Workplace Communication – Is the ‘Queen Bee Syndrome’ a Myth or Reality?

 

Regrettably, women’s same-sex conflicts in the workplace have long been maligned in books as inherently more problematic than men’s. Hence, the negative stereotypes – the “queen bee syndrome” or worse, “cat fights.”

The typecasting prompted a 2013 academic report, “Much Ado about Nothing? Observers’ Problematization of Women’s Same-Sex Conflict at Work.”

The research concludes it’s nonsense. Two researchers, Leah D. Sheppard and Karl Aquino of the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia published a paper in the journal, Academy of Management Perspectives.

Excerpts from an Academy of Management press release:

They researched three workplace conflict scenarios – they were the same except for the names of the individuals involved. In one version they were Adam and Steven; in a second version they were Adam and Sarah; and in a third they were Sarah and Anna.

The authors wrote “when all else is equal…female-female conflict is generally perceived as having more negative implications for the individuals involved…than male-male or male-female conflicts….Observers view female-female conflict as more problematic.”

As the authors put it, “Female participants were just as likely as male participants to problematize female-female conflicts.”

Workplace ramifications

The authors wrote this “could have serious implications for women’s work-related outcomes. For example, a manager might decide against assigning two female subordinates to a task that requires them to work together if he or she suspects that they cannot set their interpersonal difficulties aside.

“This might result in lost opportunities for female employees, given the ever-increasing implementation and importance of teamwork in organizational settings. Women who have had interpersonal difficulties with female coworkers in the past might be overlooked for future career-development opportunities as a result.”

More study results:

• In the experiment that yielded these conclusions, 152 individuals, 47 percent female, from an online participant pool were randomly assigned to read about a workplace conflict involving two account managers in a consulting firm. The conflict developed when manager A gave orders to an intern working for manager B without informing manager B, as a result of which manager B complained to their common supervisor. This in turn led to an angry confrontation between the two managers in B’s office.

• Participants were asked to make judgments on a scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree) on three sets of items: 1) the likelihood that the two managers would be able to repair their relationship going forward; 2) the extent to which the conflict would affect the two individuals’ job satisfaction, commitment to the company, and interest in leaving the company; and 3) the effect of the dispute between two of the firm’s 10 account managers on the reputation, morale, and performance of the organization as a whole.

• On the first question – whether the two managers would repair their relationship – participants judged the likelihood to be 4.1 on a scale of 1 to 7 when the conflict was between Adam and Sarah, 4.2 when it was between Adam and Steven but only 3.6 (roughly 15 percent lower) when they managers were named Anna and Sarah.

This suggests observers are “inclined to believe that women hold grudges against one another and struggle to move on from past transgressions. This perception casts female-female conflict in a particularly shameful and petty light.”

• On the second question – the extent the conflict would disrupt the account managers’ feelings for the company -participants rated it at 4.0 when the conflict was between Adam and Sarah, 4.5 when it was between Adam and Steven, and 5.0 when it was between Anna and Sarah, a disruption 25 percent greater in raw terms than that caused by male-female conflict and more than 10 percent greater than that occasioned by male-male conflict.

• On the third question – damage to the organization – there was no significant difference between the effect of female-female conflict and the effects of the other two.

Researchers’ reactions

The researchers hope their findings will persuade “researchers and practitioners to think more critically about the language that is often used…to describe conflict between women at work. For example, we are hard-pressed to think of a term comparable to catfight that is regularly used to label conflict and competition between two men.

“Although this particular term is more common in the media than in academic research, management scholars have widely adopted the queen bee syndrome terminology. This term is troubling because it dehumanizes women and suggests that competition and conflict between women is akin to a disease, when, in reality, moderate amounts of same-sex hostility are natural and expected across male and female members of many species.”

Recommendations

The authors hope for change.

“Hopefully, our findings will have some effect, however modest, in increasing managers’ awareness of this bias when they have to deal with workplace conflicts,” said Dr. Sheppard. “And, although I hate to put the onus on women, it also might benefit them to avoid ruminating with coworkers about their same-sex conflicts, since this study suggests that observers are already inclined to overly dramatize them.”

Amen. The use of labels is often unproductive.

My sense is that’s also why career women often have to be more careful than men in their communication styles – to develop an image of being assertive not aggressive. That’s another obstacle for women to overcome particularly if they management ambitions, so here’s how: 18 Tips for Productive Behavior to Win in Office Politics.

As a former member of the Academy of Management, I highly recommend it as an organization as well as its publications. The organization has 18,000 members in over 100 countries – the world’s-largest group geared for management research and teaching.

