MANAGING DIVERSITY IN ORGANISATIONS

What is meant by ‘glass and Concrete ceilings’. How are these barriers constructed
and manifested in organisations?

DATE: 23/04/2010

By

ORUBU .O. FREEMAN

Concept of Glass and Concrete Ceilings.

Glass ceiling refers to the existence of an unacknowledged situation or limitation barrier
preventing the upward advancement of women or minority groups along the organisational
hierarchy (Songini and Gnan 2009). This normally refers to a situation where there is an
immediate stop in the progression of a qualified person in an orgainsation, these barriers which
are usually invisible affect minority groups and women more as it helps in preventing these
groups from securing high pay as well as high level management positions (Cotter et al,
2001).Glass ceilings usually engenders emotions in women and minority groups affected by it
and this has been adduced to the development of less female roles in organisations (Gilbeman,
1998 pp 147-165). Gilberman, 1998, went further to observe that female managerial style,
despite been better has continued to experience incredulity by the male gender and as such have
received low ratings.

The concept of glass ceilings was first used by in 1984 by Nora Frenkiel an editor in the wall
street journal calling this point where women reach and get stuck on the top of the middle
management ‘glass ceiling’ (Longo and Strachey 2008). It assumes that the low representation
of women in low management positions and decision making is not as a result of choice or
failure by a woman but as a consequence of the sociological and structural barriers that exists in
organisations which resulted from norms and interactions between participants. (Vaughan and
Hogg, 2008). Glass ceilings exists in part, to links between the male stereotyping in the sense
that qualities are being are being given to males in terms of logical reasoning, strategic,
competitive and aggressive decision making (Korac-Kakabdase and Kouzmin, 1997). It defines
an artificial barrier existent in organisations and these barriers are based on attitudes and bias
preventing individual minority groups and females from advancing into top management
positions. (US Dept of Labour, 1991). This has helped greatly in building barriers against women
and minority groups in organisations.

Glass ceiling is primarily identified as a female gender issue but however, recent evidence have
shown that minority groups are also faced with these barriers as attempt is being made to move
up the organisational hierarchy (U. S. Department of Labor, 1997)

Concrete ceiling is a term used to describe the impenetratable barrier that women and minority
groups including few Caucasian women face in organisations, these barriers hinder progression
in the labor market and it tends to be more solid as the minority groups face issues of racism,
sexual harassment and other forms of discrimination. It restricts access to middle management
positions as well as top management positions and from the last two decades, more women
entered into the labor market than ever but top management positions is still been primarily held
by men (Work life Company, 2009).

This phenomenon is enough to suggest the existence of something which is far beyond the sex
differences that hinders women from advancing in career paths. Women are becoming
dissatisfied by the continued lack of recognition, flexibility and motivation in their talents and
needs (Work Life Company, 2009). The persistent existence of glass ceiling syndrome despite
the gains and impacts female gender and minority groups have made over the years in
organisations suggest the need for an understanding of the dynamics of glass ceiling. This
concept of Glass and Concrete ceiling presents itself in an organisation through discrimination
either direct or indirect ways.

Ordinarily, these concepts of glass and concrete ceilings will not hold without the acceptance of
a belief system about the social responsibilities and roles for the male and female gender as well
as discrimination practices in an organisation (Cotter et al 2001). It is assumed that the
underrepresentation of the female gender in top managerial positions and strategic decision
making is not a matter of choice but an end result of the organisational structure and sociological
backgrounds which were erected through forms of interactions in the organisation (Vaughan and
Hogg, 2008). Korac-Boisvert, 1994 observed that these organisational structures hinder
advancement of groups or gender and are considered visible but difficult to prove in practical or
legal ways.

These barriers can be constructed and made manifest in an Orgainsation in so many ways such
as:

Gender based management and female exclusion in work place.

