(This article expands on our paper “Taking Gender into Account: Theory and Design for Women’s Leadership Development Programs,” Academy of Management Learning & Education, September 2011.) Becoming a Leader Our research, teaching, and consulting reveal three additional actions companies can take to improve the chances that women will gain a sense of themselves as leaders, be recognized as such, and ultimately succeed. Traditional high-potential, mentoring, and leadership education programs are necessary but not sufficient. The solutions to the pipeline problem are very different from what companies currently employ. Ely, Herminia Ibarra, and Deborah Kolb ( Academy of Management Learning & Education, September 2011) “Taking Gender into Account: Theory and Design for Women’s Leadership Development Programs,” by Robin J. Kolb ( Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, 2013) “Negotiating in the Shadows of Organizations: Gender, Negotiation, and Change,” by Deborah M.
FOSTER AND DERLET INVISIBLE WOMEN PROFESSIONAL
“Impossible Selves: Image Strategies and Identity Threat in Professional Women’s Career Transitions,” by Herminia Ibarra and Jenifer Petriglieri (Insead working paper, 2007) Rhode ( Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice, Harvard Business Press, 2010) “Women and Leadership: Defining the Challenges,” by Robin J. Ashford ( Academy of Management Review, October 2010)
“Who Will Lead and Who Will Follow? A Social Process of Leadership Identity Construction in Organizations,” by D. The context must support a woman’s motivation to lead and also increase the likelihood that others will recognize and encourage her efforts-even when she doesn’t look or behave like the current generation of senior executives. It’s not enough to identify and instill the “right” skills and competencies as if in a social vacuum. This research also points to some steps that companies can take in order to rectify the situation.
Organizations inadvertently undermine this process when they advise women to proactively seek leadership roles without also addressing policies and practices that communicate a mismatch between how women are seen and the qualities and experiences people tend to associate with leaders.Ī significant body of research (see “Further Reading”) shows that for women, the subtle gender bias that persists in organizations and in society disrupts the learning cycle at the heart of becoming a leader. It involves a fundamental identity shift. Becoming a leader involves much more than being put in a leadership role, acquiring new skills, and adapting one’s style to the requirements of that role. The problem with these leaders’ approaches is that they don’t address the often fragile process of coming to see oneself, and to be seen by others, as a leader. They and their companies spend time, money, and good intentions on efforts to build a more robust pipeline of upwardly mobile women, and then not much happens.
Many CEOs who make gender diversity a priority-by setting aspirational goals for the proportion of women in leadership roles, insisting on diverse slates of candidates for senior positions, and developing mentoring and training programs-are frustrated. The authors suggest three actions to support and advance gender diversity: Educate women and men about second-generation gender bias create safe “identity workspaces” to support transitions to bigger roles and anchor women’s development efforts in their sense of leadership purpose rather than in how they are perceived.ġ.26 Sculpture Project at the Amsterdam Light Festival, December 7, 2012–January 20, 2013, Spectra Fiber, high-tenacity polyester fiber, and lighting, 230′ x 63′ x 30′, Amstel River, Amsterdam, Netherlands Furthermore, the human tendency to gravitate to people who are like oneself leads powerful men to sponsor and advocate for other men when leadership opportunities arise. Practices that equate leadership with behaviors considered more common in men suggest that women are simply not cut out to be leaders. Women must establish credibility in a culture that is deeply conflicted about whether, when, and how they should exercise authority. Research shows, the authors write, that the subtle “second generation” gender bias still present in organizations and in society disrupts the learning cycle at the heart of becoming a leader. That’s because they haven’t addressed the fundamental identity shift involved in coming to see oneself, and to be seen by others, as a leader. Even when CEOs make gender diversity a priority-by setting aspirational goals for the proportion of women in leadership roles, insisting on diverse slates of candidates for senior positions, and developing mentoring and training programs-they are often frustrated by a lack of results.
0 kommentar(er)
