Featured Publication & Special Members Only Downloadable Chapter ILA Members publish on the topic of leadership from a variety of perspectives. We are pleased to feature a selection of these publications in this newsletter and our Web site. In the Member Connector, authors take you behind the scenes, sharing their perspectives on the work, how the work informs contemporary issues, and highlighting points of interest to ILA members. If you have a recent publication and are interested in being featured in this column, please contact ILA membership services, at [email protected] or 301.405.5218 for consideration. Featured Publication Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders by by Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli (Harvard Business School Press, 2007) Alice Eagly is Profes- Linda Carli received sor and Department her Ph.D. in social ILA Members Chair of Psychol- psychology from the Download Chapter 9: “Do ogy at Northwestern University of Massa- Organizations Compromise5. University. Eagly has chusetts at Amherst, Women’s Leadership” published widely on where she studied the psychology of at- gender differences in titudes, especially at- interaction and infl u- Log in at: http://www.ila- titude change, attitude ence. She has published and presented net.org/Members/index.asp structure, and attitu- papers on the effects of gender on group to access this Membership dinal selectivity in information processing. interaction, communication and infl uence; Benefi t! She is equally devoted to the study of leadership; and reactions to adversity and gender, with a focus on the social behavior victimization. She joined the faculty at Debra DeRuyver (ILA Staff): of women and men and a special em- Wellesley in 1991 and teaches a variety of One of the fi rst assertions phasis on the study of leadership and on courses, including organizational psychol- in your book is that the evolutionary issues. She has authored or ogy, the psychology of law, and research in glass ceiling is no longer edited several books and is also the author applied psychology. Active in professional an apt metaphor to de- 5. of over 130 journal articles and chapters in organizations in psychology and manage- scribe women’s experi- edited volumes. Eagly has received numer- ment, she serves on the Executive Board of ence of opportunity in the ous distinguished awards for her work the Association of Women in Psychology. workplace. Instead you and has held several leadership positions In addition to her teaching and research, argue today’s metaphor is in psychology including, among others, she has developed and conducted diversity the labyrinth. What led you President of the Midwestern Psychological training workshops and negotiation and to choose this imagery? Association, and President of the Society of confl ict resolution workshops for women Personality and Social Psychology. Eagly leaders and has lectured on gender and Alice Eagly & Linda Carli: Times received her M.A. in Psychology in 1963 diversity for business, academic, and other have changed, and the labyrinth and Ph.D. in Social Psychology in 1965, organizations. metaphor captures modern wom- both from the University of Michigan. en’s quest for leadership. Women Th e Member Connector, International Leadership Association (January 2008) are no longer universally controversial claim is belied by recent pared to men who earned about 6.6. excluded from top posi- changes in women, who have be- 725 thousand dollars. What does tions, not when nearly a come more assertive and dominant this say about women’s employ- quarter of all chief execu- as opportunities have opened up for ment patterns and what does that tives of U.S. organizations them. Even if we assume that men bode for leadership opportunity? are women. But fi nding the are inherently more dominant than route to leadership presents women, men would be “natural” That massive gap refl ects women’s more challenges for women leaders only if leadership called for lost earnings from dropping out of than men. And those challeng- forceful, dominant qualities. But, employment entirely, which women es create the labyrinth. Whereas quite the opposite is true. High levels do more than men, often to take men seeking leadership travel of dominance generally compromise care of family members. Women’s down a relatively straight road, leaders’ effectiveness. Instead, leader- employment patterns are different women take a more complex ship calls for a repertoire of qualities, in others ways, as well. They more path. In addition to the chal- some culturally masculine and others often have part-time jobs, and even lenges of family responsibili- culturally feminine. The best leaders when full-time have somewhat ties, women still face a degree are assertive, gregarious, intelligent, shorter hours on the job than men. of prejudice and discrimination. Yet, conscientious, trustwor- So, the wage gap looks many women successfully overcome thy, socially skilled, and huge when you don’t such impediments and make their able to persuade, inspire, account for these fac- way on varied, sometimes discon- and motivate others. Even if we as- tors. However, among tinuous, paths to leadership. sume that men full-time workers, The book is an incred- are inherently women now earn 81 The beauty of the labyrinth metaphor ible synthesis of hun- cents for every dol- is its ability to frame the complexi- dreds of studies con- more dominant lar that men earn—a ties of women’s careers, as well as ducted across several than women, very substantial gain the possibilities for success. Most different disciplines, men would be compared with the important, the labyrinth image based primarily in the “natural” leaders 63 cents that women implies that with thoughtful prob- U.S. Even without only if leadership earned in 1979. lem-solving, woman can advance. fl ipping back to the Women’s labor force In contrast, the now outdated glass extensive notes and called for force- participation increased ceiling metaphor is discouraging reference sections, one ful, dominant steadily in the 20th because it presents an absolute, im- can just sense the data qualities. But, century, and American penetrable and invisible barrier—one percolating behind quite the oppo- women have become that women can’t anticipate or over- each clearly writ- site is true. High much better educated. come. On the contrary, women can ten and well-placed The majority of bache- anticipate, confront, and overcome sentence. Some of levels of domi- lor’s and master’s the impediments they face to reach the most potent mo- nance gener- degrees now go to their career goals. ments for me in the ally compromise women, and women book were when you leaders’ effec- have achieved equal- used little tidbits of ity or near-equality to Two popular notions that seem that data to illustrate tiveness. Instead, men in other advanced to creep up the most in the main- or bring home a point. leadership calls degrees as well. stream media are that men are For example, the wage for a repertoire genetically predisposed to lead gap. I think most peo- of qualities, some All in all, such data and that women opt not to lead ple know that women culturally mascu- present a mixed on their own accord. make about twenty picture for women’s percent less on the line and others leadership opportuni- The idea that men are genetically dollar than what men culturally femi- ties. Women’s supe- predisposed to lead is based on earn. But, I was aston- nine. rior education gives evolutionary psychologists’ claim ished to read that over them a leadership that dominance and competitiveness a recent 15 year period advantage. But taking are built into men’s nature through that women earned, on average, part-time jobs or breaks from paid sexual selection in eons past. This about 275 thousand dollars, com- work impedes women’s careers. Th e Member Connector, International Leadership Association (January 2008) When people talk about racism, nation in myriad ways. Their high And what’s the impact of these dif- for example, in the US, something level positions often demand an ferences? Notably, the ways that you will frequently hear that it is extreme time commitment that deny women lead are precisely the leader- a “systemic” problem. This can job holders the right to “have a life” ship styles that are associated with be a diffi cult concept for some to outside of the workplace. This is a good managerial practices in current- understand. Systemic problems particular burden for women because day organizations. In most contexts, are often so deeply engrained, so- of their greater family responsibili- top-down, command and control cially, historically, and culturally, ties. Decision makers also tend to leaders no longer offer the most ef- that they’ve become naturalized, favor people similar to themselves in fective or admired type of leadership. invisible, and thus hard to change. sex and social background, despite Your methodical depiction of how the contemporary call for diversity in How do race and class impact the systemic gender discrimination management ranks. Where manage- leadership labyrinth? comes about—both on a personal rial positions have long been fi lled by and an organizational level— is men, a masculine organizational cul- Race and class further complicate the one of the most impressive as- ture can develop that is unwelcoming labyrinth for those with origins in pects of the book. or even downright hostile to women. groups that have traditionally been And male-dominated networks often excluded from leadership oppor- Discrimination against women is exclude women. In such circum- tunities. People stereotype all sorts systemic, even in the United States, stances, women generally don’t win of disadvantaged groups as lacking where there is virtually no support the visible desirable assignments that leadership ability.