Paper Example on Gender Diversity in Leadership

Introdcution

The influence of today's gender diversity in leadership manifested itself in my previous employment while working under male and female supervisors. The opportunity to work under a rotational supervisory exposed me to the variation in their leadership approach. The rotation policy in the workplace provided an opportunity to witness a mix of apparent merits and demerits attributed to male and female supervisors.

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Advantages of Female Supervisors

Women leaders exercise empathy and helpful nature to build a healthy workplace relationship. Firstly, their sensitivity and intuition allowed them to nurture a friendly nature and pay more attention to subordinates wellbeing. By doing so, female supervisors cast an accommodating character and communal when addressing workplace challenges. Typically, women leaders manifest communal traits founded on kindness, gentleness, and concern for others (Eagly, 2007). I found the sensitive nature of women supervisors to allow them to decode and understand my emotions and unspoken words. For instance, such emerged in their willingness to assist in striking work-life balance during orientation to the demanding tasks.

Women leaders commit to a strong team spirit nurtured by creating a feeling of togetherness. Female team leads demonstrate a devotion to relationship building and valuing contribution of their subordinates(Bednar & Gicheva, 2014). Such emerged from the great listening skills and compassion that female leaders had for others through efforts to understand and resolve workplace and personal problems. The sensitivity to relationship building blend with their calm nature of women made them effective problem solvers capable of handling tensions and complexities. The calmness in women is desirable to address the complexities and tension witnessed in the labor-intensive department (Ropero, 2018). They inspired optimism through appeals to overcome workplace demands by building a friendly environment.

Disadvantages of Female Supervisors

The vulnerability of female leaders to mood swings compromises the workplace environment leading to conflict. Unlike men supervisors, female bosses suffered frequent mood swings they demonstrated leading to outbursts during corrections. Secondly, over sensitivity to the employees led to cases of micromanagement by the female supervisors. The higher rate of burn out during supervision rounds translates to frustration that ushered mood swings to the discomfort of subordinates (Ropero, 2018). The frequency of mood swing caused unbearable animosity and pressure that eventually aggravated tension in the workplace.

Advantages of Male Supervisors

The experience with male supervisors revealed advantageous interactions in their direct approach in the workplace. Firstly, straight talking in male supervisors brought a come-to-the-point attitude unlike the lengthy conversation rounds preferred by the female counterparts. Typically, it allows the male supervisors to isolate personal life from workplace challenges, thereby maintain a professional working environment (Chen, Friedman, & Simons, 2014). Secondly, the sobriety of male supervisors led to impartial conduct during orientation and resolving problems unlike in female team lead compromised by having excessive feelings. Furthermore, the compelling nature of male supervisors surfaced in creating unity of direction through their assertive language. It allowed them to sustain a logical approach through clear instructions, satisfaction, and objectives in the tasks.

Disadvantages of Male Supervisors

The excessive assertiveness in male supervisors resulted in an aggressive nature when handling complexities and workplace tensions. It would erode tolerance for the personal life at work. Lastly, male supervisors devoted to a command-and-control approach when handling workplace complexities. It brought arrogance in their directives.

I like the straight talking and come-to-the point attitude of male supervisors for isolating private life from the workplace activities. Again, I admired the open nature and impartiality of male supervisors for ensuring the logical approach to work without micromanagement. Furthermore, I appreciated the sensitivity and intuition of female supervisors for allowing them to strike a healthy work-life balance and rounded workforce. However, I disliked the frequent mood swings in female supervisors for eroding their tolerance for workplace pressure.

References

Bednar, S., & Gicheva, D. (2014). Are female supervisors more female-friendly? The American Economic Review, 104(5), 370-375. doi:10.1257/aer.104.5.370

Chen, Y., Friedman, R., & Simons, T. (2014). The gendered trickle-down effect. Career Development International, 19(7), 836 - 856. doi:10.1108/CDI-02-2014-0031

Eagly, A. H. (2007). Female leadership advantage and disadvantage: Resolving the contradictions. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 31(1), 1-12. doi:10.1111/j.1471-6402.2007.00326.x

Ropero, M. A. (2018). Women's access to supervisory jobs and gender inequality. International Journal of Manpower, 39(5), 687-709. doi:10.1108/IJM-10-2016-0196