1. Feminist Theory and Organizations SOWO 804 Lecture VII & VIII
Tamara H. Norris, Instructor
Management and Community Practice
School of Social Work
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

2. 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 (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

3. 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?

4. 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?

5. 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

6. 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?

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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?

14. 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?

15. 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?

16. The Learning Organization SOWO 804 Lecture VIII
Tamara Norris, Instructor
Management and Community Practice
School of Social Work
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, North Carolina

17. The Learning Organization
Primary institutions in society are oriented toward CONTROLLING rather than LEARNING
Schools
Work situations – (private and nonprofit)
Voluntary Organizations
Classes
Why?

18. 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 ??

19. 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)

20. 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?

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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?

24. 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?

25. 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