Small Wins Steps - Essay Example

Small Wins Steps Meyerson and Fletcher consider that women have not yet reached their worthy stature in the corporate world due to the aspect of gender inequality. In order for companies to address gender inequality, they recommend that companies should adopt the small wins strategy that bases on the small changes to offer lasting solutions. They metaphorically regard gender inequality as a glass ceiling, which can be shattered by the small wins approach. In this paper, I will apply the small wins strategy to my company with gender inequality situations.

I will offer additional steps to the small wins strategy, in solving the gender inequality in my company.Achievement of gender equality in the workplace is largely dependent on the corporate strategies. However, adopting approaches that base on gender equality is a major problem for organizations. In the work place, gender inequality mainly affects women. Long ago, women were victimized in the job market, and their entry was highly restrictive. Although this situation has been alleviated by policy changes in companies and at the national level, there still exist cases of gender inequality, which to a higher extent are embedded in the organizational cultures and are hard to detect (Meyerson and Fletcher 127).

In the small wins strategy, the identification of gender inequality problem is crucial in the rectification process. Failure to identify a problem will lead to its persistence. As a leader, I realize there is a gender inequality situation that needs to be addressed. The second step is to diagnose the gender inequality problem. Here, a company establishes the specific gender inequality problem, whether it lies in salary remuneration differences, or bias in managerial positions. As a new leader, I realize that the face of gender inequality in my company is manifest salary remuneration.

Women are paid less as compared to men.Third is patterns and consequences identification of gender inequality aspect. Here, we establish the organizational culture, and how it promotes gender discrimination. The final step is experimentation. Managers take the initiative of replacing company practices, which promote gender inequality, with better ones. This is through talks with the company employees to brainstorm possible solutions (Meyerson and Fletcher 133-134).Additionally, I would consider the impacts of external environment on company policymaking.

These include institutional framework, external labor market, and relations with other companies. This closely fits in Meyerson and Fletcher’s third stage of pattern identification. Here, I will evaluate role of the external environment in gender discrimination, apart from internal environment, which is organizational culture. According to Olgiati and Shapiro, external environment, together with company ethics determine a company’s gender situation (20-21).Role of the Human Resource Management is an internal factor, which will also be instrumental in pattern identification.

By evaluating the actions of the HRM, and how they propagate gender inequality, my company will be in a position to implement newer HRM tools that can accommodate gender equality. Integrating social partnership in a company fits in the final experimentation stage of Meyerson and Fletcher. Here, dialogue, which is a participatory approach, is employed to settle different conflicts, address pressing issues, and formulate equality programs (Shapiro et al, 7-9). The eighth step is using funding to addressing gender inequality through employee training.

Gender equality monitoring, and communication, as a measure of progress is crucial. This stage fits in the experimentation stage of Meyerson and Fletcher.Conclusively, a healthy nation ensures the equality of its citizens in various sectors, including the work place. However, this is should be a collective role by government and companies. The small wins strategy mainly stresses on how small changes in the organization can help conquer the problem of gender inequality. Therefore, companies need to change their course of action and start acting on their policies, to ensure gender equality.

Works CitedMeyerson, Debra and Fletcher, Joyce. “A Modest manifesto for shattering the glass ceiling.” Harvard Business Review. Jan-Feb, 2000: 127-136.Olgiati, Etta, and Shapiro, Gillian. “Promoting gender equality in the workplace.’ European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions. 2002.Shapiro, Gillian, Olgiati, Etta and Valbjorn, Lotte. “Equality and quality: new moves for women and business.” (Report of the European Positive Action Forum, Como, Italy, 3-4 June 1994), Brussels, European Commission. 1995.