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Cross- cultural implications of leadership
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Cross Cultural Communication Theory and Practice PDFDrive (1)
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Cross- cultural implications of leadership
The balance of power in organizations between individuals and the team varies between different cultures in the following main areas: Is authority vested in the leader or the group? Is the leader a facilitator or a supremo? Is the leader a coach? Is there an emphasis on hierarchy? Are age and seniority important or is status based on qualifications? What is the position of women in terms of opportunities and acceptance? Leadership development for women In Western Europe in particular, there has been much pressure on multina- tional companies, NGOs and both the public and private sectors to increase the opportunities for women to compete successfully for senior positions. This has been in addition to legislation in individual countries, such as the Equal Pay Act and the Sex Discrimination Act in the UK, as well as EU- wide legislation. Substantial progress has already been made in North European countries, such as in Norway, where 41 per cent of members of large company boards are now women; this figure is 27 per cent in Sweden. The French government has passed a law that sets minimum quotas for listed companies with the largest required to have a target of 40 per cent female board members by 2016. Spain, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands already have quotas. In the UK, the Female FTSE 100 Board Report of 2010 showed that the percentage of women on the boards of FTSE 100 companies had increased only from 9.4 per cent in 2004 to 15 per cent by 2010, and 13 large compa- nies still had no female board members. The legal imposition of quotas for women is controversial and is opposed by many women themselves, as well as by companies and politicians. It has been criticized as a token gesture and companies argue that they have a duty of care first and foremost to their shareholders to appoint the best candidates, regardless of their sex. There are a number of social and cultural factors that still inhibit women from wishing to pursue careers in senior positions and therefore • • • • • • 134 Cross-Cultural Communication break through the ‘glass ceiling’. These include the cost of childcare when adequate state assistance is lacking, as well as the reluctance of many women to resume a full- time career while bringing up a family and afterwards. In addition, there are dual career problems in a family where the male partner is posted abroad and the female partner is unable to pursue her career if she accompanies him. Another factor is that some companies demand that all candidates from non- executive directorships must have first held executive positions in other companies in order to acquire suitable experience. Despite these inhibitors, there are now more women at universities than men in many countries and more women are encouraged to apply for MBA and similar courses than in the past. However, this is not the case in some cultures, such as Japan, South Korea, many Muslim countries and in Latin cultures, where both social and cultural pressures mean that young women do not have the same opportunities as men or the encouragement to embark on professional careers. In 2010, the Accenture International Women’s Day Survey asked sen- ior executives of medium- sized and large companies from 20 countries worldwide whether they were currently preparing more women for senior management roles than in 2009. A total of 60 per cent replied they were not, as opposed to 40 per cent that were. The Women’s Matters Global Survey carried out by McKinsey in 2010 polled some 1,500 executives worldwide, enquiring what were considered the main barriers to increasing gender diversity within their top management structures. The most significant replies were the problems of balancing work and family responsibilities, the availability of childcare and its associated high cost. In addition, the Survey highlighted the problems of often being unable to respond to the need to move quickly, particularly abroad, the absence of sufficient female role models and, in many cases, the tendency not to promote themselves suf- ficiently when faced with competition from men. In addition to the above inhibiting factors, those women who do reach executive positions may find it difficult to be accepted abroad, particularly in Japan, the Middle East and some Latin cultures. In China, where women make up 46 per cent of the workforce, it is still difficult to overcome the highly conservative attitude towards women in senior appointments. As a result, Chinese female high- flyers often find it easier to work for a multina- tional company (The Economist, 26 November 2011). Cultural and social factors are slow to change despite equal opportunity legislation, but much can be done by career planning and training as well as integrating women’s career development as a key function of human resource management. Other positive approaches include the provision of role models, mentoring and promoting the networking of women. Careers advice from school and universities can also play a part. Considerable progress has also been made in promoting the development of leadership training and experience for women by such bodies as the Women’s Global Leadership Forum, which has been instrumental in raising Leadership Across Cultures 135 the awareness of the potential for women to hold senior management positions. The Women in Diplomatic Service Group has been set up to encourage women to achieve positions in the diplomatic service by opening up opportunities and providing training development. It has been contended that women in senior management positions have a beneficial effect on the boards of companies as they are considered to have a calmer approach, tend not to make rash decisions and, in a crisis, are risk averse. In addition, they are usually less driven by power and ambition, and are keener to work towards compromise in many situations. There are, of course, strong examples of highly successful women in senior appoint- ments in certain sectors, for example, retail, fashion and health care. Download 1.51 Mb. Do'stlaringiz bilan baham: |
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