High degree of commitment and responsibility in coping with ambiguity, a high sense of
willingness to adapt to change as well as curiosity are critical examples of qualities of a
successful manager, these attributes are being stereotyped to the male gender (Kakabdase and
Kouzmin, 1997). In a research conducted by (Gibelman, 1998) it was discovered that
management roles have over time been modeled to fit the male gender personality, only in some
cases women are given promotions based on their demonstrated ability, and then the issue of
what constitutes power comes up as it is viewed differently from both gender. This male
stereotyping has indeed been adduced to historical facts that male genders are able to hold power
for a longer time and are free of child bearing and all the hassles of the female gender.(
Kakabdase and Kouzmin, 1997).

The personification of male gender managerial culture is still an ongoing phenomenon despite
recognised behavioral differences between the male and female gender, none is inferior. To
support this argument, Benis, 1993 talked about the same educational training process both
gender undergoes before joining the labor market, so there is no difference in the skills acquired
by the male gender as when educational levels are controlled in organisation there exists no
significant difference between the male and female gender as well as minority groups managerial
skills.

Benis 1993 argued that the only visible difference between the two genders is that the female has
not learned to behave like the male gender or an adapted female. In an organisation, failure of the
female gender to act in ways that is more efficient and harmonises with the ongoing culture of an
instutionalised male manager, signals that the female manager cannot be trusted and is an
outsider, this leads to a situation where recruiting of staffs and advancement of female gender
relies solely on the male stereotype syndrome. (Burton, 1991).

The glass and concrete situation is further strengthened by perception of thinking and
organisational psycho-structures which are mainly stereotyped to the male gender (Cotter et al,
2001). These values of male stereotyping and exclusion of the female gender from management
builds barriers over time and are a major hindrance to the progression on the career path of
talented women and minority groups

Commitment to work and Gender distinctions.

Through an organisational culture on behavioral differences between the male and female
gender, employers have a belief that women are less committed to their jobs as there exists a
tendency to quit in other to fulfill family obligations and recently, organisations are less likely to
invest in female gender; but in fact this is not true as studies have shown that the drawback is due
to lack of opportunities available to them as women are becoming dissatisfied by lack of
flexibility and recognition in their needs and talents (Dreher, 2003).

The continued existence and manifestations of the barrier against female gender can still be
adduced to women under evaluating their talents, lack of flexibility and work life imbalance and
the reluctance of female gender to become an adapted female in relation to the male managerial
stereotype has also accounted for the continued existence of these ceilings or barriers. (Leephart
and Schumacher, 2005). For minority groups it becomes different as direct and indirect
discrimination is used as tools against them in forms of sexual harassment, victimization, this
greatly hinders their tendency to be less committed to their jobs as it causes low self esteem as it
affects the employee psychologically (Vaughan and Hoggs, 2008).

Wage and cost of advancement differences

An inequality exists in human service organisations as (Gibelman, 2008) noted, top management
executives earn more than female executives. A scenario comes when an outgoing male director
was been paid £120,000 per annum and the female successor was paid £80,000 (Gibelman,
2008). Females and minority groups have made immense advances as well as campaigns towards
equal pay in organisations, but the income gap still persists and eventually multiplies over time
and in organisations, the gender wage gap between male and females having comparable job
titles, experiences, training as well as education is usually expressed as a wide margin and in
most cases females get lesser pay than their male counterparts.(www.americanprogress.org).

The issue of wage gap is also a situation that faces minority groups as David Hekman, 2009
observed that in a recruiting process, white employees are favored higher than black employees.
This has accounted for a large 25% increase in pay for white groups than black minority groups
which shows just 13% increase (www.statistics.gov.uk). Also various studies have shown that
customers feel more satisfied by being attended to by a white employee than a black employee
(Kakabdase and Kouzmin, 1997). This situation has helped build a concrete ceiling for the black
minority groups in organisations as well as tending to favor white employees than black
employees. The high preference has gone a long way in accounting for the large numbers of
white employees being assigned top managerial and supervisory positions and low level
positions being assigned to minority groups and overall the unequal wage difference (Maume,
2005).

