Does gender behavior (work) influence one's willingness to adopt new technology

[Kendall]

From article at http://dailyheadlines.uark.edu/7987.htm
Conclusion

University of Arkansas researchers have found that masculine, feminine and androgynous behavioral characteristics, rather than simple biological gender differences, more accurately determine an individual's willingness to adopt and use new technology in an organizational setting.

Earlier Results leading to this study

In earlier research, Venkatesh and researchers at the University of Virginia and Georgia Institute of Technology found significant differences between men and women with regard to technology acceptance, adoption and usage. Over a six-month period, the researchers observed 342 workers who were introduced to a new software application and found that men were motivated solely by instrumentality, an individual attitude of entitlement toward the technology. Women, on the other hand, exhibited a more balanced decision-making process. They were strongly influenced by social factors and environmental constraints, such as social pressure to perform well at work and perceived availability of resources and opportunities that affect how much control they have over learning new technology. 

Method of Characterizing Masculine, Feminine, and Neutral Androgyny

Venkatesh relied on Bem's Sex Role Inventory, a scale of behavioral attributes accepted and widely used by psychologists and social scientists. The inventory consists of 60 characteristics, evenly divided into masculine, feminine and neutral categories. The 20 masculine characteristics, such as aggressive, forceful and independent, are stereotypically associated with men. The 20 feminine attributes, such as affectionate, compassionate and tender, are stereotypically associated with women. Finally, 20 neutral attributes, such as reliable, tactful and jealous, balance the inventory.

Study Scope

For one year, the researchers studied individual reactions of 552 workers to a new technology introduced in their workplace. Using the sex-role inventory, the researchers assessed the extent to which each individual embodied each of the 60 attributes. With this data, each person, regardless of biological gender, was categorized as predominantly masculine, feminine, androgynous, or undifferentiated.

Masculine Results

Most men tested masculine, and these individuals exhibited the same decision-making processes as did men in the previous research focused only on biological gender. Their propensity to accept, adopt and use new technology was influenced only by attitude toward instrumentality. A new finding was that women who tested masculine were also driven by instrumentality.

Femininity Results

Women with stereotypically feminine traits were influenced strongly by factors such as perceived social pressure to perform or not perform a certain behavior and their perceptions of whether performing that behavior would be easy or difficult. They were not influenced by attitude toward using an instrument.

Venkatesh and Sykes also found that men who tested feminine exhibited the same decision-making process as feminine women.

Androgynous Results

However, in the psychological study, a majority of women were not characterized as feminine or masculine. Most women -- 67 percent -- tested androgynous, and these employees demonstrated what Venkatesh called a "balanced decision-making process" in that they were influenced by informational input from peers and supervisors and their own view of the technology. Although they were a much smaller group, androgynous men also exhibited the same balanced decision-making process.

Androgynous Business Advantage

"Androgyneity represents an endorsement of both the stereotypical instrumentality-oriented masculine attributes and the stereotypical social-interaction-oriented feminine attributes," Venkatesh said. "The fact that most women tested androgynous suggests that the changing gender roles in today's society are reflected in decision-making related to technology as well."

What do you think?

Are you masculine, feminine, or androgynous in your business setting?

Do you express androgynous behavior in your using of technology, instuments, and social interactions?

If your not, would this study influence your future business behavior and what you would allow yourself to exhibit to coworkers/clients using this business advantage way of thinking?

[Stormy Weather]

Since I'm a designer and studio manager for a whole bunch of Macs, it's irrelevant to me what constitutes 'gender-appropriate' behaviour in order to carry out my role.

I'm responsible for specifying and ordering all new software and hardware purchases as well as hardware and software maintenance. I'll go digging in and around the machines to do what has to be done, usually in full make-up and heels. 

Bem's Sex Role Inventory, to me, is absurd. Most of it is learned behaviour, in my opinion. And is also probably an opinion shared by my female colleagues in the IT team and building maintenance.

[Kate]

Heh. I'm the IT person for my office.

We're using Windows 2000 almost exclusively.

We're using version 6 of our database software dating from like 5 years ago.

Our phones server is so out of date (by years) it's not supported anymore.

Why? Because it all WORKS for us, and works very well. The new features and abilities of newer versions don't really apply to us, so why bother risking problems by upgrading if it's all working so well? And if everyone is skilled with using it?

I'm driven by solving a need as simply, efficiently and reliably as possible... AND, it has to be in a way that my coworkers will actually adopt, understand and use.

Not sure what that makes me

Kate

[Kendall]

Might as well throw in a funky BEM test here too just since Stormy and the Article mentioned it.

http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/education/edpsych/santrocked02/ch05_sa.html

Also mention that of course this article is talking about social behavioral androgyny, not physiological, personal behavioral, biological,  nor psychological androgyny.

