Women And Leadership Roles

Women and Leadership Roles is culled from workshops conducted by Prof. Indira Parikh at the IIMA. From 1980 till date programmes exploring issues facing Women in Management are offered at the Institute. Issues surrounding leadership, work roles and authority are debated. The objectives are to explore the influence of the transformation of organisations on womens roles in the corporate world; to explore leadership roles and also individual life-spaces; to discover wholesome ways to actualise dreams and chart new career paths. The programmes are divided into two modules, Conceptual and Experiential. The conceptual module explores the impact of transformation in organisations on individual employees, particularly women. In the experiential module, the exploration is around life-spaces and systems where processes of socialisation in both family and work settings are highlighted. How did women who are impacted by these diverse interfaces give shape to their roles? The paper discusses the experiences of the participants at home and at the workplace. Shifts in the mindsets of people and the society have contributed to the acceptance of working women as capable, hardworking and committed professionals and individuals. On the other hand, women commonly feel a constant pressure to perform and prove themselves at the workplace and simultaneously, a persistent feeling of guilt in coping up with the expectations of the family at home. Although several women have been successful in striking a balance between home and work, not many have managed to assume leadership positions in the corporate world, which was still considered a mans domain. An important and interesting issue discussed in the paper is the exploration of womens life spaces, their identity and the roles they take, especially in terms of leadership. The life-space of women vis-�-vis the home and family and also vis-�-vis the workplace is analysed and discussed by the participants. At the home front the dynamics of in-laws, especially the interface of the women with their mother-in-law, their experience of motherhood and the dynamics of relationships with the husband, all contribute to the dilemmas of marriage. The women shared some of their personal experiences related to their entry into the workplace and their interfaces with their superiors, colleagues and subordinates of both genders. The dilemmas faced by women in terms of assuming leadership roles, climbing the corporate ladder and contributing to decision-making processes in the organisation are, anchored in the socio-cultural context as well as in the maps and definitions they carry from the past. Future scenarios were also painted by the participants. For the first time in recent history women have begun to assume leadership roles in the corporate world and are hopeful of blazing new trails for future generations and creating new role models. Women can look forward to the future with optimism. Women are experienced in managing one of the most complex organisation imaginable - the household, and therefore can apply their skills and experiences in terms of hard work and sensitivity in managing relationships, at the workplace. The authors discuss how women can be successful leaders if they achieve congruity between their inner instincts and their career goals. The Indian Woman today is at a threshold where she is confronting not only herself and her own inner feelings, historical conditioning and fears, but also managing interfaces in the outside world, both at home and workplace. As recent role models demonstrate, women tentatively are crossing this threshold, challenging themselves and blazing a new path for future generations. Indian women and the society as a whole has moved from well-entrenched gender-centric roles, where Man was considered the leader and provider and Woman the idealised deity, submissive and subservient to the wishes of her family. The revolutionary thinking that is emerging, partly due to education and Western influences, recognises roles that are not stereotyped by gender and allow men to recognise their femininity and women their masculinity. This transformation is far from complete; however important beginnings have been made particularly in the metropolitan cities and in tomorrows industries where enabling technologies have brought dramatic changes in terms of creating virtual workspaces.

Transformation of Organizations Through Enhancing Free Energy of Individulas, Collectivity and the Organization

Organization identity is shaped by multiple factors. This shaping leads to transformation of the organization. An organization transforms its own identity with the help of free energy. It can also mobilize captive or frozen intrinsic energy into free energy. Each of these energies is driven by either internal or external factors and has its own effect that decides how the organization transforms itself. Indian organizations can also transform themselves in an effective manner through organizational leadership. The strength of the leadership and its understanding of the internal and external driving forces will determine how the organization transforms itself. For an organization to transform, the leader must first identify the free, captive and frozen energy within himself, collectivity and the organization and do what is necessary to make these available to the organization for transformation. The paper deals with how the organization can enhance and channelise its free energy, alertness and aliveness to fulfill the vision, goals and objectives of the organization.

The Road Map For Tomorrow

"The Road Map for Tomorrow", looks at the woman and the workplace within the Indian context. The authors discuss the paradoxical situation in India, the complexities of the country, the vast differences between rural and urban India and the baffling mix of tradition and modernity. The seemingly conflicting demands of the workplace and of motherhood and other societal roles is explored with a view to finding a Golden Mean, a new paradigm which may be possible in tomorrows world, given the advent of enabling technologies and globalization. The crucial role that women can play not only in the organizational context but also in the process of nation building is discussed. The importance of Education and "Teacher Leaders" is emphasized. Women can play a vital role in this process of social transformation. The old saying, "The Child is the Father of Man" can be replaced by "the Girl Child is the Mother of Mankind". Indian women carry the legacy of a civilization thousands of years old. This legacy is a mixed blessing, in that it is both a burden and a source of inspiration. The challenge is to distill the best from the past, transform ancient wisdom into modern day paradigms and not be shackled by the bondage of age- old dogmas and beliefs. The new millennium may well usher in an era, where not only women, but the entire human race can more easily achieve self-actualization and both professional and personal satisfaction. The leaders of tomorrow should be identified not by their gender, but by their capability and merit. The paper ends with the hopeful note that men and women will both create spaces and roles to enjoy multi-dimensional lives which are fulfilling at work and home and which allow for individual choices for personal and professional growth.

