A friend of mine recently joined the R&D division of a cool new start-up in the Silicon Valley. She is one of 15 women in this company which has 24 employees currently. What a great gender ratio, right? I was very heartened to hear this.
But as her narrative unfolded, I saw more and more red signs. This was turning into a missed opportunity for gender inclusion. And all because the leadership doesn’t get it!
Masculine values
The organisation’s masculine culture emphasises fast results and excellence. These are wonderful goals to aspire to. But they are manifested in the organisation’s mascot – a bear! And the organisational values are those that the bear stands for…“aggression”, “brute force” and “territory capture”.
Employees vie for the “Bear of the month” prize. This is a T-shirt with the face of the bear and eyes strategically placed. No reasonable female winner would feel comfortable wearing the T-shirt outside her home.
But these are subtle and weak ways in which the exclusive, stereotypical male culture is being propagated. You might think I’m paranoid and have a chip on my feminist shoulder for thinking this. But it’s hard to ignore the more overt misguided steps taken in the name of supporting women.
What does the success of women depend on?
The organisation has set up a women’s book club – not a bad idea in itself. But the leadership mandates what the women should read (red flag, anyone?!). Sheryl Sandberg and Marissa Meyer top the list.
Again, wonderful and accomplished women. But his message here is that women’s advancement is the sole responsibility of women. Organisations and (male) leaders have little to do with it.
Ways in which start-ups fail women
Even more disturbing are:
- common instances of women’s ideas being shot down at meetings
- avoidance to address conflict within teams but to immediately fire somebody for poor performance
- condescending tones when two women disagree with each other
How founders have the opportunity to change
Founders have an immediate as well as long-lasting influence on the culture of the company. This is a fact that is established by organisational scientists and employees alike. As such, entrepreneurs have an amazing opportunity – and responsibility – on their hands. They can create an inclusive culture while also focusing on becoming a successful and sustainable business.
These are not incompatible goals. In fact, research would suggest are entirely complementary. If only every entrepreneur understood this.
I am hopeful that this finds its way to entrepreneurs in Bangalore’s start-up culture. I do hope that it provides a lens to the nuances of workplaces cultures. Additionally, the importance of getting it right. It may just avoid an Uber blog!
Serein designs action plans for organisations to implement systems and processes that make every employee feel like they belong. Write to us at hello@serein.in.