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Performance Management

Published October 2009

It’s a Man’s World

  Dr. Sasha Galbraith

Traditional command-and-control organizations dominated by male hierarchy don't always create female-friendly environments. But with a few changes to organization design, it's possible to create more effective organizations that can easily adapt to changes in the networked, global marketplace.

The phenomenon has been called the leaky pipeline, the black hole and the Bermuda Triangle, but high-powered executive and professional women are increasingly opting out of, or otherwise disappearing from, the workforce.

The common belief is they are going home to take care of children or parents. But according to Pamela Stone's Opting Out? Why Women Really Quit Careers and Head Home and Sylvia Ann Hewlett's Off-Ramps and On-Ramps: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success, women are often pushed out by inhospitable workplaces. In fact, the long-standing masculine competitive model of organizations may be at the root of the struggle to bring true diversity to the workplace.

Consider the traditional command-and-control organization. It features a strong and well-understood hierarchy where power is held over others of lower status; a codified set of rules and procedures on how the work gets done; a leadership structure of like-minded, often Caucasian men who see eye-to-eye on most issues; a control system that is based on chain-of-command backed up with appropriate penalties and rewards; a communication process that is infrequent, on a need-to-know or task-oriented basis and is used to convey information or solve problems; and a top-down culture that values autonomy, authority, status and detached professionalism. Such organizations were designed by men, primarily for men, and, as such, tend to be uncomfortable for women — much like trying to write with your left hand if you are right-handed.

Now compare that to a new type of organization designed with more feminine attributes. It has a relatively flatter and more flexible hierarchy wherein people hold power "with" others; a set of guidelines that indicate a general road map on how work gets done that allows flexibility in the specifics depending on the project at hand; a leadership team of two or more people who have different, but complementary points of view; a control system that is based on peer and social approval — or disapproval — backed up with positive reinforcement; an intensive, multidirectional, frequent and multichannel communication process used to build relationships and trust, establish a sense of community and shared values, and develop commitment to the greater goals of the organization; and a family-oriented, inclusive culture that values empathetic listening, community, quality of life and a sense of working toward a higher goal.

Forcing XX to Act Like XY

If you're a woman forced to exist in a male-dominated and male-designed organization, life can be difficult. While not all men or women conform to the stereotypes, there are some prevalent tendencies worth noting. Much has been written about the need for women to adapt and change their behavior to fit with the organizational norms. For example, typical advice tells women to be more focused, confident and direct in their discussions with men, who tend to see conversations as a means to solve a problem or convey information. Other differences are not so clear.

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