Feminist Theory and Organizations

SOWO 804Lecture VII & VIII

Tamara H. Norris, InstructorManagement and Community Practice

School of Social WorkUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3550

Recent Gender Controversies Lawrence Summers: President, Harvard Spring 2005 (higher

education)

Women choose lower career paths

Women lack aptitude in Science

Bias is not the main reason women do not move up

Neil French: Worldwide Creative Director, WPP, October 2005 (advertising/communications)

Women make poor executives because “motherhood” makes them “wimp out and go suckle something”

Women don’t have the skills to do creative work

Definitions of Feminism

The theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes

Organizational activity for women’s rights and interests

The actions of men and women who work and/or advocate for gender equality

Why the need for a feminist perspective?

Are you a Feminist?

Men and women should have equal access to opportunities, resources, etc.?

Men and women should be paid equally?

There is “male privilege?”

Power is used to maintain status quo?

No one should face discrimination?

Feminist Legal Theory

Concern with the legal treatment of women Historically women were viewed as property

Feminist Jurisprudence Society is patriarchal—dominated by men

Examines how law maintains patriarchy

Application of feminist analysis and perspectives to areas of the law

Feminist Perspectives in Therapy

Consciousness-Raising approach-- clients are helped to assess the influence of racism, sexism, and homophobia in their lives

Egalitarian relationship and mutual respect between client and therapist

Assisting women toward empowerment in their lives while they seek change in the social structure that form the basis of many of their problems

What feminist principles are important for practice and why?

Radical Feminist Theory

Critiqued liberal feminism-male defined norm

Called for transformation of systems

Promotes organizations that value feminine traits

Maintains women can have feminine organizations outside realm of patriarchy

Feminism and Sociology Integration

Research that includes women in the sample population Reforming theories by removing sexism

Separatism

Women conducting research for women

Reconceptualization

Revolution, not reform is necessary

Total and radical reformulation of sociology to include the roles and contributions of women

Liberal Feminist Theory

Individuals are rational and autonomous

Sex is biological; gender is socialized

Equal access to opportunities, without changing systems

Women are as “human” as men

In organizations:

Women as rational, effective, efficient, and fair as men

Glass ceiling is a major issue

Psychoanalytic Feminist Theory Social institutions affect development

Gender development is more positive when both parents are loving and autonomous

In organizations:

Women are unsuccessful due to their socialization

Earlier research suggests that women not organizations should change

More recent research views feminine characteristics more positively

Other Feminist Theories Marxist—domination and oppression of women

Socialist—sexual division of labor, segregation

Third World/Post Colonial—examining intersection of capitalization, colonialism, and gender stratification

Management and Womanhood Dualism between woman v. manager

Estrangement and isolation

Exclusionary practices, reproduced homogeneity or organizational hierarchies

Survival of the group?

Gender, personal knowledge, and the opposition to “old boys” networks

Conclusions Gender inequalities are one result of systemic problems that affect

everyone

Gender and other inequalities are increasing and have become normalized

Discrimination and oppression must be challenged in society and organizations

How can one integrate feminism into community practice, and what are the future directions in this area given the rise of conservatism in American society?

Email Group Discussion Questions: In the Organizational and Community Behavior

class last semester, there were no male students. In discussing the topic of feminist theory in social work, I suggested that some comments might have been different if there were some men in the class. In what ways might our conversation in this class be different because men are present? Does that matter?

Are you a feminist? A “liberal” or “radical” feminist? What does that mean for your practice as a social worker?

Email Group Discussion Questions: What have been your personal

experiences in the workplace or in your personal life related to feminism or sexism? How have these experiences shaped your view of gender and inequality?

As a social work manager, how will you promote gender equality?

The Learning OrganizationSOWO 804Lecture VIII

Tamara Norris, InstructorManagement and Community Practice

School of Social WorkUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel HillChapel Hill, North Carolina 27599-3550

The Learning Organization Primary institutions in society are oriented

toward CONTROLLING rather than LEARNING

- Schools

- Work situations – (private and nonprofit)

- Voluntary Organizations

- Classes

Why?

The Learning Organization(cont’d)

Performance for another’s approval

- Can it be entirely avoided?

How do we encourage LEARNING in our ORGANIZATION and COMMUINITY?

- Listening?

- Participatory management

- ??

The Learning Organization(cont’d)

How do organization and/or community members act as learning agents?

What is the system that controls events?

- For organizations

- For communities

- For our Organization (SOWO 804)

The Learning Organization (cont’d)

How does one lead in a learning organization or a community?

- Force of personality (charisma)

- By coaching

- Listening

- Observation

- Implementing changes

Creative Tension

- What is it?

- How does it facilitate a learning organization?

- How does it relate to VISION?

The Learning Organization (cont’d)

New Leader Roles- Designer- Teacher- Steward

- Facets of a Learning Organization/Community

Psychological—extent to which individuals/communities enact behaviors

Policy—how management/communities can promote learning

Contextual—factors that promote or inhibit learning

Structural—learning by vs. learning in organizations/communities

Cultural—normative behaviors that lead to productive learning in organizations/communities

The Learning Organization (cont’d)

Major Features/New Skills of LO

- Systems thinking – personal org. larger environment

- Personal Mastery – lifelong learning with the system in mind

- Mental Models – challenging assumptions

- Shared Vision – building it across the org.

- Team learning – being open to changing contexts

The Learning Organization (cont’d)

How do these features increase the capacity for adaptation and change?

Explore the contemporary territory

Why is the learning organization, particularly relevant (or not) to social work (human service) organizations?

The Learning Organization (cont’d)

How do you build a shared vision with the community in which you are practicing?

When a human service organization and a community interface, who is responsible for providing leadership?

Given the changing social, cultural, economic, and demographic makeup of communities served by human service organizations today, who has to learn first?

The Learning Organization (cont’d)

List the elements/components of a learning community for an organization and provide the rationale

List the elements/components of a learning community for a community and provide the rationale