Introduction
The analysis of culture in the field of organizations, as well as the values that they manifest, has been considered as neutral in terms of gender, this is in correspondence with the study and evolution of these, which is evidenced in related organizational analyzes in classical theory and scientific management, and in the theory of human relations.
This fact has influenced to a certain extent that for many years, in the different analyzes that have been carried out of the organizational culture, the gender approach is not taken into account.
With the incorporation of women into the workplace, the organizational analysis begins to consider the concept of gender in organizations from the simplest level of complexity, with the quantitative analysis in their proportion of men and women and search for ways to avoid inequality Even the most complex, qualitative analysis, which studies gender as an active principle within the organization that affects its actions and its culture, and which considers the existence of different subcultures with possible conflicts of values derived from this fact.
The purpose of this work is "To show the preliminary results of a study on the values desired by men and women executives in Cuban organizations in Havana City", which contribute to two investigations that are developed in the Center for Studies of the Cuban Economy These are: "Leadership from a Gender Perspective" and "The Human Factor in Organizations."
The study was carried out in the boards of directors of five (5) Cuban organizations in the City of Havana, where different management consulting actions were carried out and the results presented are fundamentally based on the application of a questionnaire, where they are evaluated and They rank the desired values, the results once processed are presented for a group analysis. (See figure 1) From this result is that the analysis by sex is made, which is presented. It also relies on the observation and analysis of documents, additionally other studies related to the subject have been taken into account, to which reference is made.
The preliminary results of the two dimensions (values and gender) analyzed in this study, within the variable, organizational culture, are not aspects sufficiently treated in Cuban research, or in specialized literature in general, it is for this reason that the analysis, The reflection and debate that they provoke can help to understand certain manifestations in the field of organizations.
Some basic theoretical aspects about gender and organizational culture
To study the values desired by men and women leaders, it is necessary to take into account the concept of gender, mime is related to all aspects of the economic and social, daily and private life of individuals and determines characteristics and functions depending on sex or the perception that society has of him.
Gender is related to the traits that have been shaping throughout the history of social relations and the manifest differences between men and women when taking it into account, are socially constructed and instilled on the basis of the perception that different societies have about physical diversity, the budgets of tastes, preferences and capacities among them. Gender dissimilarities vary across cultures and change over time to respond to changes in society.
Gender relations can be defined as the ways in which cultures assign different roles and responsibilities to women and men in society, it is for this reason that when studying the values desired by one or the other, from this perspective within the scope of organizations, it is necessary to take into account the organizational culture.
The organizational culture "how we are here" has the particularity of manifesting itself through the behaviors of the members of the organization, it facilitates or hinders the behavior of managers -whether they are men or women- and is the framework in the one that their leadership styles develop, which to a great extent are supported by certain values.
In this sense, the different definitions of organizational culture share common concepts which underline the significance of shared values and beliefs and their effect on the behavior of their members, hence the importance of working in organizations in the formation of values, a way to make the strategy congruent with the culture of the organization and also take into account the gender approach.
Organizational culture manifests itself at different levels, from beliefs (basic assumptions) to behaviors, passing through values, as seen in Figure 1.
Values are associated with a way of acting that is preceded by our beliefs, which are what lead us to appreciate that this way of conducting ourselves is better than its opposite, it could be said that they are thought structures elaborated and rooted throughout the learning, which serve to explain reality. Each group, or each person within a group, strategically expresses its values as a synthetic expression of its beliefs.
So it can be said that values are a reality that has a positive significance for the human being. Its objective and concrete existence gives way to the possibility that it is beyond being materially satisfied, so it enjoys spiritual satisfactions, joys, love and other feelings, which exalt men and women.
There are certain practices within the organization that reflect that culture and therefore its values are learned, that is why cultures must be created and perpetuated with a habit of continuous learning. So it is possible to project them.
Culture Formation Process.
Another important aspect of culture is its dynamic character, that is, it is in constant transformation, substantially modifying its norms, values and even essential content, which does not imply that culture disappears completely but, if so If it happened, the new culture would probably retain more or less marked features of the previous one at a different qualitative level.
It is necessary to emphasize cultural dynamics in order to adequately analyze the most effective ways of knowing the characteristics that identify culture in an organization.
For a better understanding of the dynamic nature of culture, it is necessary to refer to four fundamental factors, which also explain why cultures emerge and survive.
- Environment Functions of culture Role of Senior Management Socialization or Cultural learning
Environment
The environment projects towards the organization a multifaceted set of trends: economic, political, ideological, cultural, religious, social, among others, marked by the evolution and historical development of society, where the character of patriarchal hegemonic systems of domination masculine in different societies, is currently evidenced in certain values and norms that privilege men in their condition of power and organizational leadership.
