14 ★ FINANCIAL TIMES Monday 19 August 2019

WORK & CAREERS

’

“All happy families are alike; each

unhappy family is unhappy in its own

way.” Tolstoy’s opening lines toAnna

Kareninaapply equally to family

businesses, and no wonder. Add the

volatile variables of companies to the

multiple maladjustments of most

families and you have a potent mix.

It would be hard for fiction to match,

for instance, the saga of the Redstones,

and their media companies Viacom

and CBS. There is the patriarch

Sumner, once an all-powerful mogul,

now a frail 96-year-old, whose will to

cling on to power was literally forged in

fire, after he survived a hotel inferno

by hanging from a window as flames

ate into his flesh. And there is Shari, his

daughter, often ignored and belittled,

whose influence over the companies

has waxed and waned in tune with her

relationship with her ageing father —

and Sumner’s own relationships with

carers and girlfriends.

Last week, Ms Redstone won

through, when CBS and Viacom agreed

to her longstanding plan to merge the

companies, separated by Mr Redstone

14 years ago.

SinceKing Lear, intra-familial strife

has made for great theatre, and even

better copy. If there is a contemporary

fictional parallel, it may beSuccession,

the HBO series about media mogul

Logan Roy that has just started its

second season — partly inspired by the

Redstones’ discord. In the opening

episode of the show, 80-year-old Roy

up-ends his succession plans by

announcing: “Kids — I’ve changed my

mind: I’m staying on as CEO and head

of the firm.” Mr Redstone’s own

pronouncements eclipse even that

shock declaration. When he was 91, he

told the Hollywood Reporter he would

not discuss succession because “I’m not

going to die”.

Among my favourite real-life family

feuds is the long-running battle

between Gina Rinehart, the Australian

mining magnate, and some of her

children, over a family trust. When it

reached court in 2012, she contended

the collapse of the trust might be in the

kids’ best interest “personal

development-wise” because it would

force them to reconsider “their

holidaying lifestyles and attitudes”.

That will have resonated with any

parent who has had to close the Bank

of Mum and Dad to further

withdrawals.

The compelling Murdoch show,

surely soon to enter its last season, also

continues to grip viewers, with father

Rupert shuffling and reshuffling the

succession cards as the fate and

finances of his offspring dangle in the

balance. Like many such families, the

Murdochs had to resort to group

therapy in an effort to cut through the

tangled knot of their personal, financial

and corporate interests.

Plenty of long-running family

companies have weathered brutal

succession battles and ensured cultural

harmony and long-term balance. At

another US media company, Comcast,

founder Ralph Roberts managed a

harmonious handover to son Brian.

“The elder Roberts never second-

guessed his son. And the younger man

never stopped consulting with his

father. He actually wanted his father to

come to work every day,” Joe Nocera

wrote of the congenial succession

process in the New York Times in 2007.

I’ve argued before that the vitriol-

powered ambition of some family

members can, just occasionally,

provide strong, if unstable, fuel for

advancement of personal and

corporate interests. But infighting is

almost always value-destroying for any

outside shareholders and often soul-

destroying for the participants.

CBS and Viacom are a case in point.

Shari Redstone’s mission was helped by

the decline and fall of CBS’s over-

mighty chief executive Les Moonves.

But by wrangling over the future, the

Redstones, onetime kings of content,

wasted time and, more damagingly,

squandered opportunities. Meanwhile,

rivals consolidated in the face of rapid

digital change, including Murdoch-

controlled Fox, which merged with

Disney this year.

Mythology is another fount of family

division, mostly featuring sons bent on

seizing power from their fathers. (King

Pelias’s daughters did chop him up and

cook him, but they had been tricked

into thinking a quick boiling would

rejuvenate the ageing ruler, which is

not a recommended succession plan.)

