It's not about Karma or is it ?
by Dulini Fernando and Laurie Cohen
"Karma may have a role to play in career progression, but it won't
break glass ceilings."
For
those who might have missed it, this was Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's
advice to women uncomfortable with the thought of requesting a salary
hike:
It's not really about asking for the raise but [about] knowing and
having faith that the system will actually give you the right raises as
you go along. Because that's good karma.
The comment may well have severely tested some people's adherence to
ahisma - the principle of non-violence - but it at least drew attention,
however haplessly, to the role that religion can play in women's
careers. In the case of Buddhism in particular, this is an
under-researched field.
Karma capital
The fact is that in Buddhist countries many women often do
acknowledge the role of karma in dealing with the challenges of career
progression - but not necessarily in the all-encompassing manner Nadella
seemed to imply.
Our recent work in Sri Lanka, which had a popultion that is 70%
Buddhist, shows how being perceived as a good Buddhist woman can provide
a powerful form of capital. Such women use their financial assets to
provide for their extended families and communities - and serve as
torchbearers, ensuring the transmission of Buddhist values within their
organisations and beyond. Women who profess their Buddhism at work are
seen as highly credible and those involved in the life of their temples
are held up as ideal women.
So the situation is much more complex than purely believing in, or
relying on, karma for rewards in the workplace.
One study we carried out involved extensive interviews with 21
Buddhist women. Eight were in the early stages of their career, six in
mid-career and seven in late career. Ten worked for private
organisations, which in Sri Lanka are viewed as largely modern and
Western in attitude, and 11 were employed in the public sector, which is
seen as characterised by bureaucracy, poor pay and an ethos of
advancement on the basis of time served.
Although it was never directly mentioned in the questions posed,
Buddhism emerged as a significant theme in these women's stories of
their careers and the hurdles they were forced to negotiate. More than
three-quarters of the respondents said Buddhism gave them the strength
to cope with difficult situations - not just in life in general but in
work specifically. Several referred to the concept of "fate" in
explaining both positive and negative career outcomes.
Some credited the notion of rebirth with helping them remain
steadfast in the face of disappointment. Some admitted to praying for
success.
In many senses, though, Buddhism is used on a strictly selective
basis. It is by no means the be-all and end-all. It certainly does not
extend to a total abdication of personal responsibility or reliance on
it for career progression.
The bottom line
Every respondent in our survey also talked at length about how they
shaped their careers through their own actions, including manipulation,
ingratiating themselves with their superiors and using networking to
compete for the few available senior positions.
The bottom line, irrespective of their faith and their "fate", is
that they firmly believed they themselves had the power to improve their
status. In other words, they knew full well that karma alone can only
get you so far. Perhaps what Nadella's comments and our own findings
highlight most starkly is the issue of legitimacy.
For the balance revealed here - the line between allowing destiny to
decide and taking matters into your own hands - is typical of the
contradictions that continue to confront women in the workplace.
The lesson that consistently emerges from our research is that many
women find themselves trapped between breaking the glass ceiling and
sending their reputation through the floor.
This is apparent not just in the need to conform to the ideal of a
"good Buddhist woman" but in the need to observe a set of other norms
deemed acceptable by society, while simply trying to get ahead.
It is clear, too, that we do not have to stretch our imagination
unduly to recognise at least some measure of this scenario in settings
all over the world.
These paradoxes are legion, and Nadella's gaffe merely underscores
how hopelessly ingrained they remain. This situation needs to change -
and no amount of karma, good of bad, is likely to do the trick anytime
soon.
About the Authors
Dulani Fernando is the Assistant Professor of Organisation and HRM at
the University of Warwick and Laurie Cohen is the Professor of
Organisational behavior at the Univeruty of Nottingham.
This article was originally published in The
Conversation) |