>> MIM Speaks
WOMEN'S IMPACT ON MANAGEMENT
FEB 1, 1998 -
THE STAR
By S.Hadi Abdullah
I WAS recently reading an interview with Tom Peters in Fortune
magazine, on "smart managing" in which Peters made some
interesting observations about the role of women in
management.
For one, he says women are smarter than men, citing the
example of studies that show that the bell-shaped distribution
of intelligence (measured by IQ) is more tightly concentrated
for women than it is for men.
According to Tom Peters, what this means is that although
there are more males geniuses than female ones, it is also
true at the opposite end of the curve. In other words, there
are also more male "idiots" than female.
In America, more than 50% of degree-holders are women. One has
just to see the number of top students in the SPM and STPM
exams and the number of financial analysts who appear on CNN
to see the truth of the above.
Says Peters: "Women are better managers. All available
research shows that women managers are rated better, in 360o
evaluations including, in one major study, 'planning,' setting
standards and 'decisiveness'."
Peters agrees that there are considerable differences between
men and women. According to him, men focus on separation -
they get away from authority, family or whatever that
threatens their autonomy. Women, he says, focus on connection.
Men think in terms of rights, theirs or others. Women see the
world in terms of responsibilities. Men, he continues, tend to
solve problems in a confrontational way whereas women stress
care and protection. He asks: "Which gender would you rather
work for?"
I have not always agreed with Peters. There is usually too
much flamboyance, showmanship and marketing gimmicks in his
works (with the exception of his landmark book In Search of
Excellence) for me to stomach. However, this time I am very
much in agreement with him. Women managers are making an
impact all around us.
Take, for example, the Malaysian Institute of Management. More
than 65% of the management staff are females. And they are
doing a good job.
This trend is not uncommon in the white-collar, office type of
setup. However, women have been more active in setting up
their own business in the last decade or so. This has been
partly due to "male dominance" in the corporate sector that is
said to have hindered their career advancement.
Besides, haying their own business gives them more time and
flexibility for their families.
Michelle Daniel of Women in Business says that women-owned
firms now employ about 15.5 million people in the United
States, 35% more than Fortune 500 companies employ world-wide.
The National Foundation for women business owners and Dun &
Bradstreet Information Services have more to say. Women-run
businesses are financially sound, they do not pose a greater
credit risk. They also pay their bills promptly. They have
staying power, being less likely to fold.
The last few decades have seen numerous woman leaders,
especially in the political front, emerge, from Vigdis
Finnbogadottier who was first elected as president of Iceland
in 1980.
This has been followed by Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Mrs
Bandaranaikke, Margaret Thatcher Benazir Mary Robinson,
Corazon Aquino, Khaleda Zia and others.
Women have also become social activists, outstanding
professionals besides becoming successful businesswomen. In
the business and management world, although we do not see the
same dramatic impact, they have been more numerous and growing
at a steady pace.
More than 5.5 million American women lead small- or
medium-sized companies that are going places. Some believe
that there is no need for women to seek Fortune 500-type of
companies to make their headway. It is better and faster for
them to break out on their own.
Some pundits claim that in the last 20 years women have been
squeezing men out of some parts of the labour market. More
than 46% of America's workforce at present is composed of
women:
Although women the world over fall into cluster jobs like
secretaries, shop assistants, cashiers, nurses and nannies,
things are beginning to change. The expansion of the service
industry like health care, education, social work and
administration has benefitted them.
The increasing popularity of part-time work, as seen from the
examples of Australia and France (where it has doubled), suits
women. They have taken to Peter Drucker's "new breed of
entrepreneurs, whose goal is to identify a social cause,
cultivate an opportunity and turn it into profit."
Some outstanding women managers in the Western world would be
Rochelle Lazarus, President of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide,
designers Liz Clairborne and Donna Karen and Loida N. Lewis (a
Filipino by birth), who runs the billion-dollar Beatrice
International Foods.
Talking of women's potential and their ability to be good
managers former President of the Asian Institute of
Management, Gabino Mendoza, says that women, especially in
Asia, are given responsibility at a very early age.
Mothers teach them how to cook wash clothes and take on other
family responsibilities while their brothers are out in the
"woods" catching spiders, playing kites and having a good
time.
This early exposure shows in the way they manage if given the
opportunity. This scenario could be changing with the younger
generation; as a generalisation, however the above can be
accepted.
What this means is that there is potential, energy and
experience waiting to be used or usefully channelled.
Studies by Harvard University professor Carol Gilligan say
that "girls have aggressive confidence around the age of 11.
But by the age of 16, their self-assurance decreases."
This, she believes, could be due to teachers inadvertently
undermining young women by talking of their roles and
limitations. Teachers instead should become a source of
inspiration and growth.
This writer's own experience shows that women seem to take on
responsibilities in management very well. In the early years,
some of them, perhaps not so wisely, modelled themselves on
men, using their behavioural characteristics jargons and "one
upmanship" to "push" their way up. This is understandable
because they have always been the minority among the "black
suits."
However, lately, many of them have blossomed as themselves. My
previous work in the Civil Service involved the handling of
highly confidential material. I always felt comfortable
working on these documents with women officers, right from
clerical officers to senior administrators. They always seemed
to display a greater sense of responsibility and
trustworthiness.
Looking at the Malaysian scenario, it is not very difficult to
see women in senior management positions. Like their sisters
in America, they seem to have the tendency to move into
entrepreneurship. They have made excellent progress although
there is still room for improvement.
Observing this, a study conducted by the MIM in 1991/2 noted
the managerial value of "non-assertion" of women managers as a
concern. This meant that women were not using their full
potential, they should also be given the opportunity to use
it.
Some good examples of Malaysian women managers include Chief
Executive of RHB Yvonne Chia, former banker and writer Lillian
Too, DRB's Maznah Abdul Jalil, Lin Chua of Dicklin and Co and
Managing Director of Oracle Systems, Malaysia, Khatijah Begon
Shah Mohamed. They are good role models.
Women can reach great heights. For example, the Washington
legislature is 38.1% female. India's self-employed Women's
Association Bank has a 96% repayment rate on loans it makes to
"questionable risks" to women.
Aburdene and Naisbitt say that "professional Women should be
replacing rock-music and television stars, actresses and
models for young women, Especially teens."
We see another role our successful women managers can play in
our Society-to harness the energy of young women and channel
it to positive endeavours.
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