Page 10 - Gi flipbook September 2018

NEWS | MANAGEMENT

Messages about confidence damaging

women’s progress, research finds

WOMEN DON’T GET ahead
in the workplace when they
exhibit stereotypical signs
of confidence, research has
found, suggesting employers
might be pushing their
female staff to develop
the wrong aspects of their
leadership style.
The study, which
involved a male-dominated
technology company
with 4,000 employees,
discovered men perceived
to be self-confident were
more likely to progress
at work and be seen as
persuasive leaders.
But, while women are
told they must also be
confident to get ahead,
the researchers found they Women are expected to be
actually had more influence extra nice to get ahead
in a company when they
were seen as warm, out of their way to be HR departments must Business School, said line
sociable and caring. empathetic and dedicated make sure employees of all managers and HR are “pivotal
Researchers from a to others.” genders are being evaluated in changing behaviour”.
number of European Laura Guillén, Professor against the same criteria in She added: “The key is
business schools also of organisational behaviour the hiring and promotion to get to know their team
discovered a gap between at ESMT Berlin and a decision-making process. members and build an
women’s own reports researcher on the study, “Performance appraisals inclusive culture where
of their self-confidence said messaging about how often contain nearly twice individuals can play to
versus how confident their women need to appear the amount of language their strengths. This is not
colleagues thought they more self confident to be about being warm for patronising, it is about
appeared. successful is not only false women than for men. These treating colleagues as
Margarita Mayo, but “dampens the gender unconscious gender biases human beings.”
Professor of leadership at diversity of the workforce”. must be confronted so that Meanwhile, Mok O’Keefe,
IE Business School and one “[It] places the onus on talents and skills across founder of the Innovation
of the researchers behind the female employees organisations are rewarded Beehive, said it was easy
the study, said the results themselves to conform fairly, regardless of gender,” to champion diversity but
showed women are regularly to lazy, masculine Guillén said. added action had to follow.
expected to be confident on stereotypes,” she said. And Mayo warned HR O’Keefe said: “Ideas
top of nurturing. She continued: “To get and line managers could are not enough. Having
She told People ahead, women are having to risk coming across as relationships with a
Management that, while care for others while their patronising if they try to multitude of stakeholders
competence and warmth male counterparts focus push women to be more impacts whether or not
are generally used to on their own objectives. confident. She said warmth these ideas move through
evaluate others, these Despite this pro-social should be kept out of the the organisation and
qualities are overly quality not being listed equation when it comes are implemented. HR
weighted for women in on any job description, to women’s performance practitioners can help their
performance evaluations. it appears to be the key evaluations to make sure people to understand how to
Mayo added: “It is not performance indicator they are conducted “equally influence and communicate
enough for women to against which access, power and independently”. effectively with different
be merely as helpful as and influence is granted to Commenting on the stakeholders and how to
men. To get credit or successful women.” research, Dr Shaheena flex communication style,
get promoted, women To combat the implicit Janjuha-Jivraj, Associate which will impact on how
are expected to have gendering of workplace Professor in entrepreneurial you are perceived by that
confidence as well as go progression, Guillén said leadership at Henley stakeholder.” ■

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News.indd 5 14/08/2018 20:00