A Toolkit for coping with a male dominated

A Toolkit for coping with a male dominated environment Prof RV Gumbi 28 th AUGUST 2012 1

Topic to cover 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Introduction Management as a system Pitfalls Tool-kit Women managers in a male dominated society 6. Conclusion 2

1. Introduction l Male domination is rooted in our collective unconsciousness that we no longer even see. As we work together as a team all managers must work towards dissolution of male domination as both rural and urban communities still struggle with this human element. l According to Virginia Woolf, she refers to this as hypnotic power of domination experienced by women in ancient society l Sum of social beliefs or practices which are seen as normative e. g. women are submissive to men in management 3

l In-equality of power between women and men was further strengthened with the origin of the State. i. e. government l Buddhism is also male dominated as original Christian Doctrine l Male domination is also observed in the family and economic enterprises 4

l South Africa is micro-cosm of the world as elements of gender bias are found in this young democratic country. It is critical for this country which boasts of the progress The Constitution Act 108 of 1996 to realize the need for gender equality. l The United Nations has been given the responsibility to monitor the member states as gender equality must become a reality. 5

l South Africa has implemented a number of policy guidelines to eliminate gender in-equality patterns even in the public sector e. g. The Equity Act 55 of 1998 with the transformation agenda, guidelines 1997 but to-date there are traces of a male dominated society in the public sector at the management level. 6

l The title for today gives women a chance to explore the mechanisms for survival in our male dominated society. l The global environmental forces such as sociocultural, technological, political and economic have major influence on the management system. 7

2. Management as a system l According to Williams 2003 “management is getting work done through others”. l Management is about efficiency i. e. getting work done with minimum effort l Managers also strive for effectiveness i. e. accomplishing tasks that help fulfill organizational objectives. E. g customer service satisfaction, application of Batho Pele Principles 8

l According to management experts management refers to the following activities: a) b) c) d) Planning, Organizing Leading Controlling 9

2. 1. Planning l Involves defining the organization’ goals proposing ways to reach them: rationale for planning 1. Establish over all directions (mission statement) 2. Identify and commit the organization resources to achieve the goals-strategic direction 3. Decide which tasks must be done based on set targets l Each team must decide on efficiency, effectiveness of the organization hence planning is ongoing to response to priorities in relation to the service delivery as directed by the mission statement and core values 10

l Planning as a process is directed by the strategic direction as every intervention must be based on the set targets to measure out-puts and out-comes. e. g public services in each department, l Planning revolts around attainment of set objectives based on the strategic direction e. g responsiveness to the needs of South Africans as directed by the multi -cultural society. 11

2. 2. Organizing l Process of creating a structure of relationship to enable the officers to meet organizational goals l Includes coordination of human, material and information resources l Accommodate the client’ needs and environmental changes i. e. adaptability l 12

2. 3. Leading l Involve communicating with team members and clients (vertically and horizontally) l Communication with the team and partners for transparency l Motivating the members to achieve the set goals as directed by the participatory process of decisionmaking 13

2. 4. Controlling l The process by which an individual or a group or organization monitors the performance and entails corrective actions. l Includes ability to response to customer’ needs l Links to set standards of performance l Measurement of performance against set standards l Taking corrective action against deviations. l Adjusting the standards when the need arises l In public sector it is critical for managers to be astute as service need must be accommodated in response to the multicultural diversity. 14

3. Pitfalls for managers l For any manager to cope with male dominated society the following pitfalls must be avoided as the environment constantly changing in response to diversity. l Coping depend on personal effort and dealing with interpersonal matters l Coping also requires managers to tolerate conflict and minimize the stress. l It is critical for managers to use positive technique to adapt what is also referred to as constructive coping 15

3. Pitfalls for managers 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Insensitivity to others Arrogance Betrayal of trust Blame politics Intimidating Over managing (unable to delegate) Failure to build a team 16

8. Inability to think strategically 9. Inability to adapt to supervisor with different style 10. Over-dependent on mentors 11. Bullying personality 12. Being aloof 17

