Does leadership in Construction need to be deconstructed?
Part 4: The invisible structures: Miss Triggs phenomenon.
“At the end of the day, this is what research is all about — to identify ways to make the world a better place for all “ (Fuchs et. al, 2018).
The intentional multi-method approach to this research was selected to give a diverse and objective perspective on the research subject and to produce rich data saturation in order to best answer the research question.
The ‘accidental’ byproduct of this process was a shift of the narrative from the transformative effects of gender-diverse leadership on innovation and sustainability to the shackling powers of deeply ingrained and socially accepted stories and narratives underpinning our governing structures and our perceptions. Without understanding these underlying root causes, the problem-solving initiatives, although well-meaning, often turn into superficial decisions driven by improvement rather than prevention.
The ancient stories
Lesser in her latest book “Cassandra Speaks” takes on extensive research into the history of some of the key stories and narratives formed over thousands of years that have shaped the world we live in today. Throughout history, it has been believed that “man is the measure of that which is human” (Lesser, 2020). In contrast, the stories and narratives about women were often of inadequacy in holding power, of distrust towards decision-making skills, and general mental and physical weakness.
Scholar and author Sally Roesch Wagner comments, “history isn’t what happened. It’s who tells the story”, and our historic and literary accounts have been predominantly told by men, creating the single story stereotypes (Salam, 2019 cited Wagner). The Great Man theory is still a dominant narrative by which most boardrooms operate, confirming just how deeply ingrained in our structures, our thinking, our behaviour, and our language these stories are, argues historian Mary Beard. Beard observes “you cannot easily fit women into a structure that is already coded as male” (2017). Beard explains, our social and economic structures are built according to a “cultural template, which works to disempower women” (2017).
Action bias, as first mentioned by researchers, Patt and Zeckhauser (2000) is deeply connected to behaviour economics and loss aversion theory, formed by Daniel Kahneman (2011). Kahneman says “Loss aversion is a powerful, conservative force that favours minimal changes from the status quo in the lives of both institutions and individuals”. Action bias can lead to developing solutions before fully identifying the problem; resulting in creating an appearance of change without much advance or success, therefore preserving the status quo (Patt and Zeckhauser 2000). The effects of both theories are demonstrated in Kraford and Rogers’s study report “When women Don’t Speak” (2020). This experimental study on female leaders argues that “for women, having a seat at the table does not mean having a voice”. The study reveals just how real and how subtle the gender dynamics that “shut women down” are, and that they are being projected by both men and women who are subjected to “cultural norms and gendered messages” (Kraford and Rogers 2020). ”Women are especially less likely to be listened to on topics that men are stereotyped as knowing more about — independent of how much women actually know about these topics”, reveals the study, making an argument against male-dominated industries such as Construction.
The invisible structures
In a process of analysing all data sources, there was one theme that surfaced in every single interview and the case study accounts. When describing their experience of working in Construction, every participant shared her journey of becoming accepted through having to ‘prove’ herself. Many women shared stories of not being acknowledged in meetings, senior leaders being mistaken for PA’s and interns, and engineers scrutinised and “put under the microscope or automatically overlooked’’ (Noelene Russell, CCS, 2017). Some women faced mild to medium cases of gender bias whilst others had to overcome many obstacles to be taken seriously. The managing director at Crossrail 2 shares her experience, “When I entered a meeting with him it was assumed by many attendees that I was his PA and I would be asked if I would get the coffees. I did and then I’d sit down and chair the meeting. It made people think twice, but it also made me realise there was an issue for women out there” (Michelle Dix, CCS, 2017). Graduate site engineer described her frustration and how she keeps being called ‘bossy’ and excluded from work on the basis that “girls don’t want to get their hands dirty”. The senior leaders all mentioned how much harder, compared to their male counterparts, they had to work and undergo scrutiny and criticism that male leaders don’t experience. One of the senior leaders shares, “I think you have to have that strength more so than a guy does. There’s no doubt. Because you’ve got to work that bit harder. You’ve got to be shown to work. But once you do, you’re accepted, and you’re accepted, probably more than a male is”.
The external pressures and bias were one part of the “proving yourself and acceptance story”, revealed in the research. The other, more unexpected one, was about the internal stories and narratives that women face. The feeling of not being good enough, experiencing the imposter syndrome, questioning yourself, and having to prove oneself by working harder, was shared across the board regardless of the position, age, and time spent in the industry. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres identifies the deeply ingrained source of these narratives “For Millennia, women have been systematically marginalized, ignored and silenced, in a male-dominated world with a male-dominated culture” (UN, 2019). Even though the gender diversity initiatives are beginning to bring down the visible power and organisational structures, women every day still face the invisible structures of narratives that say, ‘you don’t belong here, you are not good enough’. The digital construction manager, described her invisible structures that she had to come up against as follows, “ the feeling of exclusion is always in my head. And that obviously makes me feel uncomfortable in social settings.” All the while the efforts are put into getting women into Construction, they walk into the same story that excluded them in the first place. The story that told them you don’t belong here, (female toilets used as storage), you are not aggressive enough (managers and leaders) and you are not enough (having to prove yourself). If these women are to be their best selves and bring innovation and contribute to sustainability and the true success of the industry; the story must be retold by both men and women.
Miss Triggs phenomenon
The Punch Magazine cartoon by Duncan (below), offers a humorous yet profound depiction of somewhat diversity without inclusion.
“Miss Triggs” form Punch Magazine by Duncan
This incomplete form of gender diversity has been identified both in the interviews and the questionnaire. Much like Miss Triggs, many participants shared their experiences of outdated practices still being shown towards women. Anything from being asked to make tea/coffee in meetings and steering conversation towards men in the room, to reacting to comments and suggestions made by women in a patronising and condescending way. The participants shared how they often don’t feel listened to or included in conversations. One of the the project managers shares her observations “…you can have diversity, but the important bit is that you have inclusion, because that will bring more diversity. I think we have a diverse team, I’m not completely sure we have an inclusive team.” This person’s experience is not unique to her team but extends into the boardrooms in Construction where out of the 19% of women that are on the board only 32% hold an executive role.
Unless women have a voice and can bring about new perspectives and change, gender diversity efforts will simply become ineffective and tokenistic, and the value of “tend and befriend” that fosters inclusion and collaboration, underutilized or lost completely.
The story doesn’t end here…
When embarking on this research, the primary focus was to answer the research question in a most accurate and balanced way. In the process of doing so, a discovery of a wider perspective of the subject, steeped in deep complexities emerged. This discovery simply could not be ignored. Although the subject of women remains central in the gender balance discussion, it is important that men join this discussion with a renewed understanding and perspective that extends beyond the problem-solution paradigm. Decades have been spent on ‘fixing women’ to better fit into a masculine leadership model of Construction. This research proves that such a model is anchored in the old story that no longer works, for women, men or the construction industry. That these deeply ingrained stories and narratives are harmful to both men and women and form the visible and invisible structures that not only protect but perpetuate these cultural norms of separation of the feminine and masculine. It is therefore important to move away from the binary view of gender diversity towards more integrated and holistic vision. The current gender structures are failing to address the true human experience and have a profound impact on industries such as Construction.
If you would like to read the whole research report: “Does leadership in Construction need to be deconstructed? A study of gender imbalance in leadership and its impact on innovation and sustainability in the UK construction industry.” please contact the author.
