On Bringing More Theory, More Voices and More Politics to the Study of Organization

Ferguson, Kathy E.

doi:10.1177/135050849400100112

Cited by 44 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…In her analysis of gendered discourses in management literature, Professor Elisabeth Kelan, 2008 has noted explicit masculinity, with standard managers showing up as male, white and heterosexual (for instance Ferguson, 1994, Gerhard et al 1992) and the systematic use of the male pronoun (Alvesson and Billing 1997;Green et al 2001), as well as implicit masculinity though the persistent use of sport metaphors or of linguistic constructions such as "penetrating markets" (Collinson andHearn, 2005: 264 quoted in Kelan, 2008). Military expressions such as "leading a big battalion" or "talking to the troops" are common in business speak.…”

Section: Lean Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stories of women at the top: narratives and counternarratives of women’s (non-)representation in executive leadership

Baumann

2017

Palgrave Commun

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There is ongoing debate on a global level about (the lack of) women in senior leadership. Despite years of discussion about the alleged advantages of gender diversity progress has been glacial: top management roles and senior positions of power throughout society remain largely the preserve of men. This critical review explores how women's power is narratively constructed in two dominant European cultures, Germany and Britain, and how stories told about women's representation in top level executive leadership may impact individual identities, possibilities and ambitions. Using thematic and discourse analysis, this article covers empirical research, academic writing, government reports, non-fiction and fictional writing, and some anecdotal evidence gathered by the author, who has executive experience spanning two decades in multinational corporations. For reasons of space, I focus on just three of the stories currently dominating the discussion about gender equality in business: first, the story that there is nothing or little left to fight for, the battle is won; second, the story that gender equality is straightforward because there is a business case for parity; and third, the story that women are not at the top because women choose not to run the world. Each of these has a counternarrative supported by empirical and anecdotal evidence, which I outline; nonetheless, I argue, they serve to maintain the status quo in leadership, reassuring those in power that they have no responsibility for (and therefore no responsibility seriously to address) the lack of women in top positions. I suggest on the basis of the evidence that the cultural narratives of Britain and Germany are remarkably similar and that the prospects of gender equality at the top occurring in our lifetime are dismal. A juxtaposition of the (contradictory) narratives paints a more holistic picture of the discursive sea we all swim in, relevant to scholars of gender equality and women's leadership across disciplines as well as government policy departments. As qualitative methodologies, narrative and discourse analysis cannot provide definitive answers. They can, however, provide a basis for reflecting on how dominant stories impact individuals and the cultural atmosphere. This article is published as part as part of a collection on the role of women in management and business.

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Section: Lean Inmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stories of women at the top: narratives and counternarratives of women’s (non-)representation in executive leadership

Baumann

2017

Palgrave Commun

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“…From this perspective, as Jansen and Davis (1998) point out, the goal of feminist research is to correct the 'distortions' associated with the female experience and to challenge hegemonic understandings. Such work accordingly sees 'lack of voice' as a state of absence and neglect that can be redressed by 'bringing more voices in the conversation' (Ferguson, 1994). This does not, however, address the process of silencing that occurs.…”

Section: "We Have Listened For Centuries To the Voices Of Men And Thementioning

confidence: 99%

“…By foregrounding and privileging some interpretations, others are silenced as unsuitable or excessive. Privileged ways of talking and being, through linguistic processes such as rhetoric and naming, can consequently form the site of struggle over hegemonic interpretations (Fondas, 1997;Ferguson, 1994).…”

Section: Deep Conceptualisations Of Voice: Silencing Through Discoursementioning

confidence: 99%

An investigation of silence and a scrutiny of transparency: Re-examining gender in organization literature through the concepts of voice and visibility

2005

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This paper presents a review of the literature on gender and organizations through the twin concepts of 'voice' and 'visibility'. In gender studies, as in other areas, the concepts have been used at different levels of abstraction to analyse inequality and exclusion. However, we argue that their potential richness has not been fully exploited and we accordingly produce a 'framework' which is based on 'surface' and 'deep' conceptualisations. These conform broadly to liberal feminist and post-structuralist interpretations respectively. With 'voice', we therefore distinguish between the 'surface' act of speaking/being heard as discussed within 'women's voice' literature and, at a deeper level, the power of silence as discursive practices eliminate certain issues from arenas of speech and sound. Similarly, we can see visibility as a 'surface' state of exclusion and difference while, at a deeper level, conceptualisations can usefully explore the power of 'invisibility' and the battle for the (male) norm. Through the concepts of voice and visibility, and through exploring commonalities and tensions between and within the two conceptual levels, we throw new light on the increasingly diverse field of gender and organizational studies.2

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“…Such texts implicitly and explicitly assume that the standard manager is male, white, and heterosexual (for instance Ferguson, 1994;Gerhard et al, 1992). The explicit maleness of management literature also becomes evident in the systematic use of the male pronoun in -mainly earlier -texts (Alvesson and Billing, 1997;Green et al, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Discursive Construction of Gender in Contemporary Management Literature

Kelan¹

2007

J Bus Ethics

115

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On Bringing More Theory, More Voices and More Politics to the Study of Organization

Cited by 44 publications

References 4 publications

Stories of women at the top: narratives and counternarratives of women’s (non-)representation in executive leadership

Stories of women at the top: narratives and counternarratives of women’s (non-)representation in executive leadership

An investigation of silence and a scrutiny of transparency: Re-examining gender in organization literature through the concepts of voice and visibility

The Discursive Construction of Gender in Contemporary Management Literature

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