One of the essential requirements for the successful operation of the organizational system consists of the knowledge of the demands of the environment and its main tendencies that affect the organization in the form of positive or negative impacts, commonly called opportunities and threats.
The environment can be classified into Microenvironment and Macroenvironment. An example of the first can be customers, suppliers, competitors, higher bodies, government agencies, etc. The type of direct exchange that the organization establishes with these links presupposes a system of mutual influences on which it can influence.
In relation to the macroenvironment, composed of macrosystems, whose tendencies affect organizational microprocesses. Unlike the microenvironment, the organization cannot directly influence the macroenvironment, so its only alternative is to adapt its microprocesses to these macro-trends. The economic crisis, inflation, demographic and environmental trends are concrete examples of macro trends. In this sense, other aspects will be exposed when analyzing the External Adaptation function.
The analysis leads us to reflect on the fact that the organizational culture in its interaction with the environment is consolidated by trying to adapt to the substantial modifications that take place in it, which has an important influence on the process of formation, consolidation and change cultural.
Functions of Culture.
In the process of culture formation, Identity is created as a function, given by the set of fundamental characteristics of the organization, where the previously exposed levels of culture intervene. Identity distinguishes each organization and is manifested within two other processes, which are vital, which Schein has called: Internal Integration and External Adaptation.
Internal Integration is one of the functions of the organizational culture, since it is born, develops and is transformed from the need of the group itself to exist and maintain itself as such.
This function is the unification of the group in the sense of its adaptation, formation and consolidation on the basis of the elements shared by the members that form them, while External Adaptation is nothing more than survival in terms of responses to the environment. in which the group is located and which maintains a constant interaction relationship, which may even endanger its own existence, being the environment a strong element in the formation and consolidation of the organizational culture.
The internal from the external should not be separated due to their great interrelation, but rather focus on them as a systemic unit and, therefore, in constant interaction and mutual influence. Around the company moves a set of other cultures that emit different positive and negative forces, understand these as threats and opportunities of the environment that move in a spiral and help or not it, which at the same time moves projecting its own strengths (strengths weaknesses).
Integration is internal and can only be seen within the group, because although the group as such does not have a material existence isolated from the environment where it arises and, to a certain extent, conditions its creation, since the organization has a life of its own; needs integration and it achieves this to the same extent that it consolidates itself as such and develops its own styles, common language and conceptual categories, group limits and inclusion and exclusion criteria, hierarchical order, mechanisms of power and authority, communication, interrelationships, systems of stimulation and sanctions, shared sense of belonging.
Schein, in the work referenced above, points out 6 Internal Integration problems which are:
- Common language and conceptual categories. Group boundaries and criteria for inclusion and exclusion. Power and hierarchy. Intimacy, friendship and love. Rewards and punishments. Ideology and religion.
All the above elements referring to internal integration enable the formation and development of the group as such, constituting a function of culture in terms of the fact that its organizational components favor integration and are, in themselves, a response of the group to its needs in this regard.
External Adaptation is also a fundamental function, since it projects the organization-environment relationship. This allows the organization to survive by adapting to a turbulent, aggressive environment, such as the current one.
Adaptation - Organization - Environment is mutual, there is a one-to-one relationship, because due to the interaction between the two, the former adapts to it and the latter as a social entity adapts to the latter and influences its transformation in relation to its own experiences and their values.
There is an interaction between the two that causes a dynamic balance; Even this will tend towards where the force is greater. What should not be doubted is the fact of the action - reaction, which is exercised between the environment and the organization. This does not mean that there are no contradictions between the environment and the organization, this contradiction is natural, in addition to being a driving source of development and without one the other would not exist.
It has already been stated that the environment can be divided into Micro environment and Macro environment, depending on what is more or less close to the company. In this sense, political, legal, economic demographic changes, considered within the framework of the Macro environment, bring an impact on the company, but do not necessarily imply an organizational cultural change, however they constitute macro trends that the organization must face in the process. of adaptation to its environment.
In the external adaptation function Schein defines five "basic problems":
- mission and strategy goals media measurement correction
The Cuban experience shows a similarity with this analysis; Other Cuban specialists who have studied the subject, such as García and Ramírez, agree in this regard, although perhaps the conditions of the Cuban business environment based on the country's own development under special conditions modify, to some extent, the content of each of these problems.
Furthermore, the business response is not always clearly found in each action undertaken in accordance with the problems that it must face in relation to these elements.
The internal integration and external adaptation functions are interrelated and interdependent, the first conditions the second in the sense that it enables the very existence of the group and, in turn, the effort for survival and adaptation to and from the environment makes integration is achieved.
