The Role of Culture & Communication in Paycheck Fairness

In a great post at Fistful of Talent, blogger Jessica Lee talks about how culture and communication style impact a candidate's (or an employee's) willingness to negotiate pay, and the influence these factors likely have on the pay equity issues that the proposed Paycheck Fairness Act seeks to address.

Jessica speaks from her personal experience as a Korean-American woman ...

My family is Korean first and foremost, and Confucianism deeply permeates Korean culture. There are influences on morality, societal norms, relationship models, family structure… or simply put, on culture. There’s that deeply embedded sense of obedience and respect to elders or authority figures. Modesty and humility are praised characteristics. And then there’s that whole collectivist attitude where conflict, competition, and self-serving behaviors are discouraged.

... and then considers how this plays out in the workplace ...

I have seen this same theme in others though. In interviews – the ultimate place to sell yourself? There are definitely candidates from similar cultures to mine who have a hard time putting the spotlight on themselves. They may also say "we" all the time in place of "I" because collectivism is deeply rooted in them. Or when offering a job... perhaps the candidate won’t or can’t negotiate because wouldn’t that be pushing back on an elder or authority figure? And out of respect for that figure, they might assume they are getting the fair and just offer, and that the decision maker behind the offer is using their wisdom to craft a package that is deserved.

I love the way that Jessica uses her own personal story to illustrate how culture and communication style can potentially impact pay equity.  I believe that similar factors have played an enormous role in the gender pay gap that we face today.

A recent McKinsey Quarterly article "Centered Leadership: How Talented Women Thrive" discusses recent research aimed at learning what sustains successful female leaders. Based on conversations with 85 women around the world who have achieved success in diverse fields, the research led to the identification of five broad dimensions which provide a foundation for workplace success specific to women's needs and experiences.  Several of these resonated strongly for me (based on my own experience as well as that of my female colleagues), and a few - I believe - speak directly to factors related to pay inequity.

The five dimensions, from the article:

Meaning, or finding your strengths and putting them to work in the service of an inspiring purpose.  Without meaning, the article argues, work is a slog between weekends.  I don't know that I think this is more true for women than men - I think the search, and need, for meaning in our work is a univeral one. 

Managing Energy, or knowing where your energy comes from, where it goes, and what you can do to manage it.  The article states, and I am inclined to agree, that actively managing energy levels is critical to success in today's workplace.  This is particularly true for women, who often come home only to punch in for the "second shift".  I agree with the authors that the concept of work-life balance is a myth - and that the best hope women have is to learn to balance their energy flows.

Positive Framing, or adopting a more constructive way to view your world, expand your horizons, and gain the resilience to move ahead even when bad things happen.  Positive framing is different than positive thinking; the former accepts the facts of adversity and counters them with action.  This makes sense to me.

Connecting, or identifying who can help you grow, building stronger relationships, and increasing your sense of belonging.  A number of studies have shown that women who promote their own interests vigorously are seen as aggressive or selfish, and yet this is the very type of behavior that may be necessary to reverse pay inequities. Since "there is power in the many", building strong relationships and support networks can be key to getting women over the proverbial hump.

Engaging, or finding your voice, becoming self-reliant and confident by accepting opportunities and the inherent risks they bring, and collaborating with others.  Many people believe that their hard work will eventually be noticed and rewarded - but the reality is that it's not always so.  I think women, in particular, fall prey to this myth.  We must find our voice and our willingness to speak on our own behalves - and, yes, this applies to negotiating pay.

As those who read this blog regularly know, I am not a fan of the Paycheck Fairness Act, as I believe that its approach to mandating fairness - in particular its use as a blunt instrument to override the influences of the marketplace - will lead to as many harmful consequences as good ones.  I do believe, however, that gender pay inequity exists and must be addressed.  I think that some of the root causes of inequity discussed here are one of a number of good place to begin, and I think that we in HR have a role to play in the process.

What do you think? 

Comments

[almostgotit]

The difficulty is that fixing the women (e.g., teaching them to be more assertive in making connections, etc.) is not enough to overcome pay inequity, because women are still penalized for doing these things, instead of rewarded as men are -- as was demonstrated by a major Harvard study last year... Read more here, in this link I've posted in an aggressively non-feminine attempt at promoting myself:

http://www.almostgotit.com/2007/08/10/fixing-the-women-not-enough-to-overcome-pay-inequity/

[Ann Bares]

Almost:

Fixing the women may not be enough (because this is a complex and multi-faceted problem, as you point out in your post), but I still believe that this is one of the avenues that must be pursued. Along with inspiring and motivating women to pursue careers in engineering, science and related "in-demand and therefore high paying" fields.

As you note, we may need to address both sides of the equation - the negotiator as well as the negotiatee. Which is why I think HR has a role in this somewhere, too. But ultimately, we have to own our responsibility to stand up and ask to be paid what we are worth. As a consultant (and I know that you've been in these shoes, too), I have to negotiate my pay every time I pursue a new client/project. Doing this well and fairly has been one of the longest learning curves of my career. Which tells me it is learned behavior.

At any rate and lastly, let me take this opportunity to provide an affirming and supportive response to your "aggressively non-feminine" self-promotion ala the post link. Let it all begin here, mate!

[Jessica Lee]

thanks for the love, ann! i'm so flattered to have you include my posting in your post as i respect your blog and writing a great deal.

i worry this sounds incredibly cheesy, or touchy feely... but in addressing pay inequity, i wonder if part of the solution has to do with some soul-searching. to understand the root cause and to really address the issue, we have to be incredibly self-aware, right? new laws and regulations certainly aren't the answer. but to be self-aware takes a lot... it takes the motivation and initiative to want to simply improve and be fair... and it takes really great leadership to inspire it or cultivate it. just something i'm chewing on at the moment. i have no answers, but this thought is stuck in my head for some reason... what do you think?

[Ann Bares]

Jessica:

I am with you, that we absolutely must examine and understand the root causes, and begin our work there. The AAUW study that I quoted in an earlier posting on this topic does a credible job of beginning this examination:

http://compforce.typepad.com/compensation_force/2007/04/disturbing_news.html

I believe that there is a place for an initiative here, one that addresses and attacks the complex root causes of gender imbalances, not a law that simply overrides the back-end results without attention to or appreciation of the underlying forces.

And you're right, that it will take ... a lot. A lot of self-awareness, a lot of leadership, etc.

Something for you and I to pursue in our spare time, eh?