Can Male and Female Employees Communicate Effectively as a team?

In many cases women are thought to be completely different from men. They are believed to have differing interests and this creates a barrier of communication in most cases between men and women. With this being said, is it possible for male and female employees to communicate effectively as a team? Or is this something that just cannot be achieved?. When it comes to communication, both male and females communicate differently. Males communicate to give information. They will give facts about a certain topic whereas, females communicate most of the time to bond and maintain their relationships (Werkman, 2006). Another difference is that males always want to win whereas females try to find a solution where nobody loses. Then why is it in todays world, where females are becoming more and more prominent in the professional world, that there are still questions raised about the effectiveness of women communicating with men? Communication is key to the success of any organization, team, or business. This is why the communication between male and female employees is more important then ever. This line of effective communication is the goal, or should be the goal, for any business or organization that wants to succeed.

Employers today are forced to maintain a diversified workforce. Unlike before where organizations and businesses were able to discriminate and hire based on certain characteristics and criteria, today this is not the case. As the world as grown so have the lines of communication between the different ethnicities and more importantly the different sexes. Businesses are forced to hire based on credentials and education, as apposed to sex and race. This has created a workplace where women have become almost as important and prominent as men. It has also made the lines of communication between women and men open up. Women are totally different then men when it comes to communicating. Women tend to take their time and think about what they are going to say, where as men, although proven to be less verbal, tend to say things before thinking about what they are going to say. Men also communicate with the goal of taking power, gaining control, or challenging others ( Sullivan, 2010). Women are able to control their emotions in lines of communication more effectively then men are. How is it possible then that women and men are able to communicate effectively as a team? This has been made possible through to open lines of communication that businesses and organizations have created for their employees. Businesses such as Intel, Hewlett Packard, and Sony have created programs dedicated to the retention and development of their female employees (Kass, 2012). These industry giants encourage women to be heard and all three of these companies have women on the board of directors. This however has not always been the case. The lines of communication between men and women have just recently begun to open up and be effective. Women for the longest time were not viewed on the same level as men. Even today in a heavily globalized society males still dominate many corporate industries. Males are still viewed as the more dominant sex. They are still considered in most cases as more effective business leaders, partners, and communicators. However, more and more females are entering into the corporate world and becoming very successful. This is because women are able to bridge the gap between the communication lines and this creates good communication ( Strasver, 2011). In order for males and females to be able to communicate effectively as a team, the gap in their differences must be bridged. Both men and women communicate differently. Both sexes use verbal and non-verbal communication that is based on their perception of the environment that they are in. Women will speak more and