Essay Instructions
Tina Kiefer, a professor of organizational behavior, created the exercise accidentally. In terms of gender, the results are almost always the same. Both men and women almost always draw men.
“Even when the drawings are gender neutral,” which is uncommon, Dr. Kiefer said, “the majority of groups present the drawing using language that indicates male (he) rather than neutral or female.”
And yet, her clients often insisted that what they meant by “he” is actually “both.”
How might unconscious ideas about gender affect people’s abilities to recognize emerging leadership? Researchers confirmed what many women have long suspected: getting noticed as a leader in the workplace is more difficult for women than for men.
In one experiment, participants were asked to call into a monthly meeting of a fictional insurance company, during which they would hear from either a man or a woman. Later they were asked to rate the speaker on how much he or she had “exhibited leadership,” “influenced the team” or “assumed a leadership role.” The participants were much more likely to identify the male speaker as showing leadership.
In a second experiment, participants at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point took part in a team competition. During the competition, both male and female teammates spoke up with ideas for how to complete the required tasks. However, after the competition, the participants indicated that they only wanted the males who spoke up to become “team leaders.”
The researchers have also concluded that this does not occur because women are seen as “less competent.” However, the ability to “take charge” has been seen as a largely male characteristic.
How can this problem be overcome? One reliable way to help people to see more women as leader-like is to expose them to more women in actual leadership positions.
Answer the following question in a well-developed essay of approximately four paragraphs:
- Describe your vision of an effective leader. What characteristics does he or she possess? What actions does he or she take? Use specific details and examples to support your response.