Do you know the Rapunzel theory, this principle that helps you advance in your career?
To advance in your professional career, many factors can play a role. Our skills, our diplomas, our professional entourage, our results or even the fact of being in the right place at the right time have a direct influence on our development.
But beyond the factors specific to you, other parameters can work in your favor. The right meetings, the right timings and the right processes help achieve certain goals. But according to a certain theory, our predecessors could also be of great help to us.
The principle of Rapunzel’s theory
For those who are not fans of the Disney universe or the Brothers Grimm, Rapunzel is this princess with hair so long that it allows those she invites into her tower to hold on to it to climb up to her . Rapunzel’s theory is based on this same principle, but in the professional environment. “Rapunzel’s theory is about taking conscious steps to help others succeed in their careers, while building your own,” says Eleanor Kaye, executive director of an equalization program for investors from disadvantaged backgrounds, at Stylist. It’s about carving paths for others or reaching out to help them through, rather than just focusing on what lies ahead in your personal career journey. »
The idea of Rapunzel’s theory is to break the glass ceiling for yourself, but also for the following. This theory therefore concerns people for whom advancement, particularly professionally, is made more difficult due to discrimination. This involves developing a support network by strengthening links, support, transmission of information, mentoring, coaching, solidarity and the use of its resources to facilitate the journey of the following people.
The end of queen bee syndrome?
The exact opposite of Rapunzel’s theory, another phenomenon prevented the professional advancement of women: Queen Bee syndrome or Queen Bee phenomenon. This “queen bee” term refers to “women who seek to achieve individual success in male-dominated work environments,” write researchers Belle Derks, Colette Van Laar and Naomi Ellemers in their research published in The Leadership Quarterly.
This phenomenon is illustrated in several ways among women who have succeeded in integrating into environments traditionally reserved for men: by presenting themselves more as men, by distancing themselves physically from other women and by adapting to masculine culture and by distancing themselves from other women This trend, which ultimately perpetuates gender inequality, does not come from nowhere. It responds to a need to “assimilate into predominantly male organizations in which men are valued. by in relation to women”. Thus, the reluctance to help other women achieve similar professional success is a way to demonstrate their assimilation. However, Rapunzel could gradually replace the queen bee.