Beyond Glass Ceilings and Brick Walls - International Labour ...

In the IT service provider company, the CEO stated that “some men who
have a different upbringing have a difficulty dealing with women colleagues
as equals. Due to a certain superiority attitude, they find it difficult to discuss
matters critically with women colleagues and come to more effective
decisions.” Such rivalries can be effectively addressed. For instance the
situation was seen by the human resource development officer of the tea
trading company visited, as a challenge that can be effectively managed.
“Conflicts between men and women are not uncommon. These situations
arise due to misunderstandings and stereotyping of the capabilities of women
as weak and indecisive. But among educated and well-behaved persons this
is not a serious problem.” Thus, through training and other management
interventions, such problems may be addressed effectively.
It is not uncommon for companies with a long history of management by
men to develop a masculine work culture. When women are recruited to
such organizations they find the work environment intimidating or even
repulsive.
This can be due to the verbal banter that has led to conflicts within the
organization, confirmed by a chief executive of a company that we
interviewed. He stated that this situation is “due to the basic lack of
respect for another person, and applied not only to the male staff but to
female staff as well.
This situation has happened even though at a personal level people get
along quite well, but when it comes to business, the males tend to dominate.
For example, if there is a disagreement with regard to a work related issue,
the males tend to get aggressive and feel that they have to dominate. If the
team leader is a female, the males often have a problem with her decisions
even if she is right. These situations are resolved by both parties being
brought together and having open discussions. These incidents have affected
the productivity of the company. This situation had a lot to do with education
and the awareness of people in society. For example, when male and female
employees go for a meeting, the male is taken seriously by the client. This
sometimes causes unhealthy friction between the two employees and conflicts
within the organization”.
A transparent participatory approach to decision making that helps
managers to overcome traditional notions of male driven individualistic
methods will help improve interpersonal relationships in organizations that
strive towards gender parity in its senior management levels.
Organizations need to have a clear strategy in human resource management/
development to address these conflicts. A gender policy that incorporates,
where required, the company position with regard to such conflicts, how they
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