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 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 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 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