Lyness and Heliman, 2006 observed that an organisation that there exists a male stereotyped
structure tends on the average to earn a higher pay than other organisations where females are
more. This has gone a long way in tuning the way organisation thinks tending to pay more
emphasis on male employees than female employees as training and development as well as the
benefits accrues to the male gender than the female gender and its existence has made women
and minority groups less likely to be promoted and have low wages (Leephart and Schumacher,
2005). The wage gap difference between groups tend to widen as male and female gender
approaches middle ages of thirty, organisations usually adduces this to women having much
family commitments at this age and may not be able to perform well at work and also the
prospect of females losing their jobs is more likely at this stage because of reduction in wages
and pay (www.americanprogress.org).

Female employees and minority groups view advancement along the organisational hierarchy as
rather coming with an expensive price as female groups must not only show clearly superiority
in workplace but must also to be ready to give a lot in exchange for advancement (Baumgartner
and Schneider, 2009).

Mentoring.

Maume, 1999 observed that Lack of female mentor in organisations have also accounted for the
continued manifestation of glass ceiling on female gender, it can be noted that this is the opposite
in male gender as mentoring organisational relationships foster transition into management for
young male employees. Eventually, if a female employee rises to top management position, the
problem of support from other female colleges comes into play (Leephart and Schumacher,
2005). Maume, 1999 further observed that male under representation in female professions
worked for them as they regularly interacted with their fellow male supervisors sharing interests.
This has accounted for their dominance in organisations.
Organisations accountability for women and minority groups

Most organisations fail to include females in probable programs where identification of potential
candidates who they believe can make good managers are spotted and Gibelman, 1998 links this
to an organisational culture that believes women fear succeeding and may not be able to cope
with managerial positions as well as family commitments.

Most organisations do not take records or are ignorant to track the number of females or minority
groups that take part in high potential programs or create a fair mix or both sexes and groups,
this makes it possible for the continued stereotyping of managerial attributes to the males present
and in the long run, get in the way of advancing career women as well as minority groups (Cotter
et al, 2001).

Organisations think of future managers and supervisors as males or adapted few females because
of the traditional norm that exists in the company so it faces problems of no standard procedures
for identifying suitable candidates for managerial positions (Leephart and Schumacher, 2009).
Also, glass and concrete ceilings is made manifest through leadership in organisations due to
over emphasis on competition rather than collaboration from both sexes and minority groups
(Dreher, 2003).

Workplace Environment.

Despite the importance of equality between genders and minority groups in workplace, there
exists a wide range of complex issues that arise from workplace disclosure in the organisation;
this has made access to resources and power still largely determined by sex, class and race. Lack
of equality in treatment of these groups exists in organisations as it has not extensively
implemented policies that attempt to adjust the position of females in work place (Strachan and
Burgess, 1998). Organisation fails to get to the roots of gender and minority groups inequality
and the usual case is allowing women to adapt themselves to the male managerial norm, in doing
this the females encounter barriers created by the organisational work place and male managers
with some female managers inclusive do not recognise their achievements (Korac-Kakabdase
and Kouzmin, 1997).

In the past two decades, due to the dissatisfaction of females in workplace, organisational
policies have been implemented to adjust the position of women and minority groups in work
place, having seen these groups as deficient and needing help, but these processes of ensuring
equality in work place engenders hostility from dominant males since women benefit from these
special treatments (Strachan and Burgess, 1998).

To be successful in the quest for equality of gender and minority groups in work place, glass
ceiling barriers have to be broken by these groups and making effort to promote it. Bougmater
and Schneidr, 2009 suggested creation of research opportunities for women so as to gain
education for advancement. Stereotypes should be anticipated at first but females and minorities
should lay less emphasis on it. On the part of women, a good support system should be
established and mentoring should be made possible by organisation. Also, a genuine intention
should be made by women and groups. Moore and Jones, 2001 recommends leadership of an
organisation should lay less emphasis on hierarchal boundaries that exists in organisations
between managers and employees.

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