PEGASUS Keynote: Deborah Tannen LO18834

Mnr AM de Lange (amdelange@gold.up.ac.za)
Tue, 11 Aug 1998 16:05:57 GMT+2

Replying to LO18818 --

Dear Organlearners,

Rick, our host, writes:

> Tannen's Topic: Building Capability for Dialogue Between Women and Men in
> the Workplace
>
> Pegasus brochure and web site say:
>
> Gender differences in communication style can have broad effects on
> the culture of the workplace--often influencing which ideas are heard
> and acted upon, and who gets the credit for them.

Rick, here in South Africa we have differences upon differences upon
gender differences. Confusing, hm?

The differences upon gender differences are as follows. The South
Africa "rainbow" nation consists of many cultures. We have the
following main cultures: peoples from European origin, peoples from
Banthu origin, peoples from Xhoi origin, people from Malyasian origin
and people of Indian origin. Each culture brings in a religious
dimension - Christian, indigenous religion, Islam and Hindu. This
dimension increases the gender differences from one culture to
another.

The differences upon differences upon gender differences are as
follows. Some people want all these cultural differences to disappear
completely - culture and gender indifference. Other people (the far
majority) want these cultural differences to homogenise in terms of
one particular culture - culture and gender exclusivism. The
smallest minority want these cultural differences to remain as they
are.

My own position is as follows. A differences is necessary to set up a
field. The field is necessary to affect organisational changes. This
even includes gender. However, organisational changes can be
constructive or destructive. We cannot deny differences as cause
and thus the organisational changes derived from them because some of
the changes will be destructive. What we rather should do, is to
promote those things which will help organisational changes to become
more constructive and less destructive.

The seven essentialities give an interesting viewpoint. Differences
play a role through the essentiality "quality-variety" or otherness.
It includes the gender difference. But there are six other
essentialities which also promote constructive organisational
changes. Neglecting only one of them will lead to destructive
interactions among the genders.

I want to stress that gender interaction is not only at the work
place. It is everywhere: home, school, market, leisure, religion,
etc. What we should try to avoid, is gender stereotyping in any of
these environents.

I also want to stress that gender interaction is not only among
humans. It is very common in the animal kindom where it is usually
genetical of origin (that XX and XY stuff) . It is moderately common
in the plant kingdom where it is usually superficial due to hormones
rather than fundamentally caused by chromosome differences.
Read only one book on birds in general to learn how foolish gender
stereotyping can be.

What I would like to hear from Deborah Tannen is how gender
differences can aid in the emergence of a learning organisation.

Best wishes

-- 

At de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre for Education University of Pretoria Pretoria, South Africa email: amdelange@gold.up.ac.za

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