Gender and Communication Essay

When we think of sexuality, we real much think of anthropoid or fe manlike thats only half of understanding gender. The denotations of mannish and female person actually refer to biological and physiological sex. Gender is a sociological construct of values, ideals, and behaviors about what it means to be each male or female, and are often regarded in terms of masculine or feminine, respectively. Many people use sex and gender interchangeably, but wholeness does not bedevil to be male to identify as masculine, and unrighteousness versa. we have both a biological, physical characteristicsex with a superimposed cultural construct gender.The alike applies to both race and glossiness, respectively. passage refers to groups of people who are distinguished by shared physical characteristics, such(prenominal) as skin color and hair type. Culture refers to the customs, habits, and value systems of groups of people. race of the comparable race may not share the same culture simi larly, a culture isnt necessarily comprised of people of the same race. Wo hands and men communicate closely efficaciously when they understand the invisible rules unique to separately gender. Research presented by Dr.Pat Heim in her video, The Invisible Rules Men, Women and Teams, indicates that each gender is a culture in itself, raised with invisible rules of conduct instinctively known to all adult members of that gender. Therefore, men and women behave according to both separate sets of rules about what right is. I. Consequently, behavior that seems natural and set aside to superstar gender culture mint seem baffling, hurtful or revile to others. When we work with someone of the opposite gender and he or she does something that seems a bit strange, we often locomote intolerant and defensive.We do not subscribe water that men and women come from different cultures, even if they are raised in the same homes, educated in the same schools and live in the same country. II . The both gender cultures are different in many ways. intellect the invisible rules unique to each gender can help us become better aggroup members and leadership. It is master(prenominal) to remember that these are generalizations on gender behavior based on the 80% portion of the doorbell curve. There are always exceptions to the rule. Examples given are based on what research tells us.A. In every culture of the world, children are taught to be appropriate adults through the games they play. When boys are growing up, they play baseball, basketball, football, cops and robbers, cowboys and Indians and war, all of which are ranked aggroup up sports. They turn back how to compete, be aggressive, play to win, strategize, take risks and mask emotions. performing their assigned utilisation in the hierarchy, boys learn to obey their coach unquestioningly, become leaders and play with people they do not like.In essence, boys learn how to garner office, manage conflict and win or lose without go emotionally involved with their competitors. B. More than likely, the girls we grew up with were not playing team sports. Girls play with people they like (usually one-on-one) and learn their cultural lessons from doll games in which there are no winners or losers. Girl play reinforces getting along and being nice, protecting friendships by negotiating differences, seeking win-win situations and focusing on what is fair for all instead of winners and losers. C. girls (unlike boys) have flat versus vertical relationships.A very important rule in womens culture is that the power in interpersonal relationships is always kept dead even. There is neer a boss doll player. Girls who try to be the boss speedily learn that this damages friendships. Consequently, when adult women enter a hierarchical workplace, they often attempt to equalize power, negotiate relationships and share power equally. III. Does this mean that since the shore Guard is a hierarchical orga nization, women cannot succeed? Of course not. Does it mean that the hierarchical leaders name is always the appropriate choice?A get along, absolutely not. The take and control leaders style united with a hierarchy works some effectively in time-bound situations, when there is no alternative or in emergencies. For example, on scene at an urgent search-and-rescue upshot, the command and control style works shell. Time is limited, one person needs to be in control of the situation and everyone needs to fulfill their specific roles. A. However, take the same SAR case and look at what is going on in the trading operations Center. There, the supervisor needs the expertise and ideas of everyone on watch to make the best decision.Each person might provide additional ideas as to how the case could best be handled. In a flat structure then, the leadership style is based on involvement. B. This style works intimately effectively when you need creativity and psychological buy in and y ou need them to make it work. Clearly, the Coast Guard has many different situations that require different leadership styles. Using the same style in every situation is a quick recipe for ineffectiveness. By understanding the different styles, we can much successfully choose the appropriate one for the situation. IV.Sometimes the tendency for women to associate with one style and men to associate with the other leads to misunderstandings. For example, on a large cutter, a male chief was supervising a female second class subaltern officer. He directed her to perform a certain task. After listening to the tasking, the petty officer recommended an alternate method acting that she had learned at another unit and proved to be very successful. A. The chief assumed that she was being insubordinate. In his view, being a team player meant knowing your role in the hierarchy and playing your role without question.The chiefs anger and unwillingness to listen to her ideas made the petty offic er feel unwelcome on the team. For her, being a team player meant helping the group by recommending ideas that might benefit the team. B. The two different structures (hierarchical versus flat) have different definitions of what makes a exhaustively team player. some(prenominal) members were working within the invisible rules that had been programmed into them from an early age. Neither felt good about the interaction, and their trust in each other was seriously damaged.Had either of them been aware of the differing styles, this unpleasant situation could have been avoided. conclusion As you can see, the unique socializing experiences of men and women as they grow up perform separate rules and realities for each gender. It is not a matter of who is right or wrong. One challenge that women face today is that most organizations are give out by the rules of team sports. This fact does not absolve women from learning the hierarchical, goal-focused rules of most men, nor does it abs olve men from the need to learn about the strengths of the flat, process-oriented focus most women bring to the workplace.The Coast Guard needs both styles to be successful. It is important to promote the best possible communication between men and women in the workplace. As we move between the male and female cultures, we sometimes have to change how we behave speak the language of the other gender to gain the best results from the situation. Clearly, successful organizations of the future are going to have leaders and team members who understand, respect and apply the rules of gender culture appropriately.