Ms Redstone’s story, though, is only

the latest in what will be a new series in

which daughters rather than sons take

on their parents. It offers some lessons

for those prepared to ignore Tolstoy’s

warning against generalising about

malfunctioning families. Keep a low

profile; find trusted managers who can

run the businesses under your

supervision; and be patient. Death and

disease will fell even the hardiest and

most stubborn dynast.

Finally, don’t expect the end of one

feud to put a stop to all future feuding.

In the annals of family business, unlike

in fiction, it is rare for everybody to live

happily ever after.

[email protected]

Twitter: @andrewtghill

Infighting is

almost always

value-destroying

for any outside

shareholders and

soul-destroying for

the participants

Real family

feuds make

fictional battles

look friendly

Andrew Hill

Onmanagement

‘

B

itches.” That was how one

woman described her previ-

ous female bosses when she

approached Andrea Kramer,

a lawyer and author, after a

talk Ms Kramer had given about women

in the workplace. These bosses had been

so awful, the woman said, that she

would now only work for men.

When challenged as to why the

women had been so much worse than

male managers, there was silence. “I

thought she was unconscious,” laughs

Ms Kramer. In fact, the woman was

experiencing an epiphany: she realised

that the women had treated her just as

the men did but she had judged them

more harshly.

This was not the first time that Ms

Kramer and her co-author and hus-

band, Alton Harris, had heard such sto-

ries. Many women and men complained

to them of “mean girls”. So much so that

the pair decided to explore the alleged

hell of other women in their new book,

It’s Not You, It’s the Workplace:Women’s

Conflict at Work and the Bias that Built It.

Popular opinion — backed by books

with titles such asMean Girls Grown Up;

Catfight;Mean Girls at Work; Working with

Bitches;The Stiletto in Your Back— holds

that senior women are cold, unable to

work with other women and conniving

to hold them back.

This opinion is explained, the two

authors write, by “evolution, socialisa-

tion and the internalisation of the domi-

nant culture’s misogyny”. And the cen-

tral argument ofIt’s Not Youis that

women have no more frequent conflicts

in working with other women than men

do working with other men. Nor is there

any evidence, they write, “that women

are more mean-spirited, antagonistic or

untrustworthy in their dealings with

other women than men are in their deal-

ings with other men”.

In fact there is considerable evidence

that “more women than men are paying

it forward to ensure the future advance-

ment of the women (and men) who

work for them”.

What often happens, as with the

woman who approached Ms Kramer, is

that ambitious women are held to dif-

ferent standards than men: a business-

like woman is seen as cold, her equiva-

lent male peer is deemed professional.

Women’s conflicts are seen as “disrup-

tive” or motivated by “personal antago-

nism or petty jealousy”, while men disa-

greeing with men are simply part of the

normal “rough and tumble of high-in-

tensity workplaces”. The result is that

women often get penalised, they write,

with “poor evaluations, social exclusion

and co-worker animosity in ways that

men never experience”.

This is not to say female managers or

senior women are maligned saints but

perhaps that some of their behaviour —

if it is indeed objectively bad — can be

partly explained by organisational cul-

ture, not inherent bitchiness. They

might want to distance themselves from

other women in a company that seems

to value men. Sisterliness might look

rather sappy.

The pair found examples of women

treating female bosses differently — for

example, appealing for extended dead-

lines because of family demands in a

way that they might not to a male boss.

“They expect that women should be

their sister not their boss,” Ms Kramer

says over the phone from the couple’s

home in Chicago.

As a husband and wife team who have

worked together as lawyers and writers,

they are well aware of the gender

dynamics at home and work. “If I say to

a guy, ‘You don’t get it,’” Ms Kramer

says, “their eyes roll in their head. But if

Al says it, they listen. Having the two

voices helps.”

Senior women are unfairly scruti-

nised because there are fewer of them,

says Mr Harris. “When there’s a few

[senior female bosses] who behave

harshly it’s attributed across the board.

We have no question that [some] male

leaders are jerks but because they don’t

represent all men, they don’t have to be

representative.”

