unisex organization culture. empowering your professional life 1.blending “red/blue” gender...

UNISEX ORGANIZATION

CULTURE

EMPOWERING YOUR PROFESSIONAL LIFE

1. Blending “red/blue” gender characteristics into your pro style

2. Recognizing & avoiding red-dominated org cultures

3. Overcoming gender-based professional under-utilization

PRO SUCCESS TOOLSVirtual teams online pro manual

Legal org culture discrimination

against women professionals =

PROFESSIONAL UNDER-UTILIZATION

Unisex organizations accommodate BOTH masculine and feminine work and leadership styles

Both/And > Either/Or

MALE (red/left) FEMALE (blue/right)

Competitive CooperativeDirective RelationalIndependent Interdependent

Goals IdealsIndividual CommunityProactive ReactiveAction Verbal

20th century mindset 21st century mindset

Command ConsensusPower InfluenceEmployees PeopleRules CommitmentRoutine CreativeWork ContributionsOne size fits all Job tailoring

Why unisex orgs are mandatory in the

21st century:

The West’s most important competitive edge in global business is innovation, which requires a unisex culture of cooperation & flexible operations > rules-driven eight to five. Innovation requires a cooperative, community-based org culture, which can’t flourish under the traditional male command style of management.

Project work is the nexus of 21st century work = informal, self-empowered virtual teams that women can lead without needing formal command power (giving orders to people).

The feminine psychological traits of innovative thinking:

CommunityCooperationCoordination > command

Constituent concernCaring interpersonal style

•Women are innately better at community-building than men.• Recent research studies have documented the performance edge women have over men in a number of 21st century professions, especially those involving interpersonal productivity.

THE KEYS TO UNISEX ORG CULTURE

•Flex org cultures: flex hours; flex-place; flex benefits•Virtual teams to promote a sense of community > competitiveness• Interpersonal skills formally rewarded by orgs for both females & males

• Personalized approach to managing human talent & contributions: building the job around the employee, not the employee around the job• Broadening the circle of rewarded contributions• Valuing employee uniqueness > conformity• Contributions descriptions > job descriptions

UPROOTING UNISEX WEEDS

• “Double double-work” (org downsizing + child-care responsibilities for professional women)• “If we do it for you, we’ll have to do it for all our employees.”• Promotion by seniority• Profit > people

EXAM

DIANA’S request to oversee global projects budgeting was tabled again because of her unique expertise with financial analysis and forecasting. “We’ve always seen you as our top analyst,” her boss told her. “We have a lot of money invested in your technical training and need your help there most.”

“Diana, your professional/career development is not important to us.”

MARIA ELENA’S savvy people skills as high school counselor enables her to informally troubleshoot & resolve numerous stalemates and head-butting sessions among school faculty & administrators. However, over the past 7 years, Maria Elena has not been promoted , because her skills don’t make a “direct” contribution tostudent achievementtest success.

“Maria Elena, why don’t you go back to school and get your Master’s degree in education, and then you’ll qualify for an important administrative job

in our school system.”

COURTNEY’S virtual team leadership paid off once again for her pharmaceutical firm with the new $23 million research contract pulled in under her guidance. Courtney’s boss got the credit for her work, but he enthusiastically thanked her for her behind-the-scenes inter-departmental leadership.

“Courtney, guess what? your boss just nominated you for employee of the

month!”

JAYREEN spoke up at the meeting: “I know that dental and eye care coverage are great for a many of our employees, but I would benefit much more from a daycare subsidy. So would a lot of other working mothers in our company.”

“Jayrene, this company is not responsible for your

family or family responsibilities. This is a workplace, not a daycare

center.”

MERCEDES got her usual “satisfactory” annual performance review evaluation. Her boss gave her 3/5 on both “work quality consistency” and “professional reliability.” Mercedes even received an “above average” (4/5) for time management. In her company, HR doesn’t evaluate employees on project contributions, innovative thinking, interpersonal skills, problem-solving, or decision-making effectiveness; nor for client rapport-building. Unfortunately, these are the areas where Mercedes excels.

“Mercedes, promotions and pay increases in our fast-growth company are based on how much you directly impact our company’s sales and profits.” We appreciate your personal skills and all,but they aren’t part of your compensation package.’

LILA, a single mother, has worked out a flex-schedule with her retail employer to fit her work hours around the needs of her kindergarten daughter. However, Lila is not a candidate for most professional development opportunities due to her “unpredictable” work hours.

“Lila, professionals in our company have to be

available anytime we may need them. We hope you

will understand.”

The third time her husbandwas transferred viapromotion, CELESTE didn’t land on her feet. The first

two transfers were to large metro areas where Celeste’s CPA was put to good use. But this time in Indonesia, there was no use for a female accountant unversed in Islamic accounting. Celeste’s ambition for CPA firm partner status just became more elusive.

“Celeste, try to think of your husband’s international

assignment as sort of an all-expenses-paid vacation for

you, as well as your children if you want to bring them along

to Indonesia.

In her global trading company, INDIRA mentors new sales reps doing business with India, even though she wishes she good go back home to India herself and Vice President of sales, but her company requires a graduate

degree to qualify for an upper-level position.

“Indira, we don’t know what we’d do without you around here in the home office! Our sales reps really appreciate your cultural knowledge and expertise.”