Management Chapter 11 Homework Some Leading Organizations Are Finding Ways Shatter

3. What is interactive leadership, and why might this approach be increasingly important for

all leaders in the twenty-first century?

In interactive leadership, the leader favors a consensual and collaborative process, and

influence derives from relationships rather than position power and authority. Women’s

4. Discuss ways in which low power distance as a social value among followers could affect

their interaction with a leader who displays high power distance.

High power distance means people accept inequality in power among institutions,

organizations, and individuals. Countries that value high power distance are Malaysia, the

Philippines, and Panama. Low power distance means people expect equality in power.

5. Why do you think many women opt out from seeking higher levels of corporate leadership?

Discuss why you think this either is or is not a trend that might hurt organizations over the

next decade.

Some women get off the fast track before they ever encounter the glass ceiling, which has

been referred to as the opt-out trend. In a survey of nearly 2,500 women and 653 men, 37

percent of highly qualified women report that they have voluntarily left the workforce at

6. Take another look at this chapter’s Consider This box. What might be some reasons men

seem to be falling behind in today’s world? If this is true, why is it that women are still so

poorly represented at higher organizational levels?

Students’ answers may vary. The most recent recession hit traditionally male-dominated

industries the hardest. Of the 15 fastest-growing professions, 12 are dominated by women.

Among 25- to 29-year-olds, 32 percent of women have college degrees, compared to 27

7. Why is it important for today’s leaders to develop cultural intelligence? Do you think a

leader who has never had experience with people different from himself or herself can

develop the ability to smoothly adapt to culturally different ways of thinking and behaving?

Discuss.

In a multicultural environment, leaders will be most successful if they are culturally

flexible and able to easily adapt to new situations and ways of doing things. In other words,

8. Recall a leader you worked for. At what stage of personal diversity awareness (refer to

Exhibit 11.7) was this leader? Explain. At what stage of diversity awareness are you?

Students’ answers will vary. However, students should base their responses on the

following the stages of personal diversity awareness:

• Stage 1: Defense. This stage is at the lowest level where the person perceives threat

against his or her comfortable world view, uses negative stereotyping, and assumes

his or her own culture superior.

9. Do you think people and organizations can ever become gender- and color-blind? Discuss.

Students’ answers may vary. Most of them may feel that people and organizations cannot

be completely gender- and color-blind. Attitudes are deeply rooted in our society as well as

10. The chapter described a conflict at a meatpacking plant over providing break times for

Muslims to pray. How might leaders accommodate the needs of diverse groups without

offending other groups or appearing to show favoritism?

It takes a special kind of leadership to deal with the differences in a multicultural

organization. One idea would be to use cross-border assignments and extensive individual

Teaching tools and exercises

1. Leader’s Bookshelf: Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Lean In, by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, is one of the most controversial books to

come out in years. Sandberg acknowledges that women face tremendous barriers in the

workplace, but she argues that women also need to break down the barriers within

themselves and find their own assertiveness. She recounts workplace and social science

research proving that bias and institutional barriers exist, but she also presents evidence

showing that women hold themselves back. Gender stereotypes, Sandberg says, are so

powerfully ingrained in women that they continue to perpetuate them subconsciously.

Sandberg writes that women are largely to blame for the fact that “men still run the world.”

Here are a few of the career sins Sandberg says women commit:

• They let insecurity hold them back.

2. Interview: Assessing Cross-Cultural Differences

Interview three foreign students at your university. The registrar’s office could put you in

touch with the students. Ask the following questions:

• What country are you from and what is your first language?

3. Out-of-class research: Review six recent issues of a business periodical (such as Business

Week, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, or Wall Street Journal) Find two articles on

international business and evaluate them by asking:

• What types of cross-cultural differences might arise in these situations?

• How might managers deal with those cross-cultural differences?

4. Out-of-class film. Watch the 2006 hit movie The Devil Wears Prada, in which Meryl

7. Leadership at Work: Personal Diversity

Each of us feels different in many ways from the average behavior or expectations that

other people seem to value. This reflects our own feelings of diversity. The differences you

feel compared to others could be about your physical characteristics (height, age, skin

color) but also could reflect a difference in your thinking style, feelings, personality, or

behavior, especially when you feel different from what other people expect or what you

perceive are the social norms.

Leadership development: cases for analysis

I. True to Myself

Synopsis

Ethney Gentry was thrilled to have infiltrated the ultimate good old boy network, landing a job

with a mid-size Tulsa-based oil company. Armed with solid credentials and what she considered

the strengths of female leadership—listening, collaboration, consensus building, and

Ethney tried to show no reaction as she set her cup on the desk. “Are you implying that I was

selected over more qualified male candidates?” “No. I was not on the selection team. I’ve seen

your resume and you are an excellent addition to the organization. But qualifications aside, you

and I fulfill, shall we say—the ‘diversity’ requirements for an otherwise all–male club.”

Alex gazed up at the numerous photographs showing oil rigs scattered across the Oklahoma

plains. “I learned to play the game,” she said somewhat wistfully and then suddenly turned and

looked at Ethney. “I’m not trying to intimidate you. But I think that coming in, you should

Case questions and answers

1. If you were Ethney, how would you try to conduct yourself at the oil company? Why do you

think your approach would be successful?

Students’ answers may vary. The greatest disadvantages for women leaders stem largely

2. Do you think male-dominated cultures like this one still exist? Do you think women have to

plot a strategy to be accepted? Would you adopt a strategy in which you acted different

from your normal personality? Why?

Students’ answers may vary. There is increasing evidence that companies where women

make up a significant percentage of board members and senior management perform better

than those with only a few women in high-level positions. There also has been growing

3. What does it mean to be “True to yourself”? Is being true to yourself more important than

achieving personal career success in a male-dominated company? Is it okay to enable the

continuation of an “unhealthy” work environment for women? Why?

Students’ answers’ may vary. Women face tremendous barriers in the workplace, but

women also need to break down the barriers within themselves and find their own

II. The Trouble with Bangles

Synopsis

Leela Patel was standing by her machine as she had four eight hours of each working day for the

past six years. Leela was happy; she had many friends among the 400 or so women at the food

processing plant. Most of them were of Indian origin like herself, although Asian women formed

less than a fifth of the female workforce. Leela was a member of a five-woman team that

reported to supervisor Bill Evans.

Case questions and answers

1. What is your initial reaction to this story? Why do you think you had this reaction?

Students’ answers may vary. Some may of them may find that Evans did not have the

correct training in the culture, religion, and traditions of Asian workers to handle the

2. Based on this limited information, how would you rate this organization in terms of

developing leadership diversity? Discuss.

Students’ answers may vary. The organization is between Stage1—where people see

differences as a threat against their own comfortable worldview and frequently use

3. If you were a top executive at this company, how would you handle this problem?

Students’ answers may vary. Some may say that it is not an option to disregard the custom.

There must be a communication campaign to try to explain the safety and hygiene issues.

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Case Assessment Questions

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