Transcript Document

© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
The relevance of the gender perspective
on communication at work and promotion
in the workplace
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
1
© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Maleness as a set of principles, symbols, behaviour, strategies
and objectives is predominant in the backbone
of organizations and in their patterns of communication
and interaction.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel

Why be concerned with the genderperspective at work
and promotion in the workplace?
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Communication, social arrangements and cultural practices
in organizations


are connected to structures and mechanisms
that build the architecture of inequality and create
the well known gender order and perceive it
as natural and for granted.
Three factors: Individual & social & organizational contribute to the
phenomen of the „glass ceiling“
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
What are theoretical frameworks to explain significant cultural
norms in organizations?

Gender Schema Theory and Social Role Theory!
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Culture can be defined as a:
„collective programming of the mind that is a manifestation
of the value systems of various groups which is able to sustain
itself over long periods of time.“
Hofstede (1991, p.5)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Sex is defined
as the grouping of humans in two biological categories,
males and females.
Gender refers
the meanings that societies and individuals ascribe to female
and male categories and
Gender roles
are those social roles a society defines for women and men.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
A schema
Is a network of interrelated elements
that defines a concept for individuals to define expectations.
A gender schema
defines expectations about behaviour of men and women.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Research demonstrates as well,
that men are expected to have high levels of agentic attributes
(independent, masterful, assertive, competent)
and
women to have high levels of communal attributes
(friendly, unselfish, emotionally, expressive).
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Many aspects relating to sex and gender
can probabely understood by means of structure and power,
established by the „gendered substructure“
(Acker 1992:225)
and through genderspecific communication in public life.
Therefore promotion in the workplace should be linked positively
to genderspecific style of communcation.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Is there a male & female talk –
and is promotion in the workplace and for leadership positions
connected with linguistic styles?
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Communication may be defined as
„the process of using verbal and nonverbal cues to negotiate
a mutually acceptable meaning between two or more people
within a particular context and environment.“
(Lumsden & Lumsden 2000)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Productive styles
Faciliative/
Commanding/
Equal……………………………………………………………Autoritative
responsible
confirming
appropriate
Tactfully assertive………………………………………Directly assertive
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Unproductive styles
Passiv/
hostile/
aggressive…………………………………………………. divisive
not responsible
disconfirming
inappropriate
Aggressive/
Non participative………………………………………..indirect
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
What do we know from current research
on Gender and Communication ?
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Male communication
- as status asserting, dominant and negative
- display of high levels of visual dominance, power
and status
- keeping people in eyecontact and time control,
- intrusive interruption of others to gain the floor
in conversation adapted to wide variety of social
and professional contexts
- associated with formal leadership and authority
in groups
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Female communication
- disclose more personal information
- collaborative, warm and more supportive and open
- encourage others´ speech and reinforcing by minimal
verbal responses
- mitigated speech
- tentative manner including tag questions
e.g. Carli (2000), Mulac (1998), Grob et.al. (1997)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Female leaders
- display a more democratic style
- encouraging collaboration
- involving subordinates in decisions
- higher level of transformative leadership: mentoring, empowering
Male leaders
- display a more autocratic style
- discouraging participation of subordinates in decisions
- asserting leader´s control and authority
- higher level of transactional leadership: reward and punishment
(e.g. Eagle et al 2003)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Are there situational factors in workplace that moderate
male and female talk?
Look at:

