her vibe
ARTICLE by
CAROL ODERO
Fortune 500 CEOs were women, a number considered as being an all-time high. Signs of a Queen Bee include but are not limited to isolating subordinates, refusing to acknowledge a subordinate woman or give her due credit, creating a hostile or competitive work environment, and making others feel inferior. Women are expected to be helpful and warm, and if they are anything but, says The Conversation in The Immortal – And False – Myth Of The Workplace Queen Bee state they are perceived negatively. Where men as managers are seen as strong leaders, women are seen as problematic. Context matters. The article, like the white paper, does not dispute the existence of the Queen Bee. Instead, they attribute it to a ”reaction to marginalisation.” It continues ”When organisations are not inclusive, women are more likely to experience value threat and therefore more likely to avoid supporting other women.” What then, is the solution? In a survey of 350 executives, Sophia Zhao and Maw-Der Foo found two very doable solutions. ”What we need to do is to nurture an environment where men and women are treated equally. When we have more women in the system, especially in the higher echelons of the organisation, a woman leader advocating for other women will no longer be seen as favoritism or nepotism.” Another part of the solution relies on what creates the context in the first place. Building a diverse and inclusive work environment. Men need to do this because when they champion diversity and inclusion, they are not penalised. ”In fact… male leaders who demonstrate diversity-valuing behaviours were perceived as being more competent and received higher performance ratings. Involving men in the diversity campaign can prove to be a winwin for all.” www.cioafrica.co | AUGUST 2022 | CIO Africa Magazine | by dx⁵
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