The Role of Senior Management.
Senior Management influences the functions (internal integration, external adaptation) previously exposed and has a fundamental role in the formation, consolidation and change of cultures, but in no way can its role be overestimated.
Senior Management has an influence on business culture, since it decides on resources, information, rewards and punishments, autonomy, control, among others, as well as incorporates: behaviors, habits, language, norms, etc.
If an unusual situation or crisis arises and demands a response, the manager (man or woman) acts, reacts and with his action (Explicit Level) lays the foundations for the establishment of new norms and with them, new methods emerge work and with everyone values are consolidated or new ones emerge, which in turn, determine the rules.
A new boss sometimes implements (or tries to implement) new norms and their values may be different from the existing ones, causing changes in attitudes and behaviors, which are the most obvious manifestations of culture throughout the organization. This can be positive or not, everything depends on the needs of change in the organization.
It is essential to understand that Senior Management plays a significant role in the rooting of the levels of culture (visible or not), but without the group itself, there is no culture and, therefore, each member of the group has a more or more participation. less prominent depending on the unit itself and the degree of consolidation of its culture.
Socialization or Cultural Learning
The adaptation process that new workers go through is known as Socialization or Cultural Learning. This process is extremely complex since some of the basic elements of culture such as: norms, values and basic assumptions of the group (organization) are transmitted to new members, so that they share them in order to join it, if will not come out of this. In this process, culture is self-perpetuating through learning by new members of its basic elements, but, in turn, it is renewed and in constant dynamics it assimilates new values related or not (although convergent) to its basic assumptions.
The person who comes to an organization goes through a period of adaptation and training during which he receives much more than he gives, (first phase of this process), but depending on the degree of integration of the culture of that organization and how divergent may be their own values regarding the basic perceptions of this, the new member will be incorporated more quickly or not to assimilate the cultural patterns of the group. Otherwise, there will be a clash or incongruity of values and basic assumptions between the individual and the organization.
This new member will join faster or not to assimilate the cultural patterns of the group and may, in turn, in a later or closer second phase, incorporate new elements to it. Workers who do not learn, for example the essential value system of the organization, may be rejected by the group or exclude themselves from it.
In short, cultural learning has four phases: entry, assimilation, transformation, and perpetuation. From here the sense of commitment, their motivation, and their results in terms of productivity and even their permanence in time in the organization can be deduced.
The main objective of the socialization process is to incorporate new members to the organization through which the culture is transmitted and renewed, thus achieving its perpetuation.
There are different mechanisms to carry out this process. Many of them are linked to the direction of the human factor, such as training, trainings, forms of reward, etc. as well as others derived from the role of the leader in the organization and the strength of the synergy that emanates from the groups. Likewise, some of the elements indicated in the internal integration function contribute to this end.
The socialization process has an objective nature, so it is of great importance that its existence be known and that it be facilitated to contribute to the solution of the problems of external adaptation and internal integration.
Results of different studies related to organizational values.
Some of the main contributions of Consulting Processes (related to cultural elements) according to data collected in the reports, partial and final of these processes and other actions carried out by the author, as well as from other consultants and in the investigation of Gutiérrez and Morales there are They must be located above all in the incipient creation of an organizational culture associated with positive values such as: aggressiveness, flexibility, entrepreneurship, creativity, adaptability, solidarity, family well-being, personal improvement, manifested in the organizations studied.
However, there are other values that do not favor organizations, including bureaucracy, egalitarianism, failure to comply with plans and setting goals at all costs.
Individual behaviors and attitudes reflect positive aspects such as: interest in individual improvement, and doing things well, willingness to face risks and new goals.
However, there is a tendency towards individual work (“I am the Company” syndrome), as well as little autonomy, excess operation and little attention to man.
In obtaining these results, the creative participation of the workers and managers of the different organizations has been present, through the application of various techniques within the consulting processes.
It is necessary to highlight that in these results related to the consulting processes, the data was not disaggregated by sex, nor did its objectives include the application of the gender approach.
In fact, much has been written about values, however it seems that scholars of the subject have assumed its neutrality, in terms of the gender component, with the consequent restriction of other points of view, which would help in the analysis of such a complex issue.
One of the investigations that, among other aspects, analyzes values from a gender perspective, is the one presented by Río, D., which starts from the case study in two Cuban organizations.
In this research, a characterization of both organizations is carried out and an analysis is made where it is expressed that the location of one of the companies in a rural area, the age of the same (created in 1964) and the productive activity that it carries out, affects that its members and leaders share values such as: the community, solidarity, helping others, among others.
