Academic Study Translation
For my Academic Study Translation assignment, I decided to discuss generational differences in workplace communication: Perspectives of Female Leaders and their Direct Reports in Malaysia. I decided to divulge into the topic of women in the workplace, and how they communicate to help educate and better prepare myself for my future career.
My main focal point for this assignment is to really key in on how different generations and genders (women) have to alter the way they effectively communicate and portray themselves in the workplace. In order to fully wrap my head around this case study, I chose to also gain access to other academic sources, to further provide evidence and information for my blog readers as well.
As technology advances and generations expand their horizon of tools to help advance their careers, it is still important to understand where it all started and how we (women) have got to where we are today.
Women use to not have God-given rights like men had. A woman's job was to cook, have babies, and clean, nothing else. In previous generations, brave women had to protest, risk their life, and get disowned for wanting the same treatment men had. Crazy right? Yes, and unfortunately in the workplace, there is still a lack of equality that runs throughout our world, not just in America. I chose to look into a case study that featured 12 woman and their direct reports from working in Malaysia. The research concluded interactions between two groups in the workplace; (females) Gen-X and Gen-Ys. I learned from reading this case study that between the two groups there were huge cultural dimensions and technological advancement that each group didn't understand about the others. Each generation had its own way of doing its' own 'things' based on how they were raised, and when, giving the generational differences. The older generation didn't understand the technology younger ones used, and the younger ones didn't understand the cultural traditions older ones used.
In the report, three themes seemed to have emerged from the case study. From each group; power and authority, fostering creativity and risk-taking in the workplace, and workplace dynamics and communication styles were prominent themes that stood out to the researchers. Because these particular themes were the main point, I decided to make questions out of them for my interviewees.
As stated in the directions of this project, I had to interview two sources and discuss what was said in each one. Both of the people I chose to interview have made a tremendous impact in their career fields and continue to do so even during the COVID-19 season. Both individuals are apart of the 'Millenial' generation so I decided to ask questions that catered to their generation but also addressed the three themed areas stated previously.
The individual I interviewed first was Jessica Bledsoe. She has her undergraduate degree, Masters in Social Work degree, and is a clinically licensed practitioner and social worker. She is currently working at Cypress Lake United Methodist Church alongside her husband who is one of the pasters there. Her roll in the church community for the past six months has been starting up a counseling program at their church. She, along with another co-worker, are the only two social workers who will be counseling individuals at their church.
During our conversation, I asked her how she got to be where she is today. Her response was simply, "Well, it took me some time to understand that the job I was seeking was not just going to be a simple 'fresh out of college job,' but one that was going to take years to get where I wanted to be, and I eventually came around to that idea." The next thing I asked her was about her jobs in the past, and if she had ever experienced anything like someone older than her belittling her or anything of the sorts. Her response was that "No I have never come into contact with someone older than me saying such thing before, but I use to work with kids in a juvenile detention facility and one time a young girl told me that I didn't understand what prison life was like because I had never been, so if you count that then yes, but not from someone who was older than me." I found this interesting because it made me take a step back from reality and realize that by pursuing the HR field, I could potentially come into contact with people who have varying backgrounds that differ from that of mine. After talking a little bit more about that instance I decided to move the conversation along and ask her my last question, which was what does being a Millenial white woman in the church look like. Her response was "It actually is not as drastic as one might think. As a young mom starting up a new program in a church of predominantly older folks, it wasn't as bad as. Even though some might like the traditional way of running things in a church, people my age and younger are always looking to innovate and create new content, so it helps bring in new and exciting things to the church. It rounds out options for all our audiences."
Although the conversation lasted over an hour, I chose questions that related most to my topic about generational differences in the workplace amongst women. Talking to Mrs. Jessica Bledsoe about generational differences she has experienced in her field of work it gave me hope that times have changed and maybe one day my workplace will not have such drastic problems like others have experienced.
The other individual I interviewed was Rebekah Kerr. She has her undergraduate degree in Elementary Education and is now an eighth-grade middle school teacher. I have learned throughout the years, school teachers are not all alike. Many of them have different reasons as to why they wanted the job they have, and so I started my interview out with Mrs. Rebekah by asking why she chose the career path she did.
Her response came as an ease, "Oh, that's easy, because I love kids, and I knew my passion was to work with them. I knew I would not treat them poorly like some school teachers treat their kids where they are short-tempered or treat them like their own kids and snap at them. I went into this job knowing not every kid has parents who teach them right from wrong and that I would be a guide for kids less fortunate." This answer took me by surprise because it made me think about all the rude or annoyed teachers I had experience in my high school or middle school days. It made me appreciate the fact that Mrs. Rebekah went into a job she knew she could handle and one that she was passionate about. I then thought about why I was pursuing HR as a future career of mine and it made me certain that I was choosing the right career path just like she did. The next question I asked her was pertaining to generational differences in her workplace, and if she has experienced any belittling from an older person of a different generation telling her what, and what not to do. Her response, "Yes, I have and I distinctly remember it because it was also on my birthday too. We had just walked our kids to lunch and I was talking to one of my hallway co-workers about how I was happy to be spending my birthday with the people I spend most of my days with. I'm not going to mention any names, but this individual said that he/she would not wish the same because when he/she was younger they too thought they wanted to become a teacher until they did, and have hated it ever since. They said it was then too late to get another degree or job because they had already spent thousands of dollars to get the teaching degree and job they had. Ever since then I knew by becoming a teacher, I was doing good for the future leaders of our country and not treating their education seriously." When she told me that story I was sympathetic towards her and she said "Don't worry, just promise me you will not regret what you do for a living, but truly love what you do," and since then I have thought very hard about why I chose to go in HR and I have not looked back since.
Just as the phone interview was long with Mrs. Bledsoe, it was also long with Mrs. Kerr as well. We spoke about what else drove her to become a teacher in such weird times and how she dealt with the COVID situation. I took into consideration the advice she gave me and enjoyed talking with both individuals on the topic of women and generational differences in the workplace.
By keeping things professional in the office, women have to set up boundaries that may differ from that of others. The thought of women in leadership is gradually making its way into the frame more frequently than past generations. It's all thanks to the millions of women who have fought for the right to do so and have dealt with uncomfortable conversations with bosses or co-workers to ensure fairness across all genders and generations. To conclude, I have learned from this scholarly site, that due to generational preferences and differences, organization leaders and corporation managers need to adequately engage with particular generations in the workplace.
I am not a feminist but this article is one that everyone should read. I truly believe that women in the workplace are making a stance and standing up for what they believe in without the worry of consequences. They are not afraid to be wrong, they are simply confident in what they do.
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