How one acts among others does not coordinate always with one's gender, appearance,  nor biology

[Maud]

We're using Windows 2000 almost exclusively.

Don't blame you.


personally while I'm a self confessed nerd skills wise, I tend to be more warey of new stuff, on my own personal set up I'll try new things but I'm also aware that: what works>the newest version. if it's not broken don't fix it, the average age of my hardware is 4-5 years old 

what does this have to do with my gender? a little I think as guys tend to be more competative with kit "my powermac is faster than your powermac" ect, I don't get that, if I was male stereotypically I would.

As for getting down in the mess of things if someone's knowlegable enough they'll do it, there are more guys in IT than girls that's a fact but a willingness to use ones skills has nothing to do with ones gender.

[Kate]

what does this have to do with my gender? a little I think as guys tend to be more competative with kit "my powermac is faster than your powermac" ect, I don't get that, if I was male stereotypically I would.

LOL, yea, I got that a lot on some car forums I belonged to. I'd just wanna talk about how good the car *felt* to drive, how smooth it was, how balanced... and all I'd get was, "but it's soooo slow!!! OUR cars have like 100 more horsepower, your car sucks!"

And I'd TRY to say, "well I know, and I do like your car too, because... (and I'd list some nice things about it to try and make nice)"

But I'd get back, "Right, you SHOULD be jealous of OUR car, cuz it has (list of stats and stuff follows). I like, WASTED one of YOUR cars at a stoplight the other day."

All I wanna talk about is the experience, how it makes ME feel when driving it... and relate and share with others about how THEY feel. For me, it's a means to an end, a subjective experience to share... not an objective THING to rank, measure and rate.

But all THEY wanna do is bash another with numbers and statistics. Which, frankly they seem to ENJOY actually, so more power (no pun) to 'em.

It actually hurt my feelings, and I TRIED to get through to them for awhile... I figured if I kept acknowledging and validating their viewpoints, they'd want to do the same. We could share experiences. But it Just Doesn't Happen, lol. They're not interested, it's not part of their dynamic, of how they relate to one another.

I came away from all that wondering if it was something of a microcosm of how women and men relate differently within their own gender.

Kate

[Kendall]

Sorry they hurt you Kate, and didnt seem to understand how you felt in the car. That was very insensitive and arrogant of them.

So the idea that social feminitiy (using social feminity to refer to both males and females socially feminine in interaction) is influenced by the (a) social pressure to perform or not perform a certain behavior "it has to be in a way that my coworkers will actually adopt, understand and use" and (b) their perceptions of whether performing that behavior would be easy or difficult sounds true in your two cases of "it all WORKS for us, and works very well", "why bother risking problems by upgrading " seems maybe true in your two cases

And the idea that social masculinity (using social masculinity to refer to both males and females socially masculine in interaction) is influenced only by attitude toward instrumentality. "my powermac is faster than your powermac" "but it's soooo slow!!! OUR cars have like 100 more horsepower, your car sucks!" ""Right, you SHOULD be jealous of OUR car, cuz it has (list of stats and stuff follows). I like, WASTED one of YOUR cars at a stoplight the other day" seems true in your two cases also.

Of course this article does say some males are feminine and some are androgynous, most are masculine.

It also says most women are androgynous, many are feminine, and some are masculine.

By androgynous in this aspect is referring to social attributes and interaction, not to gender. So its not saying most women are androgyne gender, just saying they interact using masculine and feminine ways, characteristics, and methods at work.

I find this facinating as an androgyne. I know several androgynes afraid to present any sort of cross gender characteristics at work (not talking about appearance, but even socially or instrumental wise). This at least mentions the advantages of doing so. From what they told me it is more of out of the fear that they will be discovered that they adhere to the social roles. I do think everyone could benefit by being socially androgynous in the sense of knowing the latest greatest instruments (even if they dont work as planned) and being a socially adept communicator that can be sympathetic and understanding.

Certainly having both skill sets makes work and promotions advantageous, rewarding, let you meet and know a lot of people, and help you feel good about yourself.

[beatrix]

I never saw that test before ken/kendra . . . 3.75 m and 5.85 f . . . hmm

I think that using the software, though, is the most important.  If it doesn't work, then what is the point?  I really am confident enough in my general abilities to apply them to a specific item, and if it doesn't work, then . . . not to mention it's affect on others in the organization.