Unlike the previous one, the other organization is located in an urban area, its creation dates back to 1994 and is mainly dedicated to services in the tourism sector. Here values such as: competence, individualism, creativity, professional improvement, among others, are manifested.
It is concluded that the results show that both organizations share similar values such as: responsibility, knowledge and cooperation. However, the existence of other than differences stands out, the author of this research considers that elements such as: emergence (creation) location and type of activity they carry out influence these results.
Although the gender approach was addressed in this research, its results are associated with the existing values in the two Cuban organizations studied, and in these, those declared by men and women are not clearly distinguished.
Another research that takes into account the gender condition states “Most of the interviewees agreed in pointing out that values such as prestige and knowledge prevail in their organizations within the group of values while men are inclined towards competition and challenges in this same sense. This result reflects values typically attributed to women and men and represents a reflection of the personal values that they have and manifest in the organization. "
Characterization of the analysis units organizations of this study.
To carry out the study on the desired values, the boards of directors of five organizations, four of them companies, belonging to different sectors of the economy were selected. These organizations have a high economic and social impact for the country. Table 1 shows the distribution by sex of the members of the boards of directors in these.
In three of the organizations there is representation of women on the small board of directors. In the Boards of Directors of:
(A) only some of its members are women for 14.30%
(B) it has 7 women for 53.80%
(E) 3 of its members are women for 37.50%.
(B), of the organizations studied, it is the one with the greatest representation of women on its reduced board of directors and the only one that is headed by a woman, with more than 20 years of management experience and 51 years of age. Her painting reserve is a woman.
It is a public service institution of a national character and generally methodological functions with social and economic scope, it belongs to a governing body of policies, led by a woman. This business sector favors the incorporation of women to management positions.
The rest of the organizations studied are run by men. All managers have experience in management work and extensive technical knowledge of the business sector to which they belong.
They have an average age between 24 and 61 years. Only 3 are middle technicians, who belong to middle management, the rest are university graduates of different specialties, which not in all cases are directly related to the type of activity they are currently performing.
Women are the ones who have been in current positions for the least time, the minimum time is 5 months and in addition to being the youngest, between 24 and 51 years old, while men have the most years of experience in management., this ranges from 4 to 41 years.
One aspect to highlight, which of course influences the results presented, is the low representation of women on the boards of directors of these organizations. Although it is true that the participation of women in the different management levels has maintained growth in recent years, it can still be observed that at certain levels, there is still a favorable orientation towards men.
Preliminary Results of the Study on Desired Values
The following are the results obtained: Of the 119 members of the boards of directors of the organizations studied, the selected sample represents 76.5% of the total, women 72.9% and men 78%, which is indicated in the Table. two
Table 2: Selected sample of the total members of the board of directors
Source: Prepared by the author according to selected sample.
The board. 3 reflects the values desired by the members of the board of directors by gender.
As can be seen, the Quality value is the one with the highest percent, 85.7%, both in men with 90.6% and in women with 74.1%.
Another value that was selected by 85.7%, coinciding with the Quality value, was Responsibility, the difference is that it had a lower percentage in this case of women for 66.6, while in the case of men the 93.7% one of the highest, coinciding in this case with the Loyalty value.
In summary, the desired values of the highest percentage selected by men are: Responsibility (93.7), Loyalty (93.7) and Quality (90.6), in the case of women they are: Professionalism (85.1) and Respect (85.1). For those with a lower percentage of selection, Recognition is shown for women (3.7%) and Reliability and Discretion for men (7.8%).
Where a marked difference is seen in the selection between women and men is in the case of the Trust value for men 64.6% and for women 11.1%, Patriotism can also be highlighted, for women 25.9% and in the men 65.6% and Loyalty for women 40.7% and men 93.70
Table 3: values according to women and men
Quality has been the only value, in which it was agreed in the five organizations studied in the case of men, as for women it was taken into account in four of these, Responsibility was considered in 4 organizations by the men and in 3 by women and Loyalty was also taken into account in 4 of them by men and in 2 by women, this can be seen in the Table. 4
TABLE 4: Distribution by sex of the VALUES according to organizations
It is interesting to analyze that there are values that have been taken into account in a single organization of the five studied and only selected by men, such as: Safety, Optimism Progress, Tolerance, Solidarity, Challenge, as shown in Table 5, and in the case of women, Dedication, Altruism, Modesty.
Table 5: Target values selected only for women or men
Final thoughts
When reviewing the bibliography in relation to the issue of organizational culture, it is evident that neutrality has been assumed in terms of the gender component, this is in correspondence with the analyzes carried out regarding the development and evolution of organizations.
