We are in the 21st century, and the question is still being asked: What is the place of women in the business world? Statistics clearly show that equity has not been achieved in many fields, but why? This is the question that Ginette Séguin attempts to answer by comparing the two worlds of female- and male-style management.
"It was not so long ago," she remembers, "that people would turn to me in meetings to bring, and I quote, 'a feminine touch' to an argument, or a woman's advice on a specific detail. . ." Ginette Séguin has many such stories up her sleeve, which she shared one afternoon during the third edition of the Carrefour d’affaires au féminin (see sidebar). Her talk, titled "Management – Women’s Style," drew a no-holds-barred picture of the state of male-female relations at work
Over the years, holding down a series of jobs as human resources manager for a variety of renowned companies, Ginette found that her professional life was far different than what she had thought it would be: "When I was young, I imagined myself heading up a team, enjoying a cigar with my male colleagues," she laughs. In fact, she was persona non grata at the happy hours organized at a nearby bar by her male coworkers. They were dumbfounded that she wanted to join them, asking "Why, you don't drink beer, do you?!" Not one to hold a grudge, she decided to study the differences between the so-called inhabitants of Mars and Venus. Her objective was to try to understand these different influences on management, collaboration and decision-making.
Her first finding is that male-style management is like a game, a game whose rules have been set by and for men (naturally, men being the only ones deciding). "In the game of business, women must play like men, even though they don't work in the same way, nor do they have the same values," explains Ginette. Women are at a disadvantage in such a world, which is characterized by physical strength, independence and a need for confrontation; women's weapons are psychological strength, interdependence, ability to forge relationships, and finding common ground in situations of conflict. Men seek power, while women want to share. Men want to win, and women want to fit well into their work environment and build team spirit. Men are very clear in their ideas, and on the direction to be taken, while women are attentive to others and to their emotions.
Women are clearly penalized in the entrepreneurial game of risk taking and improvisation, their paths strewn with pitfalls, as outlined in the various case studies reported by Séguin. When turned down for a job, for example, men take it on the chin, while women feel rejected and guilty. Another example: women, who tend to be perfectionists, will worry about how to manage their new job responsibilities and will discuss it a lot. Men, on the other hand, ask no one anything and forge ahead. Women will also wonder why their new coworker is unfriendly (because their performance often depends on the work climate), while men. . . are oblivious.
Rest assured, the presentation ended on a positive note: the two management styles are complementary, and it is important for men and women to work together.
An exaggerated, overly harsh representation of men? "Absolutely not," replies Ginette Séguin, "I am emphasizing the differences. It's something that we already all know, but that we have absorbed so well that we have ended up forgetting it, which doesn't mean it doesn't exist." And while things have changed over the past 15 years, there is still a lot of progress to be made. There are few women in upper management positions, or in the forefront of the political scene. The famous glass ceiling is still very much present. "In the 1980s, there was vast movement and women reached very senior positions. Since then, nothing, and the question I am asking myself is why," she concludes.
Today, as the founder and president of Innov Capital Humain, a firm specializing in recruitment, integration and employability, Ginette networks a lot with men and especially women. Businesswomen networks such as Canadian Entrepreneurial Women, the Canadian Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs and the Canadian Women's Business Network are alive and well in Canada.
Gentlemen, hold on to your hats!
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International meeting point for business women
The Carrefour d’affaires au féminin, organized by the Network of Moroccan Businesswomen of Canada, is held in a different country each year. This year, it was held in Canada from June 9 to 13. Its mission is to promote the creation of a network of exchange between businesswomen from all over the world, to help them better overcome the specific challenges they are faced with. An opportunity for meetings and exchanges, the Carrefour also aims to contribute to the reflection on the economic and social roles of businesswomen.
For more information: www.cafem.ca