What we need today is a `s/he' manager or if you like a `he/she' manager; in other words, managers who use their emotional intelligence more than relying on the left side of the brain, which is the logical and deductive side. This article is based on the book, The Androgynous Manager: Blending Male and Female Management Styles for Today's Organizations, 1983, authored by Alice G Sargent."A great mind must be androgynous, having the characteristics of both the sexes." Andro means man and Gyne refers to woman. `Androgynous' means of or for both the sexes. Sandra Bem1, defines an androgynous person as one who combines masculine independence and feminine playfulness and nurturance. Androgyny suggests that what we need is a happy mix of both the sexes in modern day managers.
Androgyny is not a concept, which we borrowed from the west. The Aryans2 began to explore the relation between the male and the female probably around 1500 BC in the Rigveda. The Vedas3 expressed a sensitive and lyrical conception of desire between the two through the fascinating image of Lord Ardhanariswara4. The sculpture of Ardhanariswara conceptualized this manifestation of supreme divinity or the Absolute. Represented in an androgynous form, it symbolizes harmony between the masculine and feminine characteristics that make up a single human being. Ardhanariswara conveys a universal reality of philosophical aspect, which can be compared to the psychological consciousness of a human being. According to modern science, a human being contains two modes of consciousness, one masculine or rational, the other feminine or artistic, and they complete and complement each other. The same principle was highlighted in the Chinese concept of yin and yang5, meaning Balanced Coexistence-male and female forces acting equally within nature to build and sustain the world around us. |
