Female- v. Male-Designed Organizations

According to Dr. Sasha Galbraith’s research, male- and female-designed organizations react differently to various facets of business. Here’s how:

Organizational Dimensions	Female-Designed Organizations	Male-Designed Organizations
Hierarchy	Flat, implicit, unspoken Power ‘with’ others	Command-and-control system well understood and followed Power ‘over’ others
Decision processes	Project and hiring decisions shared among employees	Project and hiring decisions made by founder with senior management team
Project delivery process	Two or more people per project Forms, templates exist – use is optional. Assistance provided by other project managers Back-up support is person-based Project knowledge is person-based High degree of volunteerism, collaboration, teamwork	One person per project Extensive forms, templates and procedures – use is mandatory Back-up support is technology Project knowledge is embedded in computer system People work autonomously, individually
Control process	Social control	Hierarchical control
Communication process	Intensive, multi-directional, frequent, multi-channel Used to develop trust, build relationships, shared values	Infrequent, task-oriented, top-down, formal Used to convey information, solve problems
Reward system	Hourly pay Pay the person, egalitarian rewards	Salary pay Pay the job, individual rewards
People	Hire for interpersonal & organizational ‘fit’ Values = sharing, building relationships & trust, commitment to company & work, empathy, collaboration	Hire for skills, experience Values = independence, self-confidence, autonomy, respect for authority, self-starter, detached professionalism
Culture	‘Family’ atmosphere Work and life must be balanced Values = empathetic listening, quality of life, build sense of community, work for a higher goal (inspired by founder)	Professional atmosphere Work and life kept separate Values = efficiency, personal achievement, logic, respect for professional accomplishments