No One Best Model
It has become clear there is no “one best model” for leading, managing or developing and providing products and services in today’s world. Yet, human capital in the U.S. continues to be wasted, because the way in which performance and leadership potential are assessed is based on a historical model which favors the values and behaviors of white males. This is understandable, because until the 1960s, the workplace (except for the factory floor, low level jobs and the fields of nursing, teaching and social work) was predominately white and male. This is not to suggest that white males consciously discredited all but their own way of thinking and managing. Rather, most large American corporations have been patterned after the church and the military.
They are hierarchial and are characterized by top-down decision making, and a command and control style of leadership associated with male attributes.
Women, because of genetics or socialization, tend to lead in a more consensual, horizontal manner. Until recently, women have been seen as unfit to hold leadership positions. Their leadership style, characterized by the sharing of power and information, an inclusionary method of decision making, a win-win attitude toward conflict resolution and comfort with ambiguity, has been seen as “soft” and ineffective in the traditional, large corporate structure.
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