Learning Activity #1: Communication Differences between Genders
Informed by the reading, identify an experience you or someone you know has had in which there was a failure to communicate between a male and a female. A business context would be preferred. If not business, please ensure that issue is not too personal.
1) Share the context, the issue and the result.
2) Discuss your views on the result. Was the result mutually agreeable and beneficial? If not, how might the result have been different?
3) What understanding of communication differences that you gained from the reading could have made a significant difference for the better in the prevention or outcome of the communication failure that took place?
Learning Activity #2: Gender Stereotyping & Bias
The study by Heilman, Block and Martell suggests that both men and women are subject to stereotypes in the workplace. These stereotypes are particularly detrimental to women managers. The further study suggests that once women achieve managerial status, continued progress and development is not assured. Rather, without deliberate action, women are likely to fall to the wayside in the climb up the organizational hierarchy.
Consider the work experiences that you've had and the women managers that you have observed. Are your experiences consistent with the findings of this study? What stereotypes and biases have you experience whether first hand or observed. Be specific and give examples.
If the experiences are consistent, what strategies/efforts could be made to change the prospective for women in your organization?
If they are not consistent, what strategies/efforts do you think were implemented that created a different result in your organization?