A Case for Women Bosses by Raina Ng

The Edge Financial Daily, 26 Aug 2011: One of the most hotly debated questions asked about managers is whether men or women make better bosses. To Joanna Barsh, director of Mckinsey & Co, gender is irrelevant when it comes to being a great boss. Being a great boss is about the qualities and skills of the individual, she tells The Edge Financial Daily. The differences between women and men are not that great. To be grounded in purp oses, to be able to handle difficult conversations, to make it possible for everybody to say things they are comfortable saying, to build an environment where people can speak up, to be able to bring people together to get the benefit of a group, is there anything that would make you say women cannot do these things? she said. Earlier, in her presentation How remarkable women lead at the July 25 opening of the Womens Summit 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Barsh noted that there are prejudicial myths organisations still hold when it comes to the capabilities of women. One myth, which says women are incapable of rational decision making, is the reason why women are not promoted to top positions. According to Barsh, it is not only the men, but women in the workplace that hold to these myths. She states that mindsets and workplace cultures must change to recognise that women are as capable as men. She also adds that studies have found a correlation between companies that perform very well and the number of women on top. While gender is not a necessary cause for why these companies do better, Barsh urges corporates to ask the question why such correlation exists. Diversity at the top, according to Barsh, may be one of the reasons for this correlation. Women do not necessarily make better bosses, said Karin Clarke, the regional director (Singapore and Malaysia) of the global human resource consultancy Randstad. Women display different qualities from men and this helps balance and diversify the workplace, she said in an email interview. Women are very good at building strong teams, empowering staff, encouraging open dialogue and being able to pick up non-verbal cues. On the other hand, men tend to compete to win. That said, both styles work and it depends on the work environment and what employees best respond to. The most important factor is that employees respect the authority of their leader, are motivated, inspired and feel valued, she said. Clarke says a study by Ranstad showed employees considered th e ability to motivate and inspire others as the single biggest attribute that defined a successful leader. Diversity leads to more effective decision making and planning, she says, adding that this diversity is especially important in company boards. Boards need to comprise a diverse set of skills and personal qualities. Women leaders who bring skills, experience, performance and a different mindset to the boardroom table should be viewed on what they can contribute, just like other board members. Inclusive boards lead to more effective thinking which results in more effective planning and business growth, Clarke said. In Malaysia, the government is seeking such inclusive boards and announced in June the policy to increase the number of women in decision-making positions in the corporate sector to 30% in five years. Currently, only 7.5% of decision-makers are women. In reality, locally as well as globally, there is still a gap between the number of men and women at the top. A 2010 Mckinsey study entitled Women Matter found that while women should not be limited because of their gender, they faced more barriers than men when moving up the corporate ladder. The study was carried out worldwide last September with 1,500 male and female participants from middle management level upwards.

The participants recognised gender diversity in the workplace drives its performance but there are two main barriers that stop women from advancing. The first barrier is the incompatibility between their work and domestic responsibilities while the second barrier is the traditional work model which demands physical availability and geographical mobility. Clarkes views are similar. She says the challenge for women in achieving a work -domestic life balance affects their upward mobility. Women who face the challenge of juggling work and family responsibilities need the support of employers. Our research shows that less than half of employers in Malaysia offer flexible work options. By offering flexible work hours, job sharing, compressed work weeks, part-time work, flexible working locations and staff meetings, companies can encourage women to manage their time between work and home commitments, she said. Apart from diversity in the workplace, Clarke says it also makes business sense to tap into the widest available pool of talent especially with the rising level of education among women. When you look at it, women make up about 60% of the university graduates and 50% of the people who start at companies in professional jobs. Clearly you want the best talent in your company or in your country. There is plenty of room for more great talent. There is no company or country that would say it has enough great talent and does not need women. In Malaysia, when you look at goals for development and growth, of course you want more leaders, more talented people, and women are a talent pool you do not want to ignore, said Barsh.

http://www.maicsa.org.my/article_new_briefs/2011/article_new_briefs_1110.aspx

Saturday,31/12