The book is interesting on the reasons

for women’s stalled careers, often

attributed to lack of ambition, low con-

fidence — or motherhood. It is work-

place bias that limits ambition, insist

the couple. “The greatest contributors

to women’s waning ambition,” they

write, “are the lack of opportunity for

advancement, lack of support from

managers, and a scarcity of female role

models.”

Chief among the problems is “affinity

bias” — in other words, the way that

humans gravitate to people like them.

In the workplace, the in-group is often

white, male, able-bodied and straight.

“As a result,” the authors write, “male

managers often simply don’t invite

women to join teams, work on high-visi-

bility projects or participate in informal

social activities”.

The workplaces that are the hardest

to crack, the authors argue, not only

don’t admit they have a problem with

bias but even trumpet their meritoc-

racy, pointing to the odd senior woman

as evidence that hard work pays off.

Mr Harris says: “Most men say their

organisations are meritocracies

and... that if women only worked

as hard as men they too would get

ahead. I try to get men to recognise the

biases that we have are holding women

back in subtle ways. We have to get off

the meritocracies trip.”

The myth of the meritocratic work-

place hurts women. Those who do not

progress blame themselves, becoming

disillusioned or futilely doubling down

on their efforts. Meanwhile the few

women who scale the corporate ladder

see their success as proof of their unique

talent — which prevents them joining

forces with other women to improve

conditions and culture. “Women are

competing with each other for one seat

at the table,” Ms Kramer tells me.

The book also explores sexuality and

ethnicity. Women of colour may find

themselves “whipsawed”, they write,

“Ignored one moment and subjected to

careful policing for conformity to work-

place norms the next.”

The problem with blaming the culture

of a workplace rather than pushing

women on to self-improvement pro-

grammes, I suggest, is that it can leave

one overwhelmed or even paralysed

into inertia. Alternatively, the vague-

ness of “culture” makes it feel impossi-

ble to know where to start.

The authors recommend small wins,

such as monitoring career-affecting

decisions made by managers to ensure

they are made in objective and equal

ways, articulating clear accomplish-

ments. Seek out male allies, which they

suggest might be easier to find among

the ranks of men with partners who

work. There is often pushback from

older generations, they tell me, who

insist that because they had to work

long hours and miss their kids’ football

matches, then so should others.

Singling women out for special help

creates a “male backlash” says Ms

Kramer and fosters the idea that

“women need remedial help. If women

get ahead then it looks tokenistic. Pro-

grammes need to be handled in ways

that they don’t look like women need

special treatment.”

The #MeToo movement has been sig-

nificant in highlighting power imbal-

ances and getting organisations to

tackle issues such as bias and harass-

ment. Mr Alton says that in its wake

some men found excuses to step away

from sponsoring women. A report in

Bloomberg described this as the “Pence

Effect” after US vice-president Mike

Pence, who will not dine alone with any

woman other than his wife.

Organisations cannot just wait for

generational change — it may not hap-

pen. The pair caused waves with an

article two years ago that argued that

millennial men do not see women as

equal. Mr Harris has a theory that

younger men resent women for excel-

ling in universities, and they find solace

in a sexist workplace. “You just need to

look at young industries, like the tech

industry. Is there any world that is more

sexist than Silicon Valley?”

Why women’s fraught relationships

at work are rooted in culture and bias

A new book unpicks the

reasons why senior

women are often seen as

mean and backstabbing.

ByEmma Jacobs

Alton Harris

and Andrea

Kramer’s book

seeks to counter

the negative

stereotypes of

women in the

workplace

Peter Wynn Thompson/FT

A businesslike woman

is seen as cold, while her

equivalent male peer is

deemed professional

Working lives

Roger, the angry commuter

Is this the all-stops Hatfield

train? I normally take a fast

one out of St Pancras but

everything’s cancelled until

the crack of doom. I’m

paying £5K a year — and

rising — for this total

omnishambles. All for a bit

of “unseasonably warm

weather”. Where’s the Blitz

spirit we’ll need for a no-

deal Brexit, eh?