From the Coach’s Corner, additional resources:

Management

• 18 Leadership Strategies for Employee Respect
• HR Tips — So Your Recruiting Enhances Diversity, Not Sexism
• HR Management: Which Employees Are Most-Likely to Quit?
• How You Can Eliminate Destructive Conflict for Better Teamwork

Employees

• Is Your Career Stalled? Turbo Charge Your Personal Brand
• How Women Can Enhance Their Careers via Group Decision-Making
• Career Strategies: How to Get a C-Level Job

• 7 Tips for a Young Professional to Become a CEO

“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said.”

-Peter F. Drucker

 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry. 

 

How Women Can Enhance Their Careers via Group Decision-Making

 

In group decision-making, women often participate 75 percent less than their proportional representation when they’re outnumbered in gender, according to a study. It found that “having a seat at the table is very different than having a voice.”

The study, “Gender Inequality in Deliberative Participation,” was conducted in 2012 by researchers from Brigham Young University and Princeton University.

“Women have something unique and important to add to the group, and that’s being lost at least under some circumstances,” said lead study author Chris Karpowitz, from BYU, said in a statement.

However, when study participants were asked to decide issues by unanimous vote as vis-à-vis majority rule, women participated more. That underscores why many women feel empowered in a “consensus-building approach.”

A co-author explains why.

“In school boards, governing boards of organizations and firms, and legislative committees, women are often a minority of members and the group uses majority rule to make its decisions,” said co-author Tali Mendelberg, from Princeton.

“These settings will produce a dramatic inequality in women’s floor time and in many other ways,” added the researcher. “Women are less likely to be viewed and to view themselves as influential in the group and to feel that their voice is heard.”

Nine-four groups with at least five participants discussing financial matters were observed in the study. Depending on the level of female participation, the groups reached different conclusions.

“When women participated more, they brought unique and helpful perspectives to the issue under discussion,” said researcher Karpowitz. “We’re not just losing the voice of someone who would say the same things as everybody else in the conversation.”

So, how can women get a greater voice at the table?

My sense is that women, who feel intimidated in group decision-making, would make greater strides in their careers if they learned how to voice their opinions when there is a majority-rule discussion.

But remember the difference between being assertive and aggressive when offering an opinion. Use assertive phrases like, “You might wish to consider…” You’ll become more influential in mixed group settings. It will get the attention of senior executives.

Another result if women participated more – organizations would benefit from their input.

The study was published in the journal, American Political Science Review.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are other career tips:

• Dos and Don’ts: How to Advance Your Career via Your Boss’s Boss
• 6 Tips for Baby Boomers to Cope with a Younger Boss
• Tips for Dining Etiquette with Your Boss or Anchor Client
• 8 Tips on How to Ask Your Boss for a Pay Raise
• HR, Marketing Pros: 4 Keys to Marketing Your Ideas to CEOs
• Why Women Receive Less Angel Funding Than Men

“Fortune favors the bold.”

-Virgil

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

 

Four Money, Security Tips for Women Emerging from Divorce

 

Certainly, if you’re emerging from a divorce or still suffering from one, this is a very emotional time for you. What’s more, many women still face a glass ceiling in employment.

Life is tough for divorced moms. It’s even tougher for divorced moms who have to manage their careers and children.

My parents divorced when I was three. Having been raised by a single mom until she remarried when I was 14, I’ve seen the difficulties firsthand. There was no alimony, child support, food stamps or welfare.

She, my brother and I survived by her tenacity and careful planning. Despite her financial roller coaster, she managed to buy a home and a car on her own. It’s worth noting she put off purchases until she could pay cash. Years went by before the house was fully furnished.

Despite her struggles, she never stopped supporting us. She encouraged my brother and me to study and engage in hobbies and sports. She only had a high school education, but I was encouraged to attend college.

Now, elderly and slow-to-get-around, she’s still a strong-minded woman. Fortunately, she’s secure in her retirement with a wonderful husband. I learned a lot about life from her.

In experiencing financial hardship, she wasn’t alone and still isn’t. In a sense, she was fortunate to be a product of the Great Depression. She intimately knew the meaning in Benjamin Franklin’s quote: “A penny saved is a penny earned.”

Today, the U.S Census Bureau indicates a woman’s income plummets 37 percent after divorce. The problem is made worse when you consider data from the Bureau of Labor statistics – women are only paid 77 percent of what men are compensated.

Frankly, life was even tougher for single moms when my mom was young, so she privately shakes her head in disapproval when she sees people with attitudes of entitlement.

For financial security, here are four planning tips:

1. Take baby steps and start looking for a financial adviser – If you’re careful, you’ll soon start setting aside some money. Only listen to an objective advisor or counselor who will not profit from your savings, investments or retirement account.

If you can’t afford to pay a fee to an adviser, look for a quality free service. Even better, find a female mentor you can trust. Someone who is successful and has what you want for yourself and your family.

Set up a budget, use computer software to keep track of your money and use your credit union or bank’s online system for bill-paying.