Women in Management Challenges and Opportunities

Women roles and so also men roles exist in the context of a society and culture, which allocates and defines roles for both. Society and culture provide myths and epics depicting the journey of a hero as he unfolds his life to seek the answers to the questions of who am I and what is the purpose of life. However, there are no epics or myths where women take a journey and an adventure to unfold their lives to discover who they are. Their stories and their life are always around relationships, search for meanings in relationships and sacrifice or investment in relationships. The women have lived contained within a narrow space, shrunken roles and frozen initiatives. After centuries of agrarian living technological revolution and industrialization opened the minds of women shattering the myths that they need to walk a few steps behind. Women journeyed into educational fields and then organizations and work outside home. This journey was undertaken in four stages over five decades. In this time women have found answers to questions about their identity. It is now time for all womankind it is their role to build a new heritage, new role models and give shape to the destiny of the girl child of tomorrow and in the centuries to come.

Paradigms of Mentoring Process

The paper “Paradigms of Mentoring Process” focuses on the terminology of mentoring and examines how this process of mentoring can be translated into an organizational setup. The paper talks about: 1. The critical dimensions of the framework of Mentor-Mentee interface 2. The characteristics of each partner viz., Mentor and Mentee 3. What benefits both Mentor and Mentee get through such initiation 4. What are the stipulated do’s and donts, which provide a guideline for the Mentor and Mentee 5. Facilitation of laid out roadmaps 6. The possible pitfalls, which both the partner as well as the organization need to be aware of. The paper also describes the role of mentoring in business organizations, which can positively impact the careers of the new entrants and prove beneficial both for the Mentor and the organization, if the process is inducted effectively.

Women Managers from Myths To Reality

The role of women worldwide is undergoing a dramatic change. Women today share the podium with men in almost all the fields, be it in kitchen or in defence. Workingwomen are no longer a rarity and are now accepted as an integral part of the working force. Indian organization has experienced a steady increase in the number of women employees and this pattern is bound to continue in the future as well. Women recently began to join the ranks of managers in large number. The paper, ‘Women Managers: From Myths to Reality addresses the impact of external and internal environment, facilitators and inhibitors of growth, roadblocks face by women and the road ahead. The paper explores the multifaceted world of women which changes like a kaleidoscope with every responsibility, accountability and multiple pulls and pushes from diverse settings and people.

Women at the Workplace - The Journey of Three Generations of Women

"Women at the Workplace- The Journey of Three Generations of Women", is based on interviews conducted by the authors of a broad cross-section of women in leadership positions, middle management levels as well as women beginning their careers and those making a second start after some years of motherhood. Face to face interviews, each lasting several hours, with 32 women was the main source of information. In only 2 of these 32 cases, a questionnaire was employed. A broad framework was provided to the participants and used as a template for brainstorming. The persons early background, role models, dreams and aspirations, career achievements and the interplay between personal and professional lives was explored. The participants were asked to introspect and explore what success meant to them. A road map for the future for women in organizations was examined. The survey provided a fascinating insight into the minds and hearts of working women. Different women had different motives for working, different dreams and aspirations, different perceptions of the future, different support systems and different hurdles, however, there was also a deep rooted commonality. Looking beneath the surface many common themes and trends emerged for women with different backgrounds, different personality types and varied levels of education, seniority and experience. The human spirit wanted to achieve, to explore and to succeed - only the manifestation of this spirit was different in different cases. An equally strong parallel theme related to fulfillment beyond the realm of professional achievement was prevalent. An underlying need to fulfill maternal and societal roles was observed. The major challenge was to balance these seemingly contradictory aspirations and to achieve happiness. Paths traversed by these 32 women were different, each path equally valid for each person. However, these paths had many crossroads where each individual meets others and then continues on their own path. Till the next crossroad.

How well do India's social service programs serve the poor?

Reaching India's poor calls for greatly improved social service delivery systems, better targeting of the poor, more coordination between agencies, policies aimed at income generation, and more involvement of the poor and of nongovernmental organizations. The authors of this paper found that India's social services were used relatively little by the poor. The health and education of the poor has improved but not as much for the population as a whole. The reasons that all social service programs did so little to alleviate poverty are similar. Physical access to education and health services has improved but inequalities exist because of biases in locating facilities. The access of the poor to housing, social security, and social welfare services has been limited because these services were inadequate relative to needs and because services leak to the nonpoor. Social service policies are not comprehensive enough and the quality of services is low. Issues common to the social sector delivery systems are weak management, ineffective targeting, and inflexible service delivery systems that result in a mismatch between perceived needs and services delivered. The bureaucracy is inadequate to reach the poor. Existing capacity and resources are inadequate, particularly for education and health.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Health Economics&Finance,Poverty Assessment,Safety Nets and Transfers,Rural Poverty Reduction

War for Talent HR Challenge of our Times

The concept of modern management is primarily concerned with the planning and development of HR. the man behind the machine has rightly become the focus of attention with a sense of responsibility to make most of the skills, experience and initiative of its employees. HR management has a pivotal role in developing the capabilities and strengths of an organization. Hence, the importance of HR in an organization cannot be overemphasized. As mentioned by Alfred Marshal in his book, "Principles of Economics", that most of valuable of all capital is vested in the HR. henceforth, the caliber and quality of the workforce in general and the top management in particular determines the quality and caliber of the organization itself. The paper, War for Talent - HR challenges of our times focuses on the issues and concerns faced by the HR department of the organization nationally and globally, which is being triggerd off by the changing scenario of the business environment. The paper also talks about how the organization is grappling with the concerns of hiring the best talent inorder to sustain its hold in the competitive level of the organizational race.

Is Teleworking for Millennials?

While research has examined generational attitudes regarding work, there are limited studies on the expectations of the newest workforce, the Millennials (born 1981- 1999). This study looks at the Millennials’ attitudes toward autonomy, work/life balance, perceived computer competence and its relationship with telework preference. Using a survey instrument, a sample representing 195 Millennials and 68 non-Millennials were scrutinized to determine their preferences by group. Partial support was found for the effect of autonomy and work/life balance toward the preference to telework. Millennials do not seem to prefer teleworking. However, differences between males and females depicted greater interest in males