Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Of the four books Dr. Pat Heim, Ph.D., has written, three of them focus on gender differences in the work setting and how men and women work and communicate differently.
Her first book focused on leadership.
Friday, Heim was in Warsaw for a presentation to DePuy's managers and supervisors. Afterwards, she spoke to the media about women in the workforce.
According to Heim, there are two major differences between the sexes. First, men tend to live in a hierarchical world, but in a woman's world, Heim said power is shared. Secondly, she said men tend to be more goal-oriented, where women are more concerned with the process. Which way is better depends on the situation - if more information is needed, a woman's approach can be better than a man's.
A man can learn to think and work like a woman, and vice versa, by making an effort to do so. First, a person has to have access to the information. Then once that is acquired, try it. At first, it might not work out well, but with more practice, it is possible, she said
In today's working world, Heim said she's seen women realizing they have to behave more like men to move up in an organization. By the time they reach middle management, they're tired of it and leave. If an organization is introduced to information on how men and women work differently, both sexes benefit.
"The more the organization across the board embraces it, the more it changes," she said.
Another example of the differences between women and men in the workforce is when women own a business. "Often women business owners will flatten it out. They will share power," said Heim. An example is the Girls Scout of American organization. They abandoned the hierarchical system and made it more like a spider web. Many male executives have told Heim they are tired of the up-and-down system - the spider web system allows direct conversation for workers to iron out problems.
Heim's last book is "In the Company of Women: Turning Workplace Conflict into Powerful Alliances." The book focuses on women working with women. Women, Heim said, tend to have intense relationships with one another, so when there's a falling out, the falling out is just as intense.
Heim's other books include "Hardball for Women," "Smashing the Glass Ceiling" and "Learning to Lead."
Heim is the chief executive officer of The Heim Group, a consulting firm that provides management and organizational development services
Clients include corporations in the manufacturing, health care, publishing, pharmaceutical and service industries, as well as federal and state agencies. The Heim Group designs, delivers and coordinates a wide variety of activities to support organizational transitions, improve team effectiveness and enhance professional and managerial skills.
