As Renaissance sculptor Michelangelo once said, "Every block of stone has a statue inside it, and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it."
That approach can be a metaphor for mentoring, Brad Johnson, PhD, said during UNMC’s latest Breakthrough Thinking presentation, which focused on gender inclusion in the workplace and the changing landscape of higher education.
The "Michelangelo Phenomenon," as it’s known, helps individuals reach their ideal selves by understanding their career and life goals and then helping them succeed.
Dr. Johnson and his research partner, David Smith, PhD, said gender equity issues often focus on women but benefit greatly when men step up as gender equity partners. "We find the more diversity we have at every level of the organization, the more successful organizations are," said Dr. Smith, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School.
Dr. Johnson, a professor of psychology in the department of leadership, ethics and law at the United States Naval Academy and a faculty associate in the graduate school of education at Johns Hopkins University, noted that women account for more than 50% of medical students but lag in leadership roles, making up only 16% of medical school deans, 18% of department chairs and 25% of full professors.
The reason? Drs. Johnson and Smith say women — across all specialties — are mentored less than their male counterparts and are less likely sponsored for career-enhancing opportunities.
The pandemic further penalized women in full-time careers, the presenters said, because they took on additional caregiving and domestic obligations. In fact, the presenters said, according to all Elsevier journals between February and May, 2018 through 2020, women submitted proportionally fewer manuscripts than men, while men submitted more.
To sharpen one’s gender intelligence and become an ally, Drs. Johnson and Smith encourage males to examine how people experience the workplace differently, demonstrate humility and situational awareness, be a public advocate for others, be deliberate in nominating qualified women who may be reticent to seek higher roles unless they match every qualification and don’t make assumptions. "One woman’s experience is not the same as all women’s experiences," Dr. Smith said.
On March 30, Breakthrough Thinking attendees also heard from Nathan Grawe, PhD, the Ada M. Harrison Distinguished Teaching Professor of the Social Sciences and professor of economics at Carleton College, who discussed the changing demographics in higher education.
"Nebraska is experiencing the same diversification that we’re experiencing nationally," he said, outlining the dramatic reduction of babies born out of this generation and the declining number of traditional-age college students.
"If we keep doing what we’re doing the future looks really challenging, maybe even dire in some submarkets," Dr. Grawe said.
So how does higher ed respond? Dr. Grawe shared a few thoughts including a greater focus on the adult learning market, recruiting international students, increasing retention rates, thinking wholistically about admissions, expanding access through financial incentives and, as in the case of some four-year institutions, offering two-year programs.
Demographic changes already are occurring, he said, but institutions have an opportunity to address changing needs and take advantage of the assets new populations bring. "When placed under stress we can get stronger," he said.
View recordings of the March 30 Breakthrough Thinking presentations: