ending debate on who is the better manager is not something to be resolved.
Meanwhile, some males are also taking the role of a “stay at home dads,” enabling their wives to be more career-oriented. Even when twenty-first century organizations are now more gender sensitive, diversity committed, among others, women managers are still a minority (Parcheta, et. al., p. 242). It is evident that gender stereotypes influence companies and the entire workforce. As management and staff become more conscious of gender stereotyping, human resource practices, mentoring, sponsorship of new executives should also be reformed. In the last two decades, many changes have occurred in the leadership of business companies and organizations. However, as already stated, women managers are still few due to gender stereotyping. We should not add up to the stereotyping by acknowledging the leadership qualities without endearment to any of the gender. The never-ending debate on who is the better manager is not something to be resolved.
It is evident that gender stereotypes influence companies and the entire workforce. As management and staff become more conscious of gender stereotyping, human resource practices, mentoring, sponsorship of new executives should also be reformed. In the last two decades, many changes have occurred in the leadership of business companies and organizations. However, as already stated, women managers are still few due to gender stereotyping. We should not add up to the stereotyping by acknowledging the leadership qualities without endearment to any of the gender. The never-ending debate on who is the better manager is not something to be resolved.
In the last two decades, many changes have occurred in the leadership of business companies and organizations. However, as already stated, women managers are still few due to gender stereotyping. We should not add up to the stereotyping by acknowledging the leadership qualities without endearment to any of the gender. The never-ending debate on who is the better manager is not something to be resolved.
We should not add up to the stereotyping by acknowledging the leadership qualities without endearment to any of the gender. The never-ending debate on who is the better manager is not something to be resolved.
Works Cited:
Arora, Rupali, et. al. The 50 Most Powerful Women in Business: Global Edition. Fortune Website. Accessed on 02 October 2016 <http://fortune.com/2014/02/06/the-50-most-powerful-women-in-business-global-edition-fortunes-most-powerful-women/>.
Cleveland J. N., Vescio, T. K., & Barnes-Farrell, J. L. “Gender discrimination in organizations.” In Dipboye RL, Colella A (Eds.), Discrimination at work (pp. 149–176).
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Egan, Matt. “Still Missing: Female Business Leaders.” CNN Website. Accessed on 02 October 2016 <http://money.cnn.com/2015/03/24/investing/female-ceo-pipeline-leadership/>.
Parcheta, N., Kaifi, B., & Khanfar, N. “Gender Inequality in the Workforce: A Human Resource Management Quandary.” Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 3, 2013, p. 240-248.
