They Don't Get It, Do They?: Communication in the Workplace--Closing the Gap Between Women and Men

Businesswomen who considered Deborah Tannen's You Just Don't Understand enlightening will find this volume about the problems of intergender communication on the job of special interest. Reardon, associate professor of management and organization at the Univ. of Southern California, here confronts the barrier to job promotion known as the ``glass ceiling.'' Although she writes primarily for women, male executives with an open mind will profit from her advice as well. Reardon's point of departure is what she calls dysfunctional communications patterns, often in evidence when female executives headed for the top find themselves ignored, dismissed or patronized. She also points out how to overcome stereotypes that are used against women and analyzes power and its uses, arguing that ``skill in communications is transportable power.'' Further, she applauds women executives who devote time to mentoring and networking. She offers caveats as well: a woman must never get the reputation of being a feminist, and women in companies still run by male neanderthals should leave, for their situation is hopeless. (Apr.)