Success for women library managers ‐ but on whose terms?

Abstract

Women have made significant inroads into Australian library management over the last decade [1]. It was this awareness, along with the results of my research (both quantitative and qualitative) into the status of women librarians in Queensland, which led me to pursue comments which suggested the existence of a "double-glazed glass ceiling" in libraries and an organizational culture inhospitable to women as managers [2]. I chose to interview 20 women currently employed in senior management positions within metropolitan and regional libraries in Queensland for this research.These women represent the successful ones who have managed to break through the so-called "glass ceiling"[3] in libraries: they are the library leaders of the 1990s. Yet, how leadership has been conceptualized in the management literature is in stark contrast to the words women use when describing their own particular management/leadership style. As the meaning of the term "successful" comes under closer scrutiny it becomes clear that its currency in organizational discourse is problematic for women. It is not a genderneutral term because it is often associated with the image of a male manager[4] and is defined in "accountancy-based terms"[5]. Yet, success for the women managers in my study is not only measured in terms of salary and status, but in their ability to lead balanced and fulfilling lives, both in the public and private spheres. This poses a dilemma for the woman library manager who must conform to a workplace which is still largely organized around employment patterns designed earlier this century, when the paid worker was predominantly male [6]. How these women fit into this structure and how they reconcile their work roles with their family/domestic responsibilities are some of the issues discussed in this paper. Other areas of interest, include whether or not women as managers are changing organizational cultures and if equal employment opportunity (EEO) legislation has been effective in increasing women's promotional prospects in libraries. Research design and rationaleAs feminist oral history is now well acknowledged as a methodology, I chose this form of data collection for my study of "successful" 12

Notas sobre o conceito de sucesso: sentidos e possíveis (re)significações

“…A Psicologia, por sua vez, é a ciência que parece ter se dedicado mais ao assunto, sobretudo a Psicologia Social, que investigou visões do sucesso distintas (SIMON, 1996;DYKE;MUR-PHY, 2006); o chamado medo do sucesso (HOFFMAN, 1977;HORNER, 1972;SADD;LENAUER;CHAVER;BUNIVANT, 1978;YODER, 1992); a relação entre a batalha pelo sucesso e o bem-estar, a satisfação ou a felicidade do indivíduo (CARVER, 1998;KASSER;RYAN, 1993;NICKERSON;SCHWARZ;DIENER;KAHNEMAN, 2003); entre outros assuntos. Em grande parte desses estudos, a questão da motivação é recorrente, mesmo que não ocupe o centro da preocupação dos autores.…”

“…A estratégia de pesquisa mais frequente dentre as investigações analisadas foi o survey (SWIFT, 1967;HOFFMANN, 1977;EVANS, 1996;KORMAN;WITTIG-BERMAN;LANG, 1981;VECCHIO, 1981;STEINKAMP;HABTEYES, 1985;CHUSMIR, 1992;KASSER;RYAN, 1993;DANN, 1995;CAR-VER;BAIRD, 1998; BIENART, 2007;ABELE;SPURK, 2009). Outras estratégias, contudo, também estiveram presentes, como a história oral (SIMON, 1996) ou a etnografia (LIMA, 2007), porém em número bem menor.…”

“…Mas, para ele, é esse o desejo da classe média americana, que é maioria e deu o tom das maneiras e da moralidade do país, ditando a visão padrão -o que teria trazido, para o autor, pobreza espiritual e desarmonia. Simon (1996), por sua vez, fez comentários desfavoráveis a respeito do discurso organizacional sobre o sucesso, nada neutro em termos de gênero e problemático para as mulheres. Falando em organizações, Chusmir e Parker (2001) defendem que as empresas reconheçam que o sucesso não é o mesmo para homens e mulheres, levando isso em conta se pretendem preencher distintos sistemas de valores -conclusão bem próxima à que chegou Kim (2005), ao perceber que a noção de sucesso que orienta as carreiras dos empregados é comumen-…”

Women’s Career Progression in U.K. Academic Libraries – Organisational Change and Management Change

“…[2][3][4][5][6] Writers consider how women adopt masculine traits to gain acceptance as a manager and thus exert a more powerful, successful image. 7,8,3,5 Women have been advised to compromise their abilities, using male techniques. 9 It is argued that women managers can change organisational cultures, increasing equality and gaining respect and admiration for their feminine traits as a more appropriate style of management.…”

“…libraries." 22 Simon 8 argues that having children has a detrimental affect on women's careers. It is estimated that "45% of women face some kind of workplace discrimination or unfavourable treatment due to pregnancy."…”