The world of work has received something of a wakeup call with the events of the last couple of years. Those things that businesses have been telling us were not possible, like more flexible working and employees working remotely, not just one day a week, but for longer have not only worked during the pandemic but have worked well. And this has led to something of a mini “revolution” in a number of industries, with employers considering a new normal that offers employees more flexibility on where they work and how they get their hours in. Offices have had major overhauls, with fixed desks becoming a thing of the past. Hot desking, together with standing desks and breakout areas, seem to be the way forward for many businesses who are looking to make their workplace more inviting.
The need for project managers has never been greater, and these new working conditions, along with employers’ willingness to be a little more adaptable to their workforce, make this a very appealing environment for those who are looking to work around their other commitments, particularly women
Diversity and inclusion
When someone who works in project management in the construction industry describes it as “Pale, Male and Stale”, then it is abundantly clear that the key ideas of inclusion and diversity have still got such a long way to go. Perhaps the overhaul in the way that we work could be just the push needed to make this happen.
A quick look at workforce statistics would certainly back up this statement and indicate that it isn’t just isolated to the construction industry. It is conservatively estimated that just 30% of those involved in project management are women. However, it is believed that this figure may, in fact, be closer to 20%. When around 48% of the workforce is made up of women, then it is clear that the percentage of women who work in the field of project management is disproportionately low.
The ideas of diversity and inclusion in the workplace are not new ones, but they are certainly something that employers are waking up to. Employees, on the whole, want to work for companies where their voice is heard, and this means those companies with strong inclusion and diversity programmes are seen to be the ones that are listening and the ones people want to work for.
Women in project management
Whilst project management, as we now understand it, may only have been a concept for a relatively short period of time, there have been women managing big projects that have played a hugely significant part in its history. If we look back as far as World War II, when a huge proportion of the men in the country were away from home fighting for King and Country, women had to take up the reigns in many different guises in order to “do their bit”.
Sometimes referred to as “the greatest IT project ever”, the Bletchley Park project and the success that was achieved there are usually attributed to Alan Turing and the other men in the team, and whilst there should be no doubt that their contribution was the most significant, little is made of the women who worked behind the scenes to make a difference. There were approximately 8000 women employed at Bletchley Park during the war, and it is only recently that historians have acknowledged that without their work, the projects that took their simply couldn’t have functioned. The work that was undertaken by every single individual who worked at Bletchley Park during the war is believed to have not only shortened the war by several months but also to have saved anywhere between 14 and 21 million lives.
Many of the early coders and people in important roles in projects of this nature were, in fact, women. They dominated the industry for decades with their knowledge and innovations – these jobs were actually seen as being those that fell under the umbrella of “clerical functions”, those roles most commonly assigned to women and rarely filled by men. Yet they were in effect managing big projects and making huge contributions.
Feminine style strengths
It has often been suggested that women quite simply lack the appropriate management capabilities. This is believed to be a result of the fact that girls, in general, are not exposed to the idea of team sports. Sports promote teamwork, delegation, victory and emphasise the idea of competition whilst adhering to a “play by the rules” type of attitude. The premise is that women have actually missed out on the development experience that team sports offer and that this in some way weakens their ability to understand the business world.
Of course, this isn’t strictly true, and certainly not in recent years. Team sports and competitiveness in sports certainly exists amongst females and, in fact, has done for some considerable time. Even if we look at such games as hopscotch and jump rope, we will see that the discipline required instils an attitude of improvisation, mental flexibility and cooperation – all of which are also vital skills in the workplace. For many years the school curriculum has offered a greater diversity when it comes to sport with girls actively taking part in Rugby, football and other team sports, including netball – whilst it might be argued that older females in the workforce may have missed out on the skills, they will have gained from this it would be foolhardy to believe this will not be the case with those who are joining the workforce now or have done so in the last decade.
The web of inclusion, which suggests that things are seen as “just girl’s games” and emphasise the importance of maintaining relationships (consider the mother bond) and those things considered boy’s games which reinforce the idea of the individual (separation from the mother) offer a very real insight into this and the way in which might be perceived that individuals transfer their “learnt” soft skills to the workplace. There is nothing to say that either set of skills is more valuable to businesses, just that they serve very different means.
Do women in project management have particular strengths?
It would seem that there are some areas where women have greater strengths over their male counterparts. Of course, there are also some areas where men will have greater strengths as well,
Non-verbal and interpersonal communication
Often described as one of the most important skills for project managers, when it comes to the ways in which communication is carried out “An examination of gender differences in managerial communication of project managers” (Snyder D., McLaurin J. R., Little B. & Taylor R., 1996), identified that this is one key area where women have greater strengths over their male counterparts.
Client relations
Again research indicates that women have fewer issues when it comes to gaining access to clients. They get on better with clients – on the whole, clients prefer to talk to women rather than men – and when it comes to bad news relating to a project, they are more willing to listen to this information when it comes to women.
Teamwork
A study carried out in the UK which looked at women project managers found that women have a more “team management” style than men. This is characterised by the high regard that they have not only for other people but also for the task at hand. Women are often less traditional in their approach to business and more visionary. They also have a great sense of awareness and a greater sense of gender exclusion and cultural incongruence. This could at least in part be as a result of being “a women trying to fit into a man’s world” all too often.
Empathy
On the whole, women do appear to be more caring, sympathetic and empathic to the members of their team than men do. And there is certainly some evidence out there that would support this idea. Women are more capable of considering any problems that occur and then bringing order to their team while still maintaining control. Many team members report that communication with female project managers when they are off work is of a more sympathetic, nurturing nature, whilst that from male project managers will often bring up work-related matters.
Summary
Whilst the above may all be indications of areas where women in project management may excel; it is important to remember a couple of things before we make any sweeping statements. Yes, women can be stronger in some areas. However, this does not apply to all women in the field – otherwise, employers would all be clambering to employ female project managers. Nor does it mean that male project managers are lacking in these areas. In fact, some of them may be particularly strong in these areas as well.
None of this should be taken to mean that women make better project managers; in fact, far from it, what it does illustrate is those areas that really help to make someone more than just a good project manager, turning them instead into a great project manager. Project management is only in part about the qualifications and the knowledge, a huge part of it is down to those all-important soft skills and whether, in fact, the individual in question has them. The fact that they are female, or male, is immaterial. A great project manager is someone who has what it takes.
Of course, that also doesn’t mean that more women in project management wouldn’t be a great thing for the industry; of course, it would. The workplace needs a better balance of different experiences, views and insights that help to create great teams. A well-balanced team that considers better diversity and inclusion in the workplace is a good thing for everyone involved from the point of view of the stakeholders, the clients, the vendors and of course the members of the project team – because what really matters is a well-run project, which reaches its desired end goals.
