Gender communication dilemmas in business: lessons and case experiences

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.

Workplace Roles

While, at the heart of the matter, there is no real problem, except that Claudia became slightly over emotional, Robert could have communicated better with his teammate. At the heart of every relationship between man and woman is sex. This is unavoidable. While Robert most likely is sexually attracted to Claudia due to her abilities and her tendency to play a secondary role, he certainly could have explained, or at least lied, to Claudia on why she was not given her proper credit for the new product roll-out.

It seems that much confusion reigns in the workplace as gender differences are most likely designed to be realized through communication. The workplace is especially vulnerable to these types of misunderstandings. Smith (2002) suggested " despite significant advancements in the overall socioeconomic status of minorities and working women, race and gender remain important impediments to their attainment of authority. This pattern, which is consistent and robust in state level, national, cross-national, and cross temporal studies."

Ken, the "young buck" has no doubt threatened Robert's vitality and his authority merely by his presence. The fact that a young women is also involved in this scenario, certainly adds to the challenge that Robert must be feeling. At the heart of the situation, the two men are competing with each other to gain favor with the woman. A natural, and most likely healthy combination can arise from this grouping if the right attitudes are taken and a sense of purpose is adopted.

It appears that Claudia, is indeed trying too hard to impress her male counterparts, which leaves them the option of ignoring her in order to motivate her. Robert and Ken, no doubt view Claudia as a servant of some type and is fulfilling her womanly duties by working hard and receiving a different form of credit. Claudia, by allowing herself to be taken advantage of, is merely fulfilling the role that woman has traditionally filled throughout the course of history.

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.