Gender communication in the Getting Credit case study

Gender Communication

Throughout the last 100 years western society has experienced dramatic and profound changes relating to ideas and the way people interact and communicate with one another. Many of these social experiments are now coming into a clearer vision to those who created them many decades ago. The results of women entering the workplace and taking a stronger role in corporate America has demonstrated to us all that we have much to learn in terms of relating and communicating with one another.

The purpose of this essay is to explain some important lessons that can be inferred from the Getting Credit case study involving Claudia, Ken and Robert. This essay will discuss some key points about this case and compare the different styles of communication that were displayed in this hypothetical situation. This essay will attempt to explore the root causes of gender communication problems and offer solutions by explaining how the actors in this case could have better expressed their desires.

Lessons Learned

The philosopher Fredrick Nietzsche wrote in discussing understanding gender differences in communication: "The sexes deceive themselves about each other -- because at bottom they honor and love only themselves (or their own ideals, to put it more pleasantly). Thus man likes woman peaceful -- but woman is essentially unpeaceful, like a cat, however well she may have trained herself to seem peaceable." The stark differences that lay at the root of gender cannot help but manifest themselves in the ways that ideas are communicated.

In this case study the furious nature of Claudia, demonstrated by her commitment and dedication to her job, suggests that she is at heart, an unpleasant individual, who really is not looking out for the benefit of the team. Claudia is too self-centered to realize that what is most important in this whole situation is that money is being made on the deal. Who gets credit, does not matter in the practical application of the scenario.

Since communication is all about how we translate our emotions into the material world, it is essential to realize that men and women look at the world differently. This is nature. The fundamental differences in the way the sexes look at the world are indeed the very things that give us the impulses to seek out and learn from the other side. If not for these, most likely unsolvable mysteries, life and existence would be quite dull and proceed without much passion.

Future Solutions

While the integration of the fairer sex into the workplace throughout the last several generations has seen some numerous problems, it can be done with some success, if success is properly defined. In the case study, any Fortune 500 company is structured to dominate market share and produce profits. Claudia, Robert and Ken are merely cogs in this wheel, and the smaller communication problems that exist between these sub-groups are not important as long as the money continues to role in.

Both sexes are taken advantage of in this situation and understanding that best qualities of the sexes will be drawn out to produce a balanced and operational organization. When women display their most womanly qualities, they are acting according to their nature and growth should be expected. Claudia needs to embrace her womanhood and use her womanly skills to help her succeed in business. Acting like a man, only threatens the old school network of men who are looking for such women to resent and punish.

Life is more like a game and we all have a unique set of skills and talents to navigate the many tricky twists and turns the experience offers. To deny ourselves is to harm ourselves. Embracing our gifts, including our sexuality and all the power that is included in this idea, will no doubt serve the individual, community or any organization that is looking to get the most out of its human capital.