Gender Composition

Power

Social influence !
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Meta-analytic findings show that
the gender differerence
in smiling, social behaviour, verbal reinforcement, encouragement,
self-disclosure and lower levels of task behaviour
interacts with gender composition such that gender difference is
bigger in same-than in mixed-gender interactions.
(La France et al 2003)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Differences in mitigation and dominance
have been more pronounced in mixed gender interactions,
reflecting greater mitigation and less dominance toward men.
That means:
People display greater mitigation and less visual dominance to men than
to women.
Men speak in a more mitigated manner when talking to other men than
when talking to women.
(Sayers & Sherblom 1987)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Research suggests that,
legitimate power may mediate gender effects on communication.
Studies also suggest that,
expert power may affect gender differences in communication.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
These findings suggest:
1.
The typical gender differences in agentic communication derive
from the male advantage in power and authority.
2.
But typical gender differences can however be reduced in contexts
where women posses high power relative to men.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Various studies have revealed that,
-
Both men and women exert greater influence when communicating
in a gender stereotypical manner.
-
And other research show that women face far more serious
consequences than men when they violate gender-role norms.
-
Highly dominant behaviour by women is not surprising ineffective.
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Apparently dominant, assertive, direct or even merely competent
communications are particularly problematic for women.
-
As a result, women have a narrower repertoire of behaviours
for gaining social influence than men.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
As a result:
Women who are too agentically competent may be disliked as people
evaluate women who exhibit an exeptional level of managerial
competence more negatively than their exceptionally competent
male counterpartsseeing the competent female manager as having a less desirable
personality.
Display of communal behaviour can blunt the threat
of female competence.
(Heilman et. Al. 2004)
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communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
The double bind of competence can be particularly problematic for
women who want promotion in the workplace or for female managers
and leaders.
Female managers and leaders have responded to this dilemma
by
displaying higher levels of transformative leadership
(Low et al 1996)
as a means to overcome the double bind and excelling as leaders.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Implications
1.
Women have more constraints on their style of communication
in order to be effective influence agents in the workplace than men.
2.
Women who look for promotion and female managers must adhere
more closely to gender-role-prescriptions to avoid penalties.
3.
Women leaders must display exceptional levels of competence to
overcome the presumption that women lack agency, competency and
leadership abilities of men.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Implications II
4.
Women who exhibit exceptional levels of competence may be
evaluated unfavourably because such behaviour violates prescriptive
gender-role-norms particularly in domains as management and
leadership which are seen stereotypically as masculine.
5.
Gender stereotypes thus create a double bind for women, who can be
penalized for showing too little or too much agency.
6.
Women may overcome the double bind by displaying communal
behaviour, which can reduce resistance to female promotion,
authority and influence.
Female managers have shown to employ a transformational
leadership style, which effectively combines communality with
The relevance of the gender perspective on
competent leadership.
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
What does micro-level analysis of communication factors
tell us on formal promotion and other processes underlying
women´s advancement at work?
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Double Devaluation
of women´s linguistic style and business
communication.
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communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
It has been documented that,
women and men have different notions of what
constitutes interruption of a turn at talk.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Male perceptions and preferences:
In relation to (western) values of individualism and
gendered hierachy in society,men
prefer sole-speaker-turns
interpret any invasion into their turn as violation of their solespeaker-right favour competition in talks
it is important to achieve a dominant position in hierarchy
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Female perceptions and preferences
In relation to socialization and segregation of private and
public spheres in society,women
prefer inclusivness and egalitarianism
prefer ensemble or melded conversation floors
achieve collaborative floors through overlapping speech and
completion of another woman´s utterane
share knowledge and experience.
(e.g. Coates 1994; Coates 1996)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Performing Androgenity?
It is claimed that women could succeed in the workplace through
performing in a range of styles, effectively representing
masculine as well as feminine identities through communication.
(e.g. Case 1995)
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communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Women should develop communication skills that they can draw
on in business settings, meetings and decisionmaking boards,
and where they can perceive that androcentic model will be
effective in promotion situations.
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communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
According to a male genderlogic in organizations
Women, who want promotion
are required to sacrifice major elements of their gender identity.
So promotion is possible only at higher costs and by perpetuation
of the traditional male gender oder in the workplace.
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communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Will the „New Paradigm for Management and Leadership
in the 21. Century“
offer women better promotion in the workplace?
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
The new paradigm is described as a
„feminine one“ (Burton and Ryall 1995, p.8) as „more femine
than masculine practices are claimed on and factors such as
relational rather than competitive values are important and the
need for organizations to seek for interdependence rather than
dominance in the marketplace.“
New Management and leadership model is regularily described in
gender images and according to Tom Peters „the time has come
for men to move to learn to play women´s games“ (Fierman
1990, p.71)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
As long as tokenism in the workplace (Kanter 1977) exists,
that means that relatively few women hold prominent positions in a
particular occupational setting and therefore women in senior and top
positions hold minority and outsider status,
there will be no significant change for promotion in the workplace.
Men and women will evaluate
that tokens are not part of the „club“
and the members of the organization could state:
We still can use the usual course of events and communication, tokens
do not interrupt our traditional dominant culture.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
The success of the new organizational paradigm in the workplace
depends on how the senior male management
will articulate it and dissolve gender stereotypes for promotion.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
For women is recommended to translate experience-based skills into
learned skills



