Dilemmas of Gender and Diversity

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Dilemmas of Gender and Diversity
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Orientation

• The diversity challenge - consequences for
  leadership of treatment of gender
• More women in leadership positions, but not
  senior organizational positions. Why?
• Older maps had leadership in terms of masculine
  attributes and are being increasingly challenged.
  (e.g. nature of gender differences for
  collaborative and nurturing behaviours).
• The shift raises dilemmas of tokenism and
  discrimination (e.g. glass ceilings)

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Platforms of Understanding

• Theory of female advantage and diversity dilemmas
  
• Vecchio - dominant theories of male supremacy
  replaced with mirror-image female theories
• Eagly Carli female styles offer performance
  advantages over male ones
• Nkomo Cox perspectives of discrimination and
  diversity as a neutral characteristic of social
  groups.

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Vecchio - Leadership Gender Differences

• Male leadership advantage being replaced by a
  symmetrical assumptions of female advantage
• Leaders categorized as either feminine or
  masculine with distinct gender determined styles
• Male styles previously concerned with tasks and
  female ones with concern for people
• Veccio maps gender is socially determined. A
  Leaders behaviours are not predicted by feminine
  or masculine style dimensions,
• Each leaders displays behaviours associated with
  male and female characteristics

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Eagly Carli Female Leadership Advantage Theory

• Doubt cast on Vecchios rejection of female
  leader advantage
• Evidence of consistent differences between men
  and women on measures of transformational
  leadership
• Transactional styles of leadership show no
  gender-based differences
• The link between female leadership practices and
  effective performance stronger than that for male
  leadership practices

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Context of Prejudice

• Eagly Carli argue that there is wide ranging
  prejudice towards female leaders
• Contributes to glass-ceiling effects and
  continuing discrimination against women in top
  positions
• Potential advantage of women leaders with
  transformational styles for supporting change
• Aspirin Effect term coined for studies prompting
  immediate action based on a small but significant
  overall effect. The measured differences between
  male and female leaders are small, but enough to
  warrant (Aspirin effect) actions to eliminate
  glass ceiling effects.

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Nkomo Coxs Review of Diversity

• Gender studies part of wider issues of inequality
  and diversity
• Diversity poses theoretical and practical
  dilemmas
• Narrow characterisations of diversity emphasize
  discrimination as consequence of diversity
  (Race, ethnicity and gender are the big three)
• Broader views (maps) draw on theories of social
  identity and evolutionary health, and develop a
  case for celebrating diversity

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Diversity Identity

• Diversity Map of Nkomo Cox helps explore nature
  of identity
• Theories of diversity deal with consequences of
  identity
• Social identity theory
• Organizational demography
• Ethnographic studies
• Race / gender studies

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Remapping Diversity

• Celebrate diversity and relevance for enhancing
  innovation
• Restrictive nature of stereotyping arises from
  either-or thinking (us and them)
• Essentialist maps lead to difficulties in
  challenging such polarised beliefs
• Interpretive perspectives make it easier to
  challenge and transcend stereotyping

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Margaret Thatcher

• Leadership Style
• Physical appearance (symbolic significance)
• Tougher than you approach anything but feminine
  
• Brutal negotiator no concessions
• Autocratic demonstrate superiority / humiliate
• Reputation
• Charismatic
• Courageous (seized leadership opportunities
• Self-belief
• Downfall
• Charismatic tipping point (hero to zero)
• Non-consensual style had generated conditions for
  overthrow

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Oriental Glass Ceiling

• Cultural factors still exclude women from
  leadership positions worldwide
• Defended by traditionalist groupings
• Dilemmas of gender
• Work attitudes reinforced by cultural beliefs
• Too masculine / not masculine enough
• Successful Women
• Diligent and a strong will to succeed

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Diversity leadership

• Management of organizational diversity becoming
  more accepted or at least on the agenda
• Entry barriers for restricted groups to leader
  positions being relaxed (elites relax entry
  conditions)
• Progress still restricted at higher levels of
  leadership in many institutional sectors
• One resolution of diversity dilemma Build your
  own company

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Summary

• Chapter has focussed on gender to expose dilemmas
  of diversity which apply more widely
• Stereotypical thinking ignores cues of social
  worth (e.g. evidence of women executives rating
  highly on transformational leadership factors).
• Diversity offers potential for superior
  performance, but may challenge leaders to
  understand and deal with differences
• Social identity maps suggest how diversity may be
  treated as a either a problem or an opportunity
• Reflection on dilemmas of diversity help overcome
  rigid (stereotyped) beliefs and suggest superior
  leadership strategies