2. Start a rainy day fund – Do your best to set aside enough money that will cover your expenses for six to 12 months. Put the money in an account that you can draw from later, if necessary, for emergencies. If you’re contemplating purchases, remember – first things, first – when it’s not necessary, don’t.

3. Fund a retirement account – To quote the wise man who married my mother when I was a teenager, “It ain’t how much you make, it’s how much you bring home.”

True, it won’t be easy, but save as much as you can to contribute to a 401(k). Hopefully, you’ll find an employer – offering a company-sponsored retirement plan – who will match your contributions.

4. Constantly evaluate your financial state of affairs – Conditions change. Fine-tune your situation whenever necessary. If you stay balanced emotionally and focused, your financial situation will improve.

So treat your situation as an adventure. Make it a game to save money, and some day you’ll look back and will forget about the struggles. You’ll be self confident and will treasure your successes.

From the Coach’s Corner, be sure to read the six values for financial protection.

If you’re an entrepreneur or business executive, here are valuable tips for a downturn survival – a six-part series on “Surviving Economic & Industry Downturns.”

If you use all the tips, you can avoid having to visit soup kitchens.

“What’s a soup kitchen?”

- Paris Hilton

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.

Is your Company Ready to Capitalize on What Women Offer?

 

It’s obvious the current economic environment is here to stay, so it’s necessary to keep an open mind and rethink our processes. That includes taking full advantage of all opportunities.

“What else is new?” you ask. Good question. It’s important to leverage the potential in human capital.

Two McKinsey consultants addressed one important aspect in a 2011 study:  “Unlocking the full potential of women in the US economy.” Joanna Barsh is a director in McKinsey’s New York office and Lareina Yee is a principal in the San Francisco office.

It struck a chord with me, as I’ve written articles on related topics, including why Banks Have a Credibility Issue with Affluent Women; and I asked Are You Successful In Keeping Female Talent?

So I agree American business has not fully leveraged its assets.

The problem is many businesspeople don’t inherently take notice and capitalize on under-utilized assets unless they’re personally affected. I’ve said it many times – working moms have the toughest job of anybody, but they provide a bevy of important attributes. Personally, my antenna goes up whenever I see the potentiality of talent being ignored.

That goes for women in the macro economy.

“Indeed, the additional productive power of women entering the workforce from 1970 until today accounts for about a quarter of current GDP,” wrote Ms. Barsh. As the U.S. struggles to sustain historic GDP growth rates, it is critically important to bring more women into the workforce and fully deploy high-skill women to drive productivity improvement.”

Agreed.

Ms. Barsh listed the study’s objectives.

“McKinsey & Company undertook this research over the past three months to understand how women contribute to the U.S. economy; how their work benefits individual corporations; what prevents women from making greater contributions to their companies; and what approaches can help companies unlock the full potential of women,” she said.

“Despite the sincere efforts of major corporations, the proportion of women falls quickly as you look higher in the corporate hierarchy,” she asserted. Overall, this picture has not improved for years.”

That means, of course, there are missed opportunities despite all the progress in breaking down the glass-ceiling barriers.

So, according to the study, there’s a schism – women are increasingly ambitious as they leap from entry level jobs to mid-management. But again, the talent is being ignored.

Attitudes of entry-level women workers:

• 79 percent want a promotion to the next level
• 32 percent want a leadership role
• 16 percent has longtime career goals to become a leader

Aspirations of women in mid-management jobs:

• 83 percent want to be promoted
• 51 percent want a leadership role
• 31 percent has always dreamed of being a senior manager

The study indicates that women have multiple barriers:

• Lack of role models
• Exclusion from the informal networks
• Not having a sponsor in senior management

“Managers – male and female – continue to take viable female candidates out of the running, often on the assumption that the woman can’t handle certain jobs and also discharge family obligations,” wrote Ms. Barsh. “In our Centered Leadership research, we found that many women, too, hold limiting beliefs that stand in their own way – such as waiting to fill in more skills or just waiting to be asked.”

That’s why I lamented the demise of two women executives, Carol Bartz and Carly Fiorina in Business Management Lessons from Yahoo’s Demise and Are HP’s Board and New CEO Headed in Right Direction? These situations didn’t help the case for other women to assume leadership roles.

Ms. Barsh makes another good point: Culture change is needed.

“Our evidence points to the need for systemic, organizational change,” explained Ms. Barsh. ”Companies that aspire to achieve sustained diversity balance must choose to transform their cultures. Management needs a powerful reason to believe such as the potential competitive and economic advantage from retaining the best talent.”

Therefore, in view of the stagnant economic climate, let’s hope the right people agree. Further, a lot of companies would benefit from the 6 Steps to Implement a Cultural Change for Profits.

From the Coach’s Corner, as for advice to young women, here are 7 Tips for a Young Professional to Become a CEO. Be sure to take note of the column’s postscript about getting a mentor.

“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.”

-Margaret Thatcher

 

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.