In the same light there are differences between people of varied cultural background.
…and more subtly there are differences between individuals.
Why deny it? Celebrate it!
The danger is assuming and demanding that everyone be the same as you.
It is natural that we use generalisations, it helps us get an understanding of the world. But you have to park them when you deal with another human being face to face. Not completely because there is a possibility of offending them with a cultural or gentile faux pa. Even worse you may bruise your own self respect.
The danger in relying too much on stereotypes is that A. they are often negative and B. they leave no room for the intricacies of the individual.
And as for treating people differently in the work place.
First of all I believe everyone deserves a chance, it is the responsibility of management to motivate and equip there staff to their job to the best of their ability. But in the end it’s the individuals own responsibility to prove they are worthy of reward hopefully in a level playing field (unrealistic I know particularly in the Middle East but then it’s an ideal).
Why should a woman pretend to be a man? Most of my best bosses have been women and not the ball-breaker “I’m better than a man so I going to show all the worst traits of men that I know” kind either. It is the genetic ability to empathise that equips women to be able to create a productive working environment.
By the way men have the empathy gene switched off, that is why we are generally more competitive. Of course it is not black and white and individuals are all different so you will find more competitive women and empathetic men but they are skewed from the norm.
Men and Women are different. Get used to it.
In the same light there are differences between people of varied cultural background.
…and more subtly there are differences between individuals.
Why deny it? Celebrate it!
The danger is assuming and demanding that everyone be the same as you.
It is natural that we use generalisations, it helps us get an understanding of the world. But you have to park them when you deal with another human being face to face. Not completely because there is a possibility of offending them with a cultural or gentile faux pa. Even worse you may bruise your own self respect.
The danger in relying too much on stereotypes is that A. they are often negative and B. they leave no room for the intricacies of the individual.
And as for treating people differently in the work place.
First of all I believe everyone deserves a chance, it is the responsibility of management to motivate and equip there staff to their job to the best of their ability. But in the end it’s the individuals own responsibility to prove they are worthy of reward hopefully in a level playing field (unrealistic I know particularly in the Middle East but then it’s an ideal).
Why should a woman pretend to be a man? Most of my best bosses have been women and not the ball-breaker “I’m better than a man so I going to show all the worst traits of men that I know” kind either. It is the genetic ability to empathise that equips women to be able to create a productive working environment.
By the way men have the empathy gene switched off, that is why we are generally more competitive. Of course it is not black and white and individuals are all different so you will find more competitive women and empathetic men but they are skewed from the norm.