GUEST ARTICLE-RIA SIDHU

Indian Women In Dubai is a secure haven for 57k women, providing a platform for their voices to be heard. At IWD, we embrace and value the stories and opinions of every woman within our community. We encourage women to write for us, to us, and through us to the world.?

In this Fast pacing world, even today many women face some challenges in the entrepreneurial world.?

Dr Ria Sidhu CMBE CMgr MCMI PhD is a reflective practitioner- academia (Senior Lecturer and Programme Team Leader) within the UK Higher Education Space, an Executive Leadership Coach, an active researcher, a Higher Education Quality – consultant, a real-estate Investor’ and an esteemed member of the IWD community, has something to say in her voice!?

‘Do Women (leaders) – Micromanage?’

Firstly, I would like to thank Mrs Reema Mahajan, IWD for giving me an opportunity to write for the IWD platform. Congrats ‘Reema’ on the ‘outstanding leadership you demonstrate and all the achievements, ‘you go girl’.

As an academic or an edu-prerender - entrepreneur, I am constantly being asked – ‘so how do I manage my work family, and what’s my success recipe??

Do we ask the same question to men? probably not?

?‘Stereotyping’ is common in society and whilst there are claims on gender equality, not much has changed!

?Cambridge University Press in 2012, defined micromanagement as controlling and getting involved in every situation which may not be necessary, can be demoralizing and impact productivity due to lack of autonomy. Perfectionist complexities that go past the objectives and become subjective based on the challenges faced in acquiring a managerial position as a woman could lead to micromanagement.

?Micromanagement adjudges as good or bad depending on the nature of the work or the outcome. Studies published claimed that micromanagement not only drains out productivity and inflicts fear but includes excessive controlling seen as demotivating. ‘Keeping in the loop’, extensive micromanagement leads to tension, stress, and fear. Research evidence in the current existing literature discusses women as micromanagers however there is little knowledge about women linked to micromanagement within the higher education sector.

Several arguments indicate that reducing gender inequalities within employment opportunities requires a continued commitment.?

I recently came across a qualitative study undertaken focused on ‘emotional work’ in higher education such as pastoral support claiming that both men and women believed that it was largely unrewarded suggesting that despite being qualified, the women preferred to be led by male professionals. Emboldening qualified women professionals has been a challenge.?

?It was also noted that women leaders in senior positions were fewer in numbers compared to men in most sectors across the world. There is no black-and-white data available to claim this passive behavior.?

To describe these invisible but existing barriers that keep women from moving, the metaphor ‘glass ceiling’ has been used. I felt, there could be a possible link between the ‘glass ceiling’ and ‘micromanagement’ that could answer some of these questions. The process of hiring and promoting – as an organizational barrier, while they vary significantly from organization to organization, could prevent a woman from leading or advancing to a top management -level.?

Further exploring this, I found a study that was published in the journal "Personnel Psychology" indicating that women holding leadership positions are more likely to be perceived as having less agency, or assertiveness and independence, which may result in being seen as micromanagers. The authors suggested that the root cause of this perception could be societal expectations of femininity, which value nurturing and supportive qualities over assertiveness and independence.

So, is there a time when women should stand up, network and grow, and change the perceptions around work-to-family conflicts? How do women overcome the persistent obstacle that they face, underpinned by discriminatory, both conscious and unconscious practices and the societal/organizational attitude that presents barriers to higher positions for qualified women? Gender stereotypes look at women as more controlling, and nurturing – it's time to think.

Despite legislation on equal opportunity policies, the promotion of diversity women lack representation in decision-making positions. Although the glass ceiling has been discussed within the literature and has attracted research interests, there is a lack of models, etc to understand the phenomenon.

I propose, building challenging and coping strategies, and promoting women – supporting women, as an edu-prenuer, my work goes into developing and supporting women to not only ‘break the glass ceiling’ but also fight without fear.

?

?

By - Ria Sidhu

I would love you to have your views and questions? - [email protected]

Interested in Women Leadership – Executive Development Training Programme – please reach me on my email or through IWD.