Role of the management level

It is crucial for the success of leading and managing staff in a way that is oriented to gender equality if the management level is actively committed to providing a guiding principle that is oriented to gender equality (top down) and this guiding principle is integrated into routines of action. Here, management guidelines paying due regard to gender can contribute as much as measures for creating awareness to sensitize staff to gender issues and training measures for all levels of management. To achieve this, a cultural shift is needed in many organizations to generate new values (oriented to gender equality) and routines for guiding action. The starting point of a process of change can be the diagnosis of current behavior of superiors in the form of a staff questionnaire.

For a cultural shift in terms of gender equality policy there are good points of contact with the concept of the cooperative style of management that has already been introduced into many administrative organizations and corporations. The aim of leadership and management here is to promote independent action and exchange of information free of barriers. At heart, this involves staff taking over responsibility and guiding themselves. To prevent gender stereotyping here, elements with due regard to gender issues such as sensitizing and training that have already been mentioned and value-related gender-specific criteria and participative processes such as management feedback are crucial.