A recent article in Bloomberg Businessweek highlighted the shrinking gap between men and women in the corporate workplace. The article delved into both quantitative and qualitative analyses of women working in corporate settings, and the stigma that, although is fading, is still at times placed upon a successful professional woman. It is interesting to note that in 1970 only 35% of a companies corporate staff were female, and today that number is a much more proper 50%. Also in 1970 less than 5% of women earned more than their husbands, while today that percentage is about five times as much, and while there were no female Fortune 500 CEO’s in 1970, there are currently 18 (though this shows improvement, it also highlights very serious issues). The landscape of corporate employment has shifted and so too has the household dynamic of many American families. Opting out of day care and making the decision to have a parent home to raise their children, many fathers are sacrificing careers to become stay at home dads. As this practice becomes more and more common, and more and more socially acceptable, it should be no surprise that the number of female employees in the corporate work world, and especially the number of women in upper level management positions, is expected to rise dramatically in the coming years.
There have been numerous psychological studies looking at the different approaches men and women utilize in their management efforts, and the empirical data produced by such studies have put to rest many misconceptions and preconceived notions Americans hold about women in management positions. In my prior internship experiences, I have had first hand experiences with both male and female direct managers, and though I discourage anyone from making broad generalizations about an entire gender based solely on one, two, or any number of experiences, I can say that they had very different approaches, neither better or wrong. I believe that one’s life experiences, as well as the obstacles they encounter and overcome, are among the single greatest factors in determining the way that they will manage. It is difficult to argue that men and women experience the world differently. They encounter different challenges, solve different problems, interact in different social situations, and while there is abundant overlap, certain things still remain very “male” and “female”. In my past experiences, my female boss was much more capable in communications aspects than my male boss, and I felt that she better understood my tasks, my motivations, and my thought processes. I felt more comfortable collaborating with her and asking her for help and advice. My male boss had an extremely acute eye for details, and was quite demanding of his staff. He saw the big picture, and the importance of each minute detail in that picture. Neither of these managers was better than the other, both had their own strengths and weaknesses, as all human beings do, and both were perfectly capable of being nice and not so nice when the situation called for it.
My question is whether or not you believe that men and women are inclined to be more or less proficient in any of the 10 strategic OM Decisions that all companies must emphasize, and why you believe this? Also, should companies in the future look to strategically place men and women in specific positions to accentuate these talents? And what are the consequences of doing this?
Interesting article! Women are obviously becoming more and more prevalent in higher positions in the business world and I believe that it is because, like you also noted,facts and figures have designated that women are equally capable of running fortune 500 companies as men. Such examples of successful female CEOs are Carol Bartz(Yahoo!) and Ellen Kullman (Dupont). Additionally, there has not been a significant correlation between talents and gender, so to answer the latter question I would say that it is more objective than subjective; both men and women can excel at any position from the bottom of the corporate ladder all the way to the top. The proportion of female MBAs to male MBAs is higher than it has ever been from a global standpoint and in the very near future I would digress that it will near 50/50. While society has narrowly given women an entry point, I believe that successful women in growing numbers will pave the way and help shape the mold of successful managment for future generations.
I really enjoyed this article and hearing your experience with various managers throughout your career. This gender shift in the workforce that we are encountering, I believe, influences every aspect of our society. An example that you mentioned was that many more men are becoming “stay at home dads.” All these societal changes are caused by changes in individuals, so I believe that neither men nor women would be more proficient in implementing the 10 strategic OM decisions, I think it is all too subjective. In the future companies won’t need to place workers in certain areas due to gender, but due to personality type, and if they do continue to make decisions based on gender, I think lawsuits will be in the horizon.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts about women taking the place of men in the workforce. Over two years after the original post and this is still a hot topic of debate. The influence that women have on companies and organizations is still on the rise. I agree with the most recent comment that says if companies continue to make decisions based on gender that lawsuits will occur. My thought on the debate of whether or not women would be capable in high standing positions is that some women are better than men at certain things and some men are better than women at certain things. I believe society is reaching the point that there a very few positions that are solely for men or solely for women. It all just depends on the individual regardless of what gender he or she is.