By Prof. Kathleen Ebelechukwu Okafor
Not too long the entire country and the world were enmeshed in the celebration of women folk especially as torch-bearer of love and humanity. While the memorable occasion lasted, I became obsessed with many highly esteemed Nigerian women of great knowledge, value and candor that have made unquantifiable contributions to the development of present-day Nigeria.
These women have successfully navigated the travails of the corridors of corporate power; some of these corporate amazons include: Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Dr. (Mrs.) Ajoritsedere Awosika (MFR), Benny Molokwu, Mrs. Miriam Chidiebele Olusanya, Yemisi Edun, Ifueko Omoigui Okauru, Tomi Somefun, Nneka Onyeali-Ikpe, Ireti Samuel-Ogbu, Bola Kuforiji-Olubi, Osaretin Demuren, Mosunmola Belo-Olusoga, Mrs. Abike Oluwatoyin Dabiri-Erewa among several others.
However, many other senior career women still have not fully grasped the importance of organizational politics for success, believing that politicking contravenes ideals of meritocracy. Generally, both the senior and junior women believe that meritocracy should be based on ability and experience and not just their authenticity or political correctness.
Presently, women’s behavior at the top of organizations assume that women need masculine traits of toughness, very long work hours and no-nonsense disposition, iron lady syndrome, conservative suits, no jewelry, low cut hair styles with very little time for God and family. Some other women even value identity more than social capital and refuse to compromise or canvass, like most men, to get the next promotion.
Women believe that their competence should speak for them asking that the merit of their work should judge them and not their political skills. However, some women do engage in some level of political activity in order to achieve their level of success. The political maturation process includes working against the norms of culture while simultaneously being sensitive to it.
For some women, the personal accomplishment of further promotion is a crucial factor of their affirmation of self. Even at their very senior level, with an impressive list of achievements behind them, some successful women are uncomfortable that “they were only being promoted for their sex, as some kind of company policy, rather than for their genuinely being truly deserving of the upgrade. Some are promoted due to quotas or some Affirmative Action (AA) which violates merit. The policies of federal character, religion are considered as an insult, or affront, so placing the responsibility for the lack of women at the top on the women, which consider such considerations as disingenuous.
Although there is abundant evidence of some women being promoted outside of meritocratic ideals, women still need to clearly prove their worthiness. More than the men. In fact, about a quarter of women who discussed their plight in corporate hierarchies reconsidered their opposition to quotas, in order to reduce the discrimination occurring within unmeritocratic systems.
One major factor in corporations is that there are obvious contradictions on the definition of meritocracy within an organizational context from the literature and then from the analysis of the actions of institutions. Nevertheless, it is clear that meritocracy is often associated with the equality or inequalities of opportunities open especially to women and the ethnic groups in Nigeria.
A good number of women adopt the behaviours and characteristics of their male counterparts on the belief that women would be judged on the same parameters of achievement as their male peers. Nonetheless, many women become aware of the adaptations they or others have made, and how this demonstrated a lack of meritocracy in their organizations as well as favoritism against the dominant (male) group. This adaptation by women challenges women’s integrity and core values and the consequences of adapting their identities in this way. Indeed, the evidence in the trend of meritocracy in promotions and this impacted on women’s attitude towards their own careers and beliefs in the future of their career progression. Emphasis on improving human capital had certainly assisted these women in being successful and to believe in the meritocracy of the organization. This rather seems to have been replaced at the very senior levels with a greater emphasis on social capital- which the women subsequently viewed as too political and disingenuous.
When women look at their organizations, the presence or absence of senior women has tremendous symbolic value in illustrating the concepts of meritocracy and the probable support for their own career progression. It remains clear at their current career point that women felt the organization needed to “prove” that women can succeed. As such, there was no clear succession line. With few or no women in the leadership teams, women have questioned the meritocratic process of organization. In other words, organizations do send messages about the viability of women’s careers. These messages have an impact on the individual’s belief about potential career achievements, affecting their general self-efficacy, which definitely affect women’s choices to critical decisions on career options.
Conclusions
Women’s career progression show the unclear criteria of merit and the subjective evaluations of performance are perpetuating the dominant male majority at the top. Intuitively, many women are still not in favour of any kind of AA, but they understand the need to give preferential assistance to their fellow female colleagues.
Women who attempt to define success in their own terms, emphasising their values and authenticity need to adjust to the realities of socio-political factors needed to operate in modern corporate environment. Companies should be aware that half of their most senior women may have serious reservations about what they see above them in the organization at Board levels and what they believe is possible for their remaining careers.
Women need to understand their emotional responses to their (possible lack of) career progression. Organizations may also benefit from a better understanding of employee’s reactions to the organizations “meritocratic systems” and any preferential treatment systems, and the perception of possible injustices.
Many women who have survived or not survived the apparent injustices of the meritocratic system strongly need to mentor those still within the organizations on how to build presence and the role of morality as a compass for spiritual power beyond social connections.
The role of meritocracy, within the context of women owns career is key to our national development. Thus, some women’s rightly adhere to the formula of meritocracy being networking + good looks + healthy living + social/political capital, + knowledge + high spirituality (integrity) =Success. This formula of merit, appear more realistic because top executive positions reflect the standards and norms of their companies.
The concept of meritocracy is indeed ambiguous; both on a symbolic level, i.e, demonstrating how the organization defines and rewards success and on a personal level, affecting the individual’s cognitions, emotions and self-belief.
The bottom-line remains that the board must have women’s promotion and participation in corporate governance as an item on the agenda to encourage and guide women in corporations.
Prof. (Mrs.) Okafor, Law Lecturer at Baze University, writes from Abuja
