Influence Without Authority, 3rd Edition

Chapter 8Gender and Influence: Beyond StereotypesCoauthor, Nan Langowitz

Introduction

Influence would be easy if only everyone was just like you! But workplaces are becoming increasingly diverse with inevitable changes in demographics and technology. This chapter considers gender, one significant aspect of that increasing diversity, as the workplace has evolved to include more women at all levels than ever before. (Other demographic characteristics, such as race, sexual orientation, and cultural or ethnic backgrounds, can create similar challenges for developing and exerting influence, but space led us to focus only on gender.)

Here you'll find additional considerations that may warrant attention with respect to building influence and using the Cohen-Bradford Influence model. This isn't a catalog of all injustices inflicted on women by males and male-dominated organizations; that is another book. And contemporary life has a wide spectrum of male-female, male-male, and female-female behaviors that affect influence. You won't find “an answer,” because there is no one “right” approach. As in all things with people, each encounter, experience, and relationship is specific to the individuals involved. It's impossible to talk about “all women” or “all men” as monolithic groups, though many are tempted to do so, using their own experiences or popular books and articles propagating ...