On Wed, 19 Apr 1995, Barbara Bliss wrote: >On Wed, 19 Apr 1995, Wood Lee wrote: > >> For women who just want to work hard and get their `deserved' reward, I >> think it won't be that easy. You're going to have to help your colleagues >> along the way to make them realize that it's a different world now and that >> we all need to learn about each other's communication styles. > >Query: If male colleagues have "made it" and female colleagues are not >competing in the same style - thus are not competing as successfully at >the game defined by men - > >Why *should* men try to learn about other communication styles? What >will "make them realize we all need to learn about each other's >communication styles" when they've clearly done fine without doing so? > The style has worked fine only with respect to establishing power, not necessarily with respect to the production of work/idea/solution. There is an increasing belief and evidence that more diversified participation leads to more well-rounded and better solutions. I think not all are in it for the power. In fact I would venture to guess that most are not. Many do care for their work and want to produce good results so should be receptive to learning about different communication styles if it promises to produce better results. I think the experience Jayne Docherty relayed in her message supports this. Learning and adapting to each other's communication styles may get in the way of efficiency at first, but things should improve after the initial hump on the learning curve. Again, if power is involved, all bets are off. However, daily bridge- building work may eventually help to change the climate sufficiently so that the power game may be played differently. >What, short of coercion (as affirmative action programs might be >construed to be), would entice male colleagues to adapt to women in the >workplace? (Or gays in the army or people of color in the White House or >whatever?) > >Barbara Bliss > Is coercion going to cut it? I'm doubtful it would by itself. Affirmative action may have produced better numbers but what about the the underlying climate concerning minorities? One thing going for incorporating different communication styles though is that there is evidence that it produce better results. Wood