Oh well

beatrix

[Shana A]

Interesting topic. I am a musician and teach music lessons privately, so I have little experience in the normal 9-5 world. I haven't thought much about how androgyny affects my work, however I do think that qualities such as being able to listen to others and play what's right for the overall sound is important. I've never been the type to show off how fast I can play or what cool licks I could throw in at the expense of the song. I guess that's a more feminine outlook than the "my amp goes to 11" attitude 

zythyra

[Attis]

I think the 'feminine' adoption attributes remind me of how most people act toward technology. Well at least most people over 25. They tend to hold a level of skepticism toward it, then they access the utility of the technology, and finally consider if others could easily use it as well. That tends to be the pattern I see.

For me, I like new things only if the features given are better and easier to use or if a contract attached allows me to go back with little hit on my bottom line or data. :3

-- Bridget

[Louise]

At work my style of relating to my coworkers is definitely androgynous.  I have always worked at colleges that have a significant number of women faculty and administrators--my department chair and dean are both women.  I feel very comfortable working in this environment.

The BEM scale can be a useful instrument--as long as you are aware of its limitations.  It is frankly based on social stereotypes and was developed about thirty years ago.  Stereotypes have changed since then--particularly the way in which women are perceived.  It is not surprising that a majority of women are classified as androgynous on the BEM scale--social attitudes towards women have been moving in this direction for the last half century at least.  Social attitudes towards men are more conservative, however.  It is much more difficult for men to admit to feminine characteristics than it is for women to have masculine characteristics.

[Kendall]

Interesting topic. I am a musician and teach music lessons privately, so I have little experience in the normal 9-5 world. I haven't thought much about how androgyny affects my work, however I do think that qualities such as being able to listen to others and play what's right for the overall sound is important. I've never been the type to show off how fast I can play or what cool licks I could throw in at the expense of the song. I guess that's a more feminine outlook than the "my amp goes to 11" attitude 

zythyra

Sounds like one of my brothers. He likes to throw in rapid licks, weird sound effects, and weird solos.

I think the 'feminine' adoption attributes remind me of how most people act toward technology. Well at least most people over 25. They tend to hold a level of skepticism toward it, then they access the utility of the technology, and finally consider if others could easily use it as well. That tends to be the pattern I see.

For me, I like new things only if the features given are better and easier to use or if a contract attached allows me to go back with little hit on my bottom line or data. :3

-- Bridget

My girlfriend is more masculine with her purchasing computer stuff then me. My computer is like 3 or 4 years old now. She buys a new computer every year, with the latest, greatest chips, memory, vid cards, and technology. She bought one just a few months ago, and not more than 6 months before that. Aye when one of her computers, she bought one of the first 64 bit dual processors, had overheating problems, she gets very upset and is on the phone speaking her mind to the makers. And here I am with something much slower, yet with a more steady and stable performance.

At work my style of relating to my coworkers is definitely androgynous.  I have always worked at colleges that have a significant number of women faculty and administrators--my department chair and dean are both women.  I feel very comfortable working in this environment.

The BEM scale can be a useful instrument--as long as you are aware of its limitations.  It is frankly based on social stereotypes and was developed about thirty years ago.  Stereotypes have changed since then--particularly the way in which women are perceived.  It is not surprising that a majority of women are classified as androgynous on the BEM scale--social attitudes towards women have been moving in this direction for the last half century at least.  Social attitudes towards men are more conservative, however.  It is much more difficult for men to admit to feminine characteristics than it is for women to have masculine characteristics.

Even with the more difficult for men to admit feminine characteristics, I do think there still is a strong perception still against women that do have masculine tendencies, and there is probably still isolation of excluding those women from the feminine types. I have ready many that dont feel like the other girls. I think even though they are in the public more, the feelings of being alone or different and even treatment are just the same or similar. I think even though the public display may be more acceptable, the psychological and social effects may be similar or sometimes the same. One girl I know told me that the other girls dont talk to her the same as when they talk to others. I personally feel hurt sometimes, and others probably do to, that even though I present myself as I am, that in doing has an automatic barrier.

My work style is more masculine. I really dont want to get to know the people I work with. To me its just a job, and especially since it has a huge turnover rate. The ones that have been there the longest I do talk with, but very few do I talk about important life and relationship experiences. And only one or two do I talk about my feelings. My work life is more goal, objective, and process oriented. I think the high turnover of it being a retail job, keeps me from being too social. I think, "why get to know you if you will be gone next week (next month, in a few months).

And hopefully one day men will have the equal ability to be feminine in public. And those that do now, are the pioneers.

Ken/Kendra

[Shana A]

And hopefully one day men will have the equal ability to be feminine in public.

I look forward to that day, however based on my experiences living in rural America, it's going to take a while... oh well, gonna keep trying 

zythyra