Written by Bonita Banducci, Julie O'Mara, and Jeffrey Wildfogel
Published by Employment Equity and Diversity Management, ©1995, Royal Bank of Canada.

Download a PDF of this publication

The competition to achieve gender equity among Canada's largest banks yielded the Royal Bank's leadership in acknowledging differences in perspectives and in partnering with their managers, employees, vendors, customers and other global organizations through the publishing of our booklet:    Closing the Gender Gap:   Making the Differences Work--What we can do For a copy and information for your organization contact Banducci Consulting, at

Highlights:

Equality and Equity—Equal and Different

This provocative phrase 'equality and equity-equal and different' calls for some explanation. Equality refers to sameness. Equity refers to fairness. Both equality and equity are important to men and women in the workplace. Men and women are the same in some ways and different in other ways...

When frustration is decreased and issues resolved, different strengths add value to what people have in common. The added value to the Royal Bank comes from the utilization of a broader range of ideas and competencies.

Different Voices from Different Worlds

With few exceptions, gender issues in today's workplace can be traced to the different ways men and women perceive the world. When women and men perceive the world differently, they think, talk, make decisions, and take action differently. These different styles and approaches are to a large extent caused by the different social influences exerted on men and women as they are growing up.

Because most organizations have been established by men's styles and approaches, rather than with most women's styles and approaches.

By understanding the different perceptions and behaviors of women and men and how they can cause misunderstandings, we can:

• Develop and coach desired behavior
• Resolve gender issues
• Contribute value to Royal Bank

Making the Differences Work: Closing the Gender Gap--What We Can Do

shows a version of the chart below prefacing it with:

"This chart summarizes cultural root causes of behaviors of many men and many women...and provides guidelines for understanding traditional differences between men's and women's cultures and perceptions. These differences provide a context for the behaviors that are to be discussed here. Increasingly people are becoming 'bilingual.' That is they are versed in and draw on both men's and women's world views. When we understand these differences we can have extra insight into what must be done to close the Gender Gap"

Different Voices from Different Worlds—of Men and Women

The Transactors	The Transformers
World View:  Individual	World View:  Relational
Views Job Performance As:	Views Job Performance As:
• Series of transactions in which they	• Getting others to transform their own self interests
—Exchange rewards for services rendered or	—Into the interest of the group
—Administer punishment for inadequate performers	—Through concern for broader goal
• Action based on highest priority	• Systems thinking–looking at context and including all factors before taking action
• Decision making based on logic	• Decision making driven by values
• Working through problem solving alone	• Problem solving by communication, talking it out with others
Perceives, thinks and speaks:	Perceives, thinks and speaks:
• Independence	• Interdependence
• Competition	• Relationship
• Hierarchy/Status	• Network/Connection Matrix/Web
• Rules/Rights	• Flexible Guidlines/Responsibility
• Regards events as isolated and discrete	• Consider actions within a context, linking one to the next
• Information is power, share as needed	• Information empowers people, sharing creates new information and connection
• Goal Orientation	• Process Orientation
Uses Language to:	Uses Language to:
• Report on Events	• Establish Rapport
• Negotiate:	• Negotiate:
-Who Wins, Who Loses	-Making Connection
-Who's Up, Who's Down	-Do you care for me as much as I care for you
-Power	-Policy
• Problem solve to come to a solution	• Expand & understand relationship to all things
Greatest Fear:	Greatest Fear:
• Being shown to be incompetent	• Isolation

A word of caution: Use these as guidelines or archetypes rather than rules or stereotypes, since not all men or women adhere to these as prevailing world views.