Comments on: As More Women Climb the Corporate Ladder, Will Decision Making Change?

By: Seun Osewa

Seun Osewa — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 11:07:27 +0000

Sure men and women are different and will always be treated differently at work, even if it’s only because they look and sound different!

By: Rob

Rob — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 19:13:42 +0000

Be careful Deb, you’ve come very close to saying something politically incorrect, like “men and women are different.”

By: Deb

Deb — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 16:08:11 +0000

Because she didn’t sit alone in her office all day (which was the de facto standard to show you were a good worker) she wasn’t perceived as working.

Fascinating. In my last management position, I did spend most of my day in my office. My male boss thought I was fantastic. My female subordinates were convinced that I did absolutely nothing and was a b*tch to boot. I never did figure out how to keep everybody happy.

By: David Gibbons

David Gibbons — Sat, 12 Nov 2005 00:42:56 +0000

I’m with Laurence – the only woman I ever reported to was a dragon. I don’t think bad management discriminates sexually.

I’m all for more concensus though – we’ve learnt that good business requires listening to your customers – maybe the ladies are right, and good leadership requires listening to your direct-reports.

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 19:44:58 +0000

I’ll tell you one place where men and women in business aren’t different enough. They both often have an “infantile” response to having their conclusions questioned (especially by someone below them on the organizational chart).

That’s not the first time I’ve heard of a celebrity CEO (man or woman) stomping his feet and saying, “I’ll just take my ball (or dolls) an go home.”

Then they act incredulous when things go bad. “Why didn’t anyone warn me?” they ask.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 19:11:45 +0000

I don’t think they were basing the article off the attached cases. I agree they aren’t useful in determining that. I would prefer to see some of the research mentioned earlier in the article.

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 18:40:34 +0000

David is right. The article doesn’t make the case.

But the case can be made.

By: David Foster

David Foster — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 18:01:18 +0000

I read the case studies that were part of the article, and didn’t see anything particularly “female” about the decision-making process outlined: No obvious differences from the way a guy would have approached the same decision.

Can anyone point to anything specific in these examples?

By: laurence haughton

laurence haughton — Fri, 11 Nov 2005 16:08:47 +0000

Great points Rob.

If you list at all the things we’ve come to think of as being “businesslike” (mathematical, commanding, highly competitive, status oriented, tooting your own horn, disconnected from emotion, hurried, etc.) you’ll find that they are extensions of the way males approach each other and the world (see the work of Dr. Deborah Tannen).

More than half of the solutions I found (for my book on leading follow through in teams and companies) came from women, I think because they look at business and the right way to lead very differently.