| The Feminine Face of Business
by Alicia M. Rodriguez, M.A. The face of American business is changing.
The traditional model for success was the white, male model. In order to succeed, women and "others" needed to "dress for success" in modified versions of "power suits". Diverse populations, ideas and perspectives were obscured by the need for assimilation at the expense of innovation.
The psychology of business is changing as the hierarchal, command and control model, based on the military, is evolving into a flat structure, with emphasis on
collaboration and shared ideas. Women are key to the shift in business practices and are taking a stand, economically and politically, in the merging of business and family values.
Women faced with a glass ceiling or with a lack of work flexibility are leaving jobs which no longer support their holistic goals. And they are no longer apologizing for their requirement for meaningful work and careers which incorporate family and profession. Faith Popcorn, a futurist and consultant, notes that a woman opens a business every 60 seconds. Women in the United States own 8 million businesses or 1/3 of all U.S. firms. They employ 18.5 million workers and do $2.3 trillion in annual sales. By the year 2005, 40% of all firms will be female-owned. They control 80% of consumer spending. Women have become a force in the economic and political landscape and are changing the way business is handled. How do you measure power? According to Carly Fiorina, of Hewlett Packard, "Power is the ability to change things." And that is exactly what women are doing!
The U.S. Department of Labor (Women's Bureau) projects a 14 percent increase in employment, or 20.3 million jobs between 1998 and 2008. Many of these opportunities are in the fast growth sectors of computers and health related occupations.
Women's participation in the labor force is expected to increase by 15 percent, compared to 10 percent for men. Already one of every two job seekers is a woman. The fastest labor force increase will be among Hispanic origin (48.8) and Asian and other women (45.7). African American women will increase their participation by 21.1 percent and white women by 12.6 percent. What does it mean for women and for business in general?
The face of business is becoming feminized and
colorized. "If you depend on white males, you're going to run out of workers," says Charles K. Gifford, COO and president of Fleet Boston Financial.
(Note: Fleet made the top 100 Best Companies to work for in Working Mother magazine.) A woman's leadership and management style has proven to have positive results to the bottom line. In today's uncertain business environment, combined with the psychological wake up call this past September, the national conversation has become the need to find meaningful work, and to be valued as an individual for one's unique contributions. In the landmark 1997 National Study of the Changing Workforce, it was discovered that indeed the quality of workers' jobs and the supportiveness of their workplaces are the most powerful predictors of productivity. Additionally, women's needs and desires (and for men as well) to balance a busy family life and engage in challenging work environments have impacted work/life programs regarding childcare, flexible work, job-sharing and tele-commuting. The risk of losing the level of professionalism and the potential contribution of women is too great for companies recognizing the changing demographics and work-styles.
Balancing personal and professional issues is becoming increasingly difficult in today's insecure political and business environment.
Despite the mass of layoffs, there is evidence of a myriad of hidden costs to viewing employees as an expendable cost. Research conducted by the American Management Association indicates that less than half of the companies that implemented a downsizing realized an increase in profits. Ellen Galinsky, of the Families and Work Institute, claims, "Yes, you say, but we are in a period of cost-cutting. How can we focus on work redesign when everyone is so focused on cost-cutting. And yes, you say, but we are in a period when everyone is doing more with less. Our companies are downsizing. We have fewer people to do the same work. We are expecting more of people. How can we focus on good quality, reasonable jobs when the economic stakes are so high? But you and I both know that we have to. That the companies that pay attention to how people work, to making that work meaningful and reasonable, will fare better in the long-haul. That's what the findings of this field have told us again, and again, and again."
There still is much more work to be done. Currently, there are only 2 female CEO's in Fortune 500 companies and a total of 6 in Fortune 1000.
Women hold 671 of 6,064 seats on the Board of Directors of Fortune 500 companies, women of color hold only 58 seats, accounting for 1% of total board seats. (Catalyst, The 1998 Catalyst Census of Women Board of Directors of the Fortune 500, 1998) According to Take Our Daughters to Work® of the Ms. Foundation for Women, only 71 companies in the Fortune 500 have no women on their Board of Directors. (Catalyst, The 1998 Catalyst Census on Women Board of Directors of the Fortune 500, 1998)
What can women do to take advantage of opportunities in the new millennium? There are still challenges to be met by women, particularly in becoming full partners in the information technology revolution. Women and girls should be encouraged to explore careers in information technology, engineering, math and science for rewarding work and compensation in the coming millennium. Women who have achieved positions of power must take an active role in mentoring the new generation of women.
Understand the political, social and economical force that we represent and collaborate with companies that support women's issues through activism, compensation, or recognition. Women, and men, should negotiate and press for fair or equal wages and salaries and work places that will allow workers to meet work and family obligations. Employers must adjust to meet women's needs, as well as men's, to ensure the success of their business ventures. It is in their own best interests to be fair to all workers. Don't think someone else will do this. As women and men, mothers and fathers, and individuals with rich lives and work: "We must be the change we wish to see in the world." Now more than ever.
***********
© Alicia M. Rodriguez, 2001. All rights reserved.
Please feel free to forward this on.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
***********
Reproduction for publication is approved, provided the copyright information is included along with the following attribution: by Alicia M. Rodriguez, M.A., Personal Coach, Soul Centered Life Management™, 410-544-5262 , E-Mail: aliciamr@sclmcoach.com and website: www.sclmcoach.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
