There many ways people communicate in the workplace. How one co-worker communicates with another co-worker depends on different factors, such as age, level of education, gender, and position in the company. In this essay, the focus will be on how gender influences communication--how one gender communicates with another gender, as well as how gender influences choice of communication style. Gender influences not only how one communicates, but also how others choose to communicate with you. Because of this, it is important to understand how communicated can be gendered. This essay will look at management styles as well as feminine and masculine communication styles.
There are three primary management styles used in the American workplace: the more traditional masculine style, the newer feminine style, and the blended androgynous style (Ivy 318-320). The masculine style of management features “attributes [such] as aggression, competitiveness, control, and individualism” (Ivy 318). Managers who use this style are more direct in their communication, and tend to be less diplomatic. There is less emphasis on ‘playing well with others,’ and more emphasis on being the ‘leader of the pack.’ A manager who manages in this fashion will be more likely to reward the perceived best employee over the other employees under them.
The feminine style of management features “attributes [such] as flexibility, supportiveness, connectedness, and collaborative problem solving” (Ivy 318). Managers who use this style are more diplomatic in their approach to their employees, being more interested in creating a positive work environment to creating a competitive environment. Feminine-styled managers encourage co-workers to work as a team, rather than in competition with each other. It isn’t that the individual is completely overlooked by a manager who prefers the feminine style of management, but rather the individual is judged more on their ability to work with others, not solely on their individual achievements.
The final style of management, androgynous, is a blended style of masculine and feminine. It “involves blending linear, systematic problem solving with intuitive approaches, balancing competition and collaboration, and dealing with power as well as emotion” (Ivy 320). The androgynous style of management utilizes the strengths of the masculine and feminine styles. The style doesn’t restrict managers in how they respond to different contexts in the workplace. A more masculine style of management is sometimes more effective than a feminine style, whereas a feminine style might work better in other situations. A manager who utilizes a more androgynous style of management will be more adroit at adapting to changes in the workplace, as they will have the tools to respond to a larger number of scenarios than either a primarily-masculine or primarily-feminine manager.
Masculine and feminine communication styles parallel their respective management styles in many ways. Masculine communicators tend to be more direct in their speech, more aggressive, and less emotion-focused; while feminine communicators tend towards facilitation, diplomacy, and are more focused on addressing emotions. In the workplace, this translates to occasional conflict between masculine communicators (who tend to be men) and feminine communicators (who tend to be women). When a masculine communicator addresses someone who is either more accustomed to feminine communication styles or who is expecting a feminine communication style, the conflict is a conflict of expectations--the communicator isn’t meeting the expectations of the receiver. An example of this sort of conflict would be if a masculine communicator in a managerial position gave critical feedback to an employee; in a situation like this, it’s possible for that the employee comes away feeling underappreciated, or frustrated with the manager’s communication style. If this pattern continued, the employee would likely experience a lag in work performance. On the other hand, if a manager overly favors a feminine style of communication, they may be missing opportunities to motivate the individuals which make up their team; people like to be recognized for their individual accomplishments, and focusing exclusively on a team may antagonize some employees. A balanced approach--based on context and experience--would seem like the best way to approach gendered communications.
In my own personal experience with gendered communication at work, I tend to prefer an androgynous style of communication--both for myself and for my employer. There are some scenarios which require a more direct approach, and there are scenarios which require a more empathetic approach. I have experience in primarily mixed-gendered environments, so I don’t know that I’ve had exposure to a singular masculine or feminine managerial style. I currently have a manager who is simultaneously direct and frank in his communications, but who is also quite empathetic and encourages teamwork as much as individual achievement. My immediate coworkers tend towards masculine communication styles (I work on a team which is composed primarily of men), and while there are sometimes issues regarding our ability to function as a team, our manager is able to keep our team on track. He’s able to balance the needs of the individual team members with the needs of the team and the department.
Works Cited:
Ivy, Diana K. GenderSpeak: Personal Effectiveness in Gender Communication (5th Edition). Boston: Pearson, 2012. Print.
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