4. Tool-kit l The managers of the 21 st century must accept the challenges of change and adaptation. l The global village needs managers that are visionaries l Managers who are able to make things happen i. e. walking the talk l Managers who are declared role models as the command respect and dignity 18

4. Tool-kit l These managers act as a change agent for effective service delivery l Dimension of global awareness competency l The following are critical effective management tools for survival especially in male dominated society as observe in Africa Regions, some areas in Asia and the global village 19

4. 1. Cultural knowledge and understanding 4. 2. Cultural, openness and sensitivity 4. 3. Self-management competency 20

4. 1. Cultural knowledge and understanding l In-sight into political, social and economic trends e. g. political ideology of ruling party, understanding the factors contributing economic growth or recession, in-sight into social networks including leadership l Recognition of global events on the organization e. g. impact of International Labour Organization (ILO) on public sector of Republic of South Africa, including prescript and policies guidelines 21

l Acquisition of knowledge through reading, interacting with groups or organizations l Language competency for the roles and responsibilities 22

4. 2. Cultural, openness and sensitivity l In-sight into national, ethnic and cultural differences l Sensitivity to cultural cues l Recognition of diversity to avoid stereotyping l Adjustment to the communication strategy to response to diversity 23

4. 3. Self-management competency l Every manager must understand his or her responsibility regarding self management work beyond the call of duty l Effective managers also reflect on how they perform as this affects the organization and team. l The following are critical for effectiveness – Integrity – Ethical conduct – Personal drive – Resilience – Balancing work with life issues – Self-awareness and development 24

5. Women managers in a male dominated society l The pace of advancement for women managers continues to be slow in the global village as cited by Barreto and Ryan. l In spite the progress of policy guidelines they still have bias towards women managers. l Failure of one woman manager affects the image of these managers both in the public and private sectors. l Stereotypes still exist e. g. women are emotional managers, less competitive, don’t bring innovation to the organizations l Men are likely to be comfortable with men managers (old boy network) 25

l Women have less opportunity for career-pathing compared to their male counterparts 26

6. Conclusion l According to psychologist coping is constantly changing cognitive and behaviour to manage specific internal or internal demands that are appraised as taxing. l It is process of seeking to minimize conflict or tolerate the stress l The term “coping” refers to adaptive or constructive coping strategies 27

l For tool-kit to be effective the following are critical – Emotional stability – Enthusiasm – Open to change – Adaptability – Optimism – Resilience 28

7. References 1. Hellriegel Don, Jackson Susan E, Slocum John, Staude Gavin, Amos Trevor, Klopper HB, Louw Lynette & Oosthuizen Theuns. (2005) Management Second South African Edition. Oxford University 578847 -8 Press. ISBN 0 -19 - 2. Odgers Pattie. (2005) Administrative Office Management, Complete Course, 13 th Edition. Thomson South-Western. ISBN 0 -538 -43857 -6 3. Harrison Jeffrey S. & St. John Caron H. (2002) Foundations in strategic management 2 nd Edition. Thomson South. Western. ISBN 0 -324 -07099 -3 4. Williams Chuck. (2003) Management 2 nd Edition. Thomson South-Western. ISBN 0 -324 -11792 -2 5. The Guardian: Monday 21 February 2011, Women in management: Calculated risk. Wednesday 7 October 2009, Changing faces. Thursday 23 June 2011, Promoting women’s access to public services- 2011 gender responsive public service awards. 6. Eastern Cape Social Development, 22 August 2012. Dimbiza women to receive attention from Eastern Cape Government. 7. Mello DM & Phago K. (2007) Affirming women in managerial positions in the South African public service. Politeia Vol 26 No 2 2007 Unisa Press pp 145 -158 29

7. References 8. Davidson Marilyn J & Burke Ronald J. Women in management worldwide, Progress and prospects 2 nd Edition. ISBN 9780566089169. http: //www. gowerpublishing. com 9. Handout on tool-kit 10. Handout on coping skills 11. Handout on male domination 12. Handout on survival 30