Sub-Group Issues in Military Leadership

This article contains an integrative review of the academic literature on sub-group issues in leadership as they pertain to the Canadian Forces (CF). First, background information and definitions are provided. Then, the current Canadian employment equity legislation is explained, including how it applies to the CF. Following this, a model of token dynamics in organizations is presented and used as a framework for a review of the research on sub-group issues in leadership. The issues that are discussed include tokenism, jobholder schemas, occupational segregation, prejudice and discrimination, organizational cultures and cultural adaptation, ingroup/outgroup dynamics, and stressors and the negative outcomes that result from them. Examples of the application of the research results to the CF are provided throughout. Some of the possible interventions that can be utilized to alleviate the problems that arise from these dynamics are then presented. Finally, the best strategies for integrating diversity into the military are discussed

Managers' conflict management style and leadership effectiveness: The moderating effects of gender

In this study we examined gender differences in (1) global self-reported conflict management styles, (2) the behaviors displayed and outcomes attained by group leaders during a simulated conflict episode, and (3) the evaluation of leaders' behavior by their subordinates. We investigated conflict management using 43 role-play groups involving leaders with actual managerial experience. We assessed behavior through subordinate and leader evaluations as well as transcript codings of the discussion. There were no gender differences in self-reported conflict management style among experienced managers. However, among participants without managerial experience, women rated themselves as more integrating, obliging, and compromising than did men. There were no gender differences in the styles used by supervisors during the role play nor in the outcomes they attained. Yet there were differences in the way that subordinates evaluated male and female supervisors who used similar styles. Dominating was more negatively related, and obliging more positively related, to subordinates' perceptions of effectiveness for women than for men

Gender, Polychronicity, and the Work-Family Interface: is a Preference for Multitasking Beneficial?

This study examined how polychronicity, or the preference to do several things concurrently, was related to work and family overload, work–family conflict, and outcomes in the work, family, and life domains (i.e. turnover intent, family, and life satisfaction). Using conservation of resources theory as a framework, polychronicity was conceptualized as a resource that could be used to reduce work and family overload. The participants were 553 employed parents from Canada and the US. Results indicated that polychronicity was related to lower work overload. Lower work overload was related to lower work interference with family conflict, lower turnover intent, and higher family and life satisfaction. We also examined gender differences and found that, although women scored significantly higher than men on family overload and family satisfaction, and significantly lower than men on life satisfaction, there was no mean gender difference on polychronicity. In addition, the path coefficients in the model were not significantly different for men and women

Portuguese mothers and fathers share similar levels of work-family guilt according to a newly validated measure

Transformations in family and work life have led to profound changes in the articulation of both spheres. The massive entry of women into the labor market, the decline of a family model based on the male provider, increasing job demands, and persistent gender inequality are factors that can generate work-family conflict and lead to feelings of guilt. Work-family guilt is a topic still rarely studied, particularly in Portugal. Given the importance of understanding the complexity of the relationships underlying the work-family interface and the lack of instruments in Portuguese to assess the feeling of guilt as it pertains to the work-family interface, our goal was to adapt the Work-Family Guilt Scale (WFGS) to the Portuguese population. Our results confirmed the two-dimensional structure of the scale with good reliability and validity. The WFGS was invariant between genders, with no significant mean differences between men and women. Convergent validity with the variables of work-to-family and family-to-work conflict and discriminant validity between the two dimensions of the WFGS was demonstrated. Use of this scale will allow the identification of feelings of guilt, which pose risks to the physical, emotional and psychological well-being of workers. Guilt feelings should, like conflict, be considered as a psychosocial risk that must be mitigated through policies and practices aimed at promoting a balance between family and working life.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio