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Skewed Perceptions
Women managers are doing good work but don't think their bosses agree. A recent survey found that women -- especially older women -- underestimate their bosses' opinion of their performance. Inadequate feedback in the workplace is a problem for both sexes, experts say, but it seems to affect women more.
Women managers know they are good at their jobs. But they're not sure their bosses agree, and that may affect their careers, according to a recent study of gender differences in job appraisals. In a study of 251 experienced managers employed in different industries, the women surveyed were three times more likely to underestimate how highly their supervisors rated them -- even though the bosses actually rated the women higher than the men.
The women managers also underestimated, to a lesser degree, how well they were evaluated by their peers and even by their subordinates -- and the gap was greatest with women older than 50, according to the study, Gender Differences in Predicting Emotional and Social Competence, conducted by Scott Taylor, assistant professor at the Anderson School of Management at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
It's not a question of self-esteem, because the women in the study rated themselves as highly as the men did, Taylor says.
"[T]hese women were confident in their ability [compared to men], but were unaware of how others viewed them," the report states. By contrast, the men in the study under the age of 50 consistently over-rated how others saw them. The survey respondents were asked to predict how their supervisors, peers or subordinates evaluated them, using a 360-degree feedback assessment of nine social and emotional competencies: communication, initiative, self-awareness, self-control, empathy, bond-building, teamwork, conflict management and trustworthiness.
The glaring gender gap took Taylor by surprise. Why do obviously competent and confident professional women think their bosses don't appreciate them? he wondered.
The primary reason, speculates Taylor, could be that women managers may not get feedback from their supervisors, especially on their handling of social and emotional interaction.
"Your ability to predict how others see you is contingent on getting feedback interpersonally. ... Maybe managers are not comfortable talking about empathy" and interpersonal relationships with the women they supervise, Taylor says.
On the other hand, he says, supervisors may not give women feedback on social and emotional skills because they assume they're already good at them.
Leanne Atwater, a professor at the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, put it more bluntly: "My guess is some of [the lack of feedback is based on] men's fear that women are going to cry. In all our experience as women, you know men are worried about our emotionality: 'If she's in a bad mood, get me out of here.' So women may not be receiving as much feedback. ... Males may worry women will get upset." Atwater, who has previously used the management-assessment tool utilized in this study, says she and Taylor are doing further research to determine if the boss's gender makes a difference in the study's findings.
Research shows, however, that most people at work, male or female, don't get a lot of feedback, says Fred Foulkes, director of the Human Resources Policy Institute at Boston University in Boston.
"In the absence of feedback, people make assumptions. Some think that no news is good news," Foulkes says. "But that can get you into trouble because people have trouble giving negative feedback." This becomes a real problem when a company has to downsize and workers don't understand why they're being laid off, he says.
Another possible explanation for the study's finding, Taylor says, is that women may assume they are not appreciated at work. He cites the theory of Joyce Fletcher, a professor and author of Disappearing Acts: Gender, Power and Relational Practice at Work, that the emotional and social skills associated with women "disappear" in the workplace and are not rewarded by pay or promotions.
"Women aren't disappearing anymore, but they assume they are. It could be a carry over from years and years of women saying they have to work two times as hard to be noticed in the workplace," says Taylor. " 'If I don't think the boss sees me, I'm less likely to approach him for a pay raise.' ... A man is attuned to say, 'I'm performing. I need to be compensated.' "
Foulkes agrees. "I've heard many times that a lot of women had a feeling they really had to be good [at their jobs]," he says. "Maybe in the absence of [adequate] feedback, they don't get the praise and recognition" they need.
Another possible reason for the gender gap in perception Taylor says, is that women take negative feedback more to heart, while men are more likely to say the boss is having a bad day or is a "jerk anyway."
"We know women are more sensitive to negative feedback," Atwater says. "One, they think it's true and, two, they'll do something about it. Men see it as 'that's your problem.' "
Bonnie Coffey, president of the National Association of Commissions for Women in Lincoln, Neb., says that gap could also be caused because "men are not accustomed to patting each other on the back. Women grow up in a more supportive environment." When women don't get that type of acknowledgement at work, they may think they're doing something wrong, she says.
The study finds that age also plays a role. Women managers older than 50 were more likely to underestimate their bosses' appraisals of their performance, according to the study. Older men, however, were more likely to be accurate in their perceptions of their bosses' opinions, while younger men tended to over-rate their bosses' opinions.
Coffey says older women see their image in the mainstream media as either silver-haired beauties or dowdy types, and think their supervisors see them that way as well. "You may have all the confidence in the world, but at some point, you're rating yourself against one of these images. I think it's getting worse," she says.
No matter how well women managers perform at work, if they don't think their bosses appreciate them, they are less likely to ask for raises or promotions, experts say, resulting in a self-imposed -- and needless -- glass ceiling.
HR leaders can help the situation in their organizations by improving performance-management and appraisal processes and by checking with individual supervisors on the way women are perceived, experts say.
Confront the situation head-on, they say. Ask supervisors if they give feedback equally to men and women, especially when it comes to social competencies, Taylor says. "I have a suspicion, they're less likely to have the conversation with women," he says.
Check out whether supervisors are affected by stereotypes, like the prevalent "myths" that women take more time off or interrupt their careers, adds Atwater. "Beware of your stereotypes -- thinking women are less valuable and sending them the message subconsciously," she says.
HR should also be sensitive to equality of treatment in the workplace, not just in terms of money, but the degree of interaction between supervisors and women managers, Atwater says. In many organizations, women at the top are still socially excluded from predominantly male colleague groups.
Encourage supervisors to do more frequent -- and more accurate -- performance appraisals and to consistently check on whether goals are being met, experts advise.
One problem, says Foulkes, is that appraisals are usually skewed in a positive way because no one likes to give negative feedback. "It's a lot easier to give As. There's an upward bias." It may be hard to do, he says, but supervisors should be trained to distribute ratings that are indicative of performance.
It's also important to check periodically or quarterly to see if goals are being met. "Things change. You've got to make these things a living document. Discuss [goals] on a regular basis so there are no surprises," Foulkes says.
September 9, 2009 Copyright 2009© LRP Publications |
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