BUSINESSES would be more successful if they incorporated feminine values of caring and co-operation into their management structure, a leading Hong Kong businesswoman has said.
The general manager of The Body Shop cosmetics chain, Jane Dykes, said most male-dominated business practices did not cater for employees on a personal basis by recognising or providing individual requirements such as child-care or flexible working hours.
'Businesses have generally been created by men for men and influenced by the military model,' she said. 'But the big mistake they make is to equate our feminine values with weakness and inefficiency.
'Women tend to be more intuitive and co-operative, and they value relationships and encourage sensitivity and empathy for others,' she said. 'Put these traits in a work context and you have an individual who is biologically programmed to be more imaginative at problem-solving, better able to cope with stress and personnel-type issues.' Ms Dykes cited a UN report which estimated that 'if women continue to progress in the business world at the current rate it will be 500 years before women have equal managerial status'.
'Women have to decide to what extent they are prepared to conform to the norms of these organisations while at the same time remaining true to themselves and their own values,' she said.
She said her company's experience had shown that incorporating feminine strengths and attitudes into their business practices can create international business success on a massive scale.
'The Body Shop is very successful by male criteria for success and yet it is an organisation where female values predominate' she said. 'It is now the largest export retailer in the United Kingdom with over 1,100 shops in 45 countries.' She believed the company's emphasis on being environmentally sound and investing time and training in employees had resulted in greater productivity and loyalty.
