Managing Gender Differences in the Workplace

Though it would seem that hiring a diverse workforce would be extremely advantageous to any company that wishes to compete on the global stage, the issues that are faced when attempting to blend the differences of race, gender, and age are too great to be ignored.
Managing for the sexes Many companies currently express a desire to foster diversity within the organization. But however sincere their intentions about developing gender diversity in management are, companies are still hindered by a very real glass ceiling.
For many years, the dominant group in the workforce was always men. However through the years, women have not only increased in number in the workforce but they’ve also given most men a run for their money for upper management positions. This change has made it necessary for managers to develop practical techniques and strategies to successfully manage this mixed gendered workforce.
Introducing a few measures such as flextime options is insufficient to attract and retain more women in the organization. A complete overhaul of all operating practices and a real cultural revolution are required to retain women and enable them to take on management positions in large numbers. In the past, managers made the mistake of attempting to manage men and women exactly the same. This was a big mistake. It is important to understand that men and women bring different perspectives to the same task. The blending of the best of both perspectives can result in a better product. But the two different approaches can also result in conflict. The goal of any effective manager is to understand the gender differences and work through the obstacles caused by the conflict.
Realities of Gender Differences When managing men and women, management should understand and adopt the concept of equal but not the same. Take the time to acknowledge the differences and similarities between the sexes and use this knowledge to encourage a better working relationship. There have been a number of studies conducted to explore the differences of men and women. Most of these studies conclude that men and women do vary in the areas of brain development, structure, and functioning (Dugan & Summers, 1995). However, these differences do not affect the workplace performance of men or women in such a way that would establish one as superior to the other. The only major workplace difference between the two is that women experience more work/family conflict than do men. The work/family conflict has been considered to be an exclusively female problem; one which some would say, has kept women from being on an equal playing field with men. It is up to management to make gender equality and diversity a priority so each group is working on an equal playing field.
Why Diversity
The concept of diversity, to some extent, was more of a reaction to and a means to avoid the negative responses to Affirmative Action. Many believed Affirmative Action was nothing more than quotas and a violation of principles of merit. The truth is, when applied properly, Affirmative Action is a moral imperative that focuses on achieving equality of opportunity throughout an organization.