Hey, careful! Seriously? A

bicycle? There’s barely room

to slide a sheet of A4 into

this carriage. I don’t care if

you’re Chris Froome, there is

no space between my ankles

for your collapsible penny

farthing. Yes, that is my

briefcase. I’m taking work

home to avoid the heatwave

havoc. Because I have a

proper job (unlike some).

Excuse me — man with

the short back and sides.

Could you crack the window

open? Sir? Oh, I’m sorry,

madam, miss — whatever. I

didn’t see the “baby on

board” badge. Don’t give

birth en route: I’m not sure

we’d notice amid the wailing.

It was a madhouse at

King’s Cross. They’re just not

staffed for a crisis. They give

fools on work experience

Day-Glo waistcoats and

expect them to have the

tactical nous and authority

of Erwin Rommel. I took one

aside and gave her a good

old English bollocking. She’d

pay £1,000 an hour for that

sort of advice at my firm, but

she just started blubbing.

Thameslink blames

Network Rail; Network Rail

blames National Grid;

National Grid blames

local distributors.

Nationalisation’s

too good for ‘em.

I say put the chief

executives on a

replacement bus

service from

Hitchin to

Harpenden in

1,000-degree

humidity, with that

fatuous “apologies for any

inconvenience caused”

message on repeat. See how

long they last then.

Finsbury Park. Anyone

getting off? I’ll step on to

the platform. Careful with

your Brompton, Sir Bradley.

Ow! That WAS my foot, yes.

Hey, now that sort of

language is uncalled for.

Come back and apologise,

bike-boy! Wait! Driver! Open

the doors! Stop! My

briefcase is still in there!

Fiona, the holiday returner

I just need to make an

urgent call and then I’ll

be with you.

Hi, I want to talk to

someone about my

insurance claim. It’s

regarding my holiday. What?

Egypt. Anyway, about the

insurance. Very nice, thank

you. The pyramids are

indeed old. I suppose you

could see Stonehenge as

better but they’re all

wonders of the world.

Anyway, this is beside the

point... I just need

some... Oh, you’ve gone.

Now, you’ve put the on-hold

music on. ‘Help’, very funny.

Sorry, Anna, I know we’re

on deadline but I have got

rather an important phone

call. Can you just go through

the documents with Jake?

Just a minute...

Hi, can I talk to someone

about my insurance,

reference number

IAMANNOYED10... You’ve

gone too. Urgh, ‘Let it Go’,

for God’s sake!

No, Jane, I can’t take

it outside. If you don’t

want to listen, hot-desk

somewhere else. The phone

cubicles are booked. If you

can put up with Jonathan’s

phone call to his divorce

lawyer, you can put up with

this. I realise his call might

be more interesting... Put

on those noise-cancelling

earphones you demanded

the company pay for...

Hello, I keep getting

passed around. I just

want to talk to someone

about making a claim.

My son had a jellyfish

sting... What? Very

sore, thank you for

asking. Hobbled for

days. No, his leg

wasn’t amputated.

I’m not after medical

insurance... “Every

body Hurts”... Is

this a joke?

Jane, there’s no

need to point at your

sign, reminding

everyone personal calls can

be heard in an open-plan

office. This is important...

Hi, it’s not a medical

claim. It’s something else.

So, basically, I instructed

my son to urinate on his

foot to deal with the sting.

Now I realise it was an old

wives’ tale. And, well, the

problem is that he ended

up ruining my handbag.

Mulberry.

What now? “Don’t Worry,

Be Happy”!!

Work Tribes

‘Where’s the Blitz spirit we’ll

need for a no-deal Brexit, eh?’

ANDREW HILL AND EMMA JACOBS

Meet the tribes

Read the series

ft.com/

work-tribes

AUGUST 19 2019 Section:Features Time: 18/8/2019 - 16: 26 User: nicola.davison Page Name: CAREERS1, Part,Page,Edition: USA, 14, 1

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