The relational expectations of women managing women

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the expectations women have of their women managers and/or women employees and to suggest personal and organizational strategies to strengthen those relationships. Design/methodology/approach Building on a first phase of research using narrative inquiry into the lived experiences of women managing and/or being managed by women, workshops were held with 13 participants to explore their relationship expectations of women managers and/or employees. Findings While the participants initially believed they expected the same things of a manager or employee irrespective of gender, a closer examination revealed gender-based expectations. Women expect a higher degree of emotional understanding and support from a woman manager, than they would from a man. They also expect a woman manager to see them as an equal, take a holistic view of them as people, understand the complexities of their lives and provide flexibility to accommodate those complexities. Research limitations/implications This is an exploratory study in an under-researched area. Extensive further research is warranted. Practical implications Understanding the expectations women have of their women managers enables the development of both personal and organizational strategies aimed at strengthening those relationships. Originality/value These findings begin a dialogue on the often-unspoken and unrecognized gender-based expectations women have of their relationships with women managers and/or women employees. Although considerable research exists on gender stereotypes in the workplace, little research exists on these gender-based relational expectations.

Gendered Leadership Expectations in Sport: Constructing Differences in Coaches

“…Gendered expectations related to empathy and female coaches in this study echoes Hurst et al's (2017) findings of relational expectations placed on female managers in a variety of occupational settings. More specifically, in Hurst et al's study, women held higher relational expectations for other women, and when those expectation were not met, female managers suffered strained relationships or other relational penalties.…”

“…However, women who expressed masculinities too openly were also penalized and excluded from senior management because of these behaviors. Hurst, Leberman, and Edwards (2017) recently found that women in a variety of occupational settings have higher relational expectations of their female managers compared to their male managers in terms of emotional understanding and support. They also found that relationships between female employee and female manager were strained when the relational expectations were not met.…”

Sponsorship and social identity in advancement of women leaders in South Africa

“…Interestingly, the male respondents mentioned task-related aspects more often than the female respondents, who in turn emphasised more relational aspects. This finding illustrates the subtle impact of the gender of respondents on their perceptions of what they would look for in protégés and reinforces the gender-based expectations of protégés, in line with Hurst et al (2017) prior research findings. Organisations would benefit from taking note of how gender influences perceptions of merit and genderbased expectations.…”

“…In cases where the sponsor and protégé, or mentor and protégé, are the same gender, particularly female, the protégé may have high expectations with regards to the relational competence of the sponsor or mentor. A recent study by Hurst, Leberman and Edwards (2017) reveals that while participants initially believed they expected the same things of managers or employees, irrespective of gender, a deeper investigation uncovered gender-based expectations. For example, women expected more emotional support from someone of the same gender.…”

“…The stereotypes around gender had therefore influenced their expectations, without them initially being aware of this. Hurst et al (2017) point to the relational cultural theory around human desire for connection with others, with relationships existing within and reproduced in the culture in which they are embedded (Jordan et al, 2004). For example, Western society traditionally attributes relationality to women, and the concept is thus not gender-neutral.…”