Hack:
BETTER is not BiGGER any more - Paradigm Shift & the Paradox of Power

I recognize the power of working with women. I do so in my consulting work and in my charity projects. I like to work with/use women's ideas/opinion. And part of it is possibly related to the idea that we should optimize rather than maximize (and yes, that is the true paradigm shift we face, but I have not yet seen anything convincing to move society there -- I'm not talking individuals, where there are of course many convinced).

Unfortunately, there is more to diversity than only to “Turn to the Women”. Embracing diversity in all its dimensions -- including cultural, economical, gender, north/south, political, religious, etc. -- is where we need to go! - @cdn

I want to share two (statistically non-significant) observations from my international Master classes. The students are majoring in "International Management & Consulting" and the course is about "International Project Management". In this course, the class is divided in teams (of 4 students) which have to plan and implement real projects with (hopefully) sustainable results.

First observation: mixed teams (m/f) perform better, and very often in such teams the girls take a leading role.

Second observation: the higher the diversity of a team (in terms of nationalities, academic backgrounds, gender, etc.) the longer it takes to perform effectively.

My lesson learned for project work: diversity is needed and can be productive. But given the tight time frames of projects there can also be too much diversity.

My lesson learned in organizational development: if we aim at a high level of diversity within an organization, we must moderate this process. “Productive diversity” needs time to develop and thus the right type of business situations.

From this article I see two different issues in play. The first issue is that this country has become obsessed with the “bigger is better” concept to an unhealthy degree. The second is that women have not penetrated the “good old boys” club. The first issue is evidenced by our consumption model here in the states. We eat larger meals, we drive faster cars, live in bigger houses and have bigger toys than any other country in the world. The second issue is evidenced by the fact that in 2011 only 12 Fortune 500 companies were run by women (down from 15 the previous year). A quick search on CNN provided this astonishing information.

I believe that the first issue can be harnessed if more women were in charge of our large corporations, whether it be at the Executive level or the board level. Based on your survey of the 200 professional business women, it seems the answers you were provided would be very different compared to 200 professional business men. As evidenced by the state of the economy, the financial bailouts, the high unemployment, etc. the current system of “good old boys” running the large corporations clearly is not working. When we sacrifice thousands of employees for the pure sake of higher profits, it demonstrates something is definitely wrong with the current model. Sometimes it does not take a heavy hand to run a business.

The answer to "Why we want more power" is given in this new article :

http://www.constructal.org/en/art/Why_we_want_power_-_Economics_is_physi...

Of course the key isn't just recruiting and advancing women - but doing so in cultures that allow them to remain female. We've seen a number of companies play the numbers game but studiously ignore the cultural change that needs to accompany it.

Great insights, Anne! Thanks for beging brave enough to speak truth.

Well done and couldn't agree more!! Our world is constantly evolving. We all know that. We know that the socio-economic climate is more global in nature. We know that there are more women than men in the world and, according to the UNFPA, we will hit the 7 billion person population mark at the end of October. So more people on the earth, more women than men. A global economic climate for business and government. We are operating in antiquated systems designed for a world that was far less global and with few people. New context requires new strategies. The new global context is about "and", not about "or". Our strategies need to be about "inclusion" and not about "exclusion". There is a place for all of us. The world around us may change quickly, but our processes, or systems seem to change more slowly. Start with the people who are willing to take the leap and make the changes. For expample, entrepreneurs are driving our future growth, not big business. Investors, i.e. money managers know that something has to change because the investor community is broken. How can we shift the paradigm in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to be based on job creation, innovation creation, revenue growth, and maybe even sustainability and NOT on the big-business-defined and antiquated-exclusive-focus on hard and fast returns. How can we help shift to long-term strategic thinking versus short-term focuses on exit strategies? We need to highlight some key wins, some key success stories to support the new paradigm. Does anyone know any good precedents that we (men and women) can look to for role models? This change may come about as a revolution/evolution - change that seems small and is inevitable due to the changing world contexts- but change that is impactful nonetheless.

Anne, I loved your icon of pushing a broom from both sides as we make this paradigm shift. If we don't figure out how to do this together, not much sweeping will be accomplished.

In past I have often seen men use women's ideas, yet give them no credit. The paradigm shift we need includes all ideas and credit given where deserved.

Thanks for showing this paradigm shift in a way that honors men's and women's gifts and talents.

Hey there research partner, well said!

I recently attended a three-day workshop on women transforming their power led by Dr. Jean Houston, author and one of the principal founders of the Human Potential Movement. Jean offered several great insights which link beautifully to our "seeing the water" work: that under the masculine style of business, economics rule the Western culture with everything being a satellite to it. Success is measured materialisticly in the sense of "how much do I have." Women bring the mindset and heart direction of creating communities that serve, valuing both "doing" and "being."

As we've concluded, change must happen within the walls of power, with women and men in partnership, braiding the old with the new to transform organizational cultures and transcend legacy practices.

Here's to moving paradigms!

Great post, Anne. It’s time to do something different. Many of our age-old traditions and perspectives are no longer working. They were born in the 19th and 20th century. We need a new success template for the 21st Century, one that embraces the skills, qualities, and values of both men and women. And, from what I’m seeing, that template is constructed of elements that are inherently female but not limited to women.
The way I see it, to create this new template, men and women need to stop competing and start collaborating; stop assuming and starting inquiring; stop dismissing and start inviting. It’s doable but first we need to drop our respective defenses long enough to see a new way to get what we all want…healthy, sustainable organizations that provide fulfilling work for everyone.

This is a great post, Anne. And I agree with Margaret's comment--so much of it is about an organizational culture that is not rigid, and values input and innovation from everyone. It's exciting to see some of the cultures in newer companies that really live their values, and create an organizational culture where all people are inspired to and encouraged to contribute their best.

Insightful, timely post Anne – you’re bang on! I agree (and write about this in my new book) bigger and better is being replaced or “reset” with a shift. How much is enough anyway? When you realize you are already full enough. More is not better when we are full. By full I mean, content and feeling comfortable with your inner world. So many problems in society are due to the constant need or pull for more. More food, more shopping, bigger homes, cars etc., and for what?

I find in my coaching exec women that they will often get sucked into the game of business. Instead, once they are in a position of influence, do that— influence! Influence people to adopt a more purpose based strategy. Indeed, men and women are not better than. It is not an “either/or” it is an "and".

Onward, forward we go!