through processes such as formal training
or education programs
or mentoring programs
that are either internal to their organization or offered by external
institutions. This will authenticate the skill base and will enable women to
gain acknowledgement that is reserved for learned skills.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
So the great man or „hero“
still dominated criteria for leadership positions. Anyone embarking on a
quest for membership on to executive culture was considered to be on
„a Ulysses-like Journey: full of grand-scale trials of endurance and tests
of strenght- the modern equivalent of the heroic quest“
(Sinclair 1994, S.15)
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communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Four main ways forms women
to become leaders:
1.
Through charismatic leadership: the unic example
beeing Joan of Arc
2.
Through inherited leadership positions: example include women who
become heads of family businesses or queens of kingdom
3.
Through achievement of professional eminence: women who become
leading figures in their discipline because of their professional and/or
scientific achievement
4.
Through becoming a selected leader – that is, elected, appointed or
nominated through important public offices such as prime minister,
senator: examples include Merkel, Thatcher, H. Clinton
(e.g. Apfelbaum & Hadley 1986)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
A fifth path to leadership:
Selection by merit
through
the adoption of equal opportunity laws in many countries
The interpretation of merit depends largely on the assumptions
perceptions and values of the people and organizations applying
the principle, but one particular view sees it as the relationship
between a person´s job-related qualities and those genuinely
required for performance in particular positions.
(Burton et al 1994)
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Women
gain under merit interpretation,
and lose under the non-merit-one.
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the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Merrill & Kolb (2001, p.2) conclude
„THAT SPECIFIC SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES
IDENTIFIED AS BEEING IMPORTANT FOR EFFECTIVE
LEADERSHIP
DO NOT MIRROR THE ASSUMPTIONS AND IMAGES PEOPLE
HOLD OF EFFECTIVE LEADERS.“
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
The result is a paradox:
Women are rated as having the required skills, but are not seen
culturally as leaders in comparison with men.
Even the concept of post-heroic-leadership or shared leadership
(Huey and Sookdeo, 1994) does not advance women´s interest
according to Fletcher (2002).
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
We agree with Fletcher that,
The „transformational call for new leadership“ has already been
incorporated into the mainstream discourse according to the
rules of the old paradigm.
The result:
is yet another idealized image- the post-heroic heroesgender: male
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
The male hero provides a symbol
of career success and it can be seen as a form of communication
management that attempts to control and homogenize executive
identity… (Salzer-Morling, 1998, p.112)
„and organizations foster their corporate masculity and
perpetuate assessments of who looks like leadership material.“
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communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Women lack neither leadership nor charisma,
But rather an archetypal profile as leaders!?
„XENA“
While gender remains a continuing given of social constructions
and interactions,
gender content evolves and changes.
Olson (2002)
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the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
One of the ways of affirming change, of making it happen,
is by women telling their stories under four interrelated
headings:




Emotions
Stereotypes
Sexuality/ Age
Leadership
By communicating
distinctive images of women leaders,
arising of their expressed voices.
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
„If no-one´s speaking out and showing how
things are progressing then we´ll never get
anywhere“.
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communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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© Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe, Kiel
Thank you for your attention !
Contact for further questions or remarks:
Prof. Dr. Ingelore Welpe
Institut für Frauenforschung und Gender-Studien
Sokratesplatz 2
24149 Kiel
Tel.:
(49) (0)431 210 1780
Email: [email protected]
www.frauenforschung.fh-kiel.de
© 2007
The relevance of the gender perspective on
communication at work and promotion in
the workplace
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