Jobs & Education0 min ago
Male, Pale, Stale?
25 Answers
https:/
//Theresa May has insisted that her government looks “more like the country it serves” after axing a string of white men in their 50s and 60s while promoting a number of younger, female and minority ethnic MPs.//
in terms of government - or any public service organization - is it important that they look good and accurately reflect the look of the population it serves or represents? in which case, is competence now considered to be a secondary attribute?
//Theresa May has insisted that her government looks “more like the country it serves” after axing a string of white men in their 50s and 60s while promoting a number of younger, female and minority ethnic MPs.//
in terms of government - or any public service organization - is it important that they look good and accurately reflect the look of the population it serves or represents? in which case, is competence now considered to be a secondary attribute?
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The best person for the job should be hired - now if that means bringing a woman up the ladder because they have shown the gumption then so be it. The same for ethnic minorities. The problem with the current government and infact with all the current political parties is that they are full of out of touch people.
There will always be young folk bright enough to rapidly reach the top of their profession, but they are the exception. Ideally one hopes to select those who have gained the wisdom from greater life experience. Folk with a likelihood of having a personal agenda should be selected with caution. Although all eventually prove themselves by their actions and results when in position.
Speaking as a 60-year old (later this year) Anglo-saxon male, I agree with her.
The business I am in is dominated by people who might be characterised as pale and male (though not always stale).
Because that demographic dominates, most managements are less aware of the needs and desires of their customers who are different from them, whether that is women, ethnic minorities, or other groups who are under-represented in the management structures. Those people (especially women) are the main buyers of their products.
More critically, if management does not understand how and why their customers make purchasing decisions, then they run the risk of sending the business down the pan.
That's intrinsically a risk for the business.
But more than that, it means the recruitment and promotion decisions are made by that same restricted demographic, which perpetuates the imbalance.
So diversity is a business imperative - or should be. Have you seen the board of Carillion?
Chairman is that brilliant financier Sir Philip Green (pale, male, very stale)
See here:
https:/
or the leadership team?
https:/
9 men, four women and not a single person from an ethnic minority
And yet this bunch of idiots have driven the company into the ground, despite receiving billions from government for contracts and now want more billions from the magic money tree to prevent further damage.
Pale and stale? Absolutely!
I'm of the opinion that politicians should represent their electorate. Sometimes, a street-smart woman of colour with few formal qualifications knows more about her electorate than an Oxford-educated privileged dynastic remnant (Honourable member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, I'm looking at you)
It may be that an all-white, male selection panel believes that a white 55-year old public-school-educated, golf-playing male is better for the job than a 35-year-old gay, hippie Jewish person of colour.
They are not necessarily correct in their judgment.
Plenty of research shows that selection panels are biassed toward people who look and sound like themselves.
Those decisions over recruitment and promotion are frequently made not on objective evidence of performance, or even competence, but on other less relevant factors, such as which candidate looks and sounds most like the panel.
(It's an opinion, right? But can be backed up by research)
The business I am in is dominated by people who might be characterised as pale and male (though not always stale).
Because that demographic dominates, most managements are less aware of the needs and desires of their customers who are different from them, whether that is women, ethnic minorities, or other groups who are under-represented in the management structures. Those people (especially women) are the main buyers of their products.
More critically, if management does not understand how and why their customers make purchasing decisions, then they run the risk of sending the business down the pan.
That's intrinsically a risk for the business.
But more than that, it means the recruitment and promotion decisions are made by that same restricted demographic, which perpetuates the imbalance.
So diversity is a business imperative - or should be. Have you seen the board of Carillion?
Chairman is that brilliant financier Sir Philip Green (pale, male, very stale)
See here:
https:/
or the leadership team?
https:/
9 men, four women and not a single person from an ethnic minority
And yet this bunch of idiots have driven the company into the ground, despite receiving billions from government for contracts and now want more billions from the magic money tree to prevent further damage.
Pale and stale? Absolutely!
I'm of the opinion that politicians should represent their electorate. Sometimes, a street-smart woman of colour with few formal qualifications knows more about her electorate than an Oxford-educated privileged dynastic remnant (Honourable member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, I'm looking at you)
It may be that an all-white, male selection panel believes that a white 55-year old public-school-educated, golf-playing male is better for the job than a 35-year-old gay, hippie Jewish person of colour.
They are not necessarily correct in their judgment.
Plenty of research shows that selection panels are biassed toward people who look and sound like themselves.
Those decisions over recruitment and promotion are frequently made not on objective evidence of performance, or even competence, but on other less relevant factors, such as which candidate looks and sounds most like the panel.
(It's an opinion, right? But can be backed up by research)
Hi Mushroom.
NIce question!
Did you ever read Fredrick Backman's book, “A Man Called Ove”?
In one scene, his next-door neighbour's house is burning down but the fire crew wi not go inside because they do not have the right paperwork or something. Ove has the choice between running into the house to rescue the people inside, or getting out his hose and protecting his own house. He rescues his neghbours while the fire crew wastes time and Ove's house burns to the ground.
It's a great book.
But to answer your point of course I want myhouse protected by whomever can do that. I'm thinking about mid- to long-term change. Not immediate fire-fighting.
May has seen that the Conservative party has extmely limited appeal to young people and is trying to address that over the mid-term.
In my opinion, that's a good thing for young people and also for the Conservatives.
NIce question!
Did you ever read Fredrick Backman's book, “A Man Called Ove”?
In one scene, his next-door neighbour's house is burning down but the fire crew wi not go inside because they do not have the right paperwork or something. Ove has the choice between running into the house to rescue the people inside, or getting out his hose and protecting his own house. He rescues his neghbours while the fire crew wastes time and Ove's house burns to the ground.
It's a great book.
But to answer your point of course I want myhouse protected by whomever can do that. I'm thinking about mid- to long-term change. Not immediate fire-fighting.
May has seen that the Conservative party has extmely limited appeal to young people and is trying to address that over the mid-term.
In my opinion, that's a good thing for young people and also for the Conservatives.
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