Currently, research that considers the gender condition, which is related to the component elements of cultural dynamics, has largely only taken into consideration leadership and has not delved into others such as: the functions of culture (identity, internal adaptation, external integration), the socialization of culture and the environment, which are of significant importance in the cultural fabric of organizations.
There are investigations in different countries, which show or better evidence that the National Culture exerts a greater influence on individuals than the culture of the organization to which they belong. In reality there are elements of the National Culture that are decisive in the characterization of the individuals of a country or region.
There are some studies that try to characterize the culture of the Cuban Nation; but there is still nothing defining in this regard, although due to the personal appreciations of each Cuban, many -for not making everyone absolute- can make a more or less complete description of their fundamental features: language, history, traditions, images, customs, stereotypes and symbols, among others.
The fact that there is no representative investigation in Cuba in this regard does not hinder a specific study given, on the contrary it contributes to it.
The set of values and symbols shared by the members of an organization vary from one to another depending on the sector to which it belongs, the culture of the region where it is located and the type of leadership, a question that is corroborated in the differences found in the main cultural features of the organizations studied. This makes generalizations extremely complex.
One of the differences between women and men managers lies in the values perceived by both within organizations, this is appreciated in the same way in the comparative case between the different entities studied, the results reflect values typically attributed to women and men and They are a manifestation of group values that are manifested in organizations as desired.
Although the participation of women in the different levels of management in Cuba has maintained growth in recent years, it can still be observed that at certain levels of management in different organizations, there is still a favorable orientation towards men.
By taking into account in this study, the analysis by sex and considering the influence of gender on cultural dynamics (where the environment as one of its elements plays a fundamental role), lines of research are still lacking in depth.
It is necessary to develop skills to promote equitable gender relations within organizations, for this reason it is essential to identify and analyze the strategies and processes for incorporating the gender approach in development promotion organizations; Different approaches to organizational culture are reviewed, their desired values as support for the strategic projection and their link with the concept of gender, and their application is experimented through observation, analysis and an adequate methodological approach.
Bibliography.
1. Cruz, Teresa. (2000): The Business System, Culture and Consulting. Management Brochures. No.3. CCED. MONTH.
2. …………… (2000): Methodological Foundations for the Study of Organizational Culture. Doctoral Thesis.
3. …………. (2001): Organizational Culture. Collective of authors. Management Consulting and Organizational Change ”Editorial“ Félix Varela ”, C. Habana.
4. ………….. (2002):. Management by Values ”. “Towards a Culture of Integration and Commitment” published in the book “Management: from Purpose to Action”. Editorial Felix Varela C. Habana.
5. Echevarria, Dayma: Management Styles and their Relationship with the Gender Condition: Preliminary Results of the Case Study in Four Companies in Havana City. Collective of authors, Management: A Vision of Consultants, Editorial, Félix Valera, 2003.
6. García, S. and Ramirez, j: “La Cultura Organizacional”. Support Material for the Master "Management Consulting". Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy (CEEC), 1998.
7. Gutiérrez, O. and Morales, R. “General Theory of Management”. Support Material for the Master's Degree in Management Consulting. CEEC. C. Havana, 1998
8. ----------–: “Organizations and Management in Cuba”. Notes for a Diagnosis. Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy, City of Havana, February, 1999.
9. Otero, D, Villanueva, m. and García, S.: "Consulting as a Process of Change in Organizational Culture". Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy, Havana, 1992.
10. Río, Danay: “Gender-Style Management Relationship. Reflections for its Analysis from a Case Study ”. Diploma Work. 2001.
11. Schein, Edgar., Business Culture and Leadership / Barcelona, Plaza & Jones
12.
Schein, Edgar. Business Culture and Leadership / Barcelona, Plaza & Jones, 1994,
Schein, E. Work cited above. pag.3
García, S. and ramirez, j: "The Organizational Culture". Support Material for the Master "Management Consulting". Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy (CEEC), 1998.
Otero, d, Villanueva, m. and García, S.: "Consulting as a Process of Change in Organizational Culture". Center for Studies of the Cuban Economy, Havana, 1992.
Gutiérrez, O. and Morales, R.: "Organizations and Management in Cuba." Notes for a Diagnosis. Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy, City of Havana, February, 1999.
Río Danay: “Gender-Management Style Relationship. Reflections for its analysis based on a case study. ”Diploma Work. 2001.
echevarria, dayma: management styles and their relationship with gender: preliminary results of the case study in four companies in the city of havana. group of authors, management: a vision of consultants, editorial, felix valera, 2003. Due
to the characteristics of the topic, the author prefers to omit the names of the organizations. the information that is presented responds faithfully to reality.
