Developing, Promoting and Retaining Talented Women

Transcription

1 PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN Developing, Promoting and Retaining Talented Women CCL & WATERMARK COMMENTARY ON KEY THEMES IN WOMEN S ADVANCEMENT

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3 Contents Introduction 1 Many Women are Ambitious. Why the Leaky Pipeline? 2 Decoding and Overcoming the Unconscious Gender Bias Effect 3 Individual Development + System Shifts = Solution 6 In Action: 3 Levers for Women to Pull 8 The Bottom Line? 9

4 Introduction For the first time in U.S. history, women now make up a larger percentage of the working population than men, and research consistently demonstrates that having women in top management positions correlates with financial success for organizations. Yet the numbers of women in top positions continue to be few and far between. In fact, statistics show that while women earn more than half the bachelor s degrees, master s degrees and doctorate degrees (NCES, 2015), they only hold a quarter of executive or senior manager level positions. The numbers continue to diminish the higher up we look (Catalyst, 2016). While numerous studies show that organizations led by inclusive leadership teams make better decisions that deliver better results, the road toward gender parity in the corporate arena is a long one. Why aren t companies making faster headway? Watermark and the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) have set out to be a catalyst for change especially when it comes to gender equality. In a multi-part series, Watermark and CCL will address the deep-rooted road blocks that women face, offer ways to get past those hurdles and uncover the secrets to what women really want out of their careers and companies. This first part in our series provides a high-level overview of the current arena for women in the corporate workforce and shares evidence-based methods to help remove those barriers, allowing companies to better develop, promote and retain their current female workforce. We ve included comments and firsthand observations from Watermark members, as well members who have experienced and overcome the exact same barriers that CCL research has uncovered. About CCL The Center for Creative Leadership is a non-profit whose mission is to advance the understanding, practice and development of leadership for the benefit of society worldwide. To fully realize its mission, CCL conducts ongoing research to advance its field, and positively transforms the way leaders, organizations and societies confront the most difficult challenges of the 21st century. About Watermark Watermark is a non-profit whose mission is to increase the number of women in leadership positions. Watermark does this by empowering women to make the right connections, learn valuable leadership skills and benefit from a community that supports the growth of their businesses and their careers. Watermark helps companies push the needle internally through customized leadership workshops which bring new insights and offer practical applications for corporate members and their employees. The ultimate goal of Watermark? To see more women as successful corporate executives and entrepreneurs and to see more women in the C-suite and in the boardroom. Regardless of where members are on their career path, Watermark takes them to the next level Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.

5 Many Women are Ambitious. Why the Leaky Pipeline? A McKinsey survey found that 79% of entry-level women and 83% of middle-management women desire to move to the next level at work (Barsh, 2011) and 75% of women aspire to top management roles, including C-suite on par with their male counterparts (Devillard, 2013). Yet, the majority of female employees are concentrated in entry-level and middle-management positions and that isn t changing. A 2014 study found that globally, the proportion of women in senior roles remains at 24%, the same as in 2007 (Scott, 2015). Just 4.8% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women (Fairchild, 2014). Women represent 15-18% of board directors and senior executives in many countries. A recent study put that figure into perspective: Fewer women are on S&P 1500 boards than men on boards who were named John, Robert, James and William (Ernst & Young, 2015). There is no single factor to explain the gap between women s interest in moving into more senior roles and the lack of women currently in them. Many barriers are what may be called second-generation bias or unconscious bias, including: Traditional images and qualities of leadership are associated with men Women have few female role models at high levels of leadership Career paths and work are often defined by or associated with gender Women are held to higher standards and offered fewer rewards Women are not part of the networks that supply information and support Women face a double bind of being either competent or liked but not both The combination of work and home responsibilities is a greater burden for women Women may be hesitant to advocate for themselves or self-promote (Ibarra, 2013; Desvaux, Barsh, Devillard, 2010) Watermark Corporate Member Perspective The barriers to women s advancement to senior roles are real. Being an ethnically and racially diverse woman, I have personally encountered double-bind and cultural biases many times over in my career. At Ericsson, 23,000 of our employees have trained with their colleagues on unconscious bias. We ve taken great steps to ensure that thousands of our job descriptions are gender neutral. And together, we are having a conversation on the unique gender intelligence that individuals bring to the table. I see this as the first wave of consciousness. The second wave will happen as more and more men accept and play more gender-neutral roles in their lives. Gunjan Aggarwal, VP of HR, Global Talent Acquisition, D&I and M&A, Ericsson 2017 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. 2

6 Decoding and Overcoming the Unconscious Gender Bias Effect Recognizing Unconscious Gender Bias Women still face immense barriers in achieving their career goals with many of these barriers stemming from an unconscious gender bias. Don t get it wrong cognitive bias (the tendency to think in certain ways that can lead to systemic deviations from standard rationality or good judgment) is indeed a gift of nature, providing us with the ability to make quick decisions when facing a multitude of information. In his best-selling book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman points out that there are two systems in the brain System 1 is unconscious and fast while System 2 is conscious, rational and careful, but slow. No matter how hard we try, we cannot deactivate System 1, and our brains have the tendency to take short-cuts. That s why we have stereotypes and assumptions. Since stereotyping is not inevitable we need to recognize it, and in the case of a negative stereotype, we must selfcorrect. When it comes to gender issues, the stereotype is rooted in historical and cultural values and is applied to both men and women. In the workplace, unconscious gender bias affects how we expect, perceive, judge and work with men and women leaders. Career Barriers for Women Women have a narrow band of behaviors in that they are either competent or liked, but not both Women are expected to take up more family responsibilities, and the challenge is to manage time and energy among different domains of life Decisions for advancement are made based on unconscious gender bias for example, an overseas assignment opportunity may be given to a man just because the hiring manager or decision maker assumes that women may want to start a family Benevolent bias comes into play when men act from a paternalistic point of view and want to protect women, thus not promoting women into positions that might be risky or have them traveling much Women have limited access to networks and sponsors, and have fewer female role models at higher levels of leadership to look up to Women are hesitant to advocate for themselves or ask for what they want Traditional perceptions of leadership, such as being assertive, masculine and logical, are often associated with predominantly male qualities. Women who want to advance their careers often find themselves facing a double bind (Eagly & Karau, 2002) of being either capable or liked but not both. For more information about the double standards faced by women leaders, see Harvard Business Review s article Women Rising: The Unseen Barriers Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.

7 A Repeated Cycle of Bias The end of this bias doesn t happen when women break through the glass ceiling to climb up the career ladder even after they rise to a certain position, gender bias is still imminent. Research using CCL s 360-degree assessment data revealed that when women executives (those who have already broken through the glass ceiling) showed diversity-valuing behaviors in the workplaces, their performance ratings were penalized (Zhao, S., 2016). Why is this so? Valuing diversity highlighted their demographic characteristics and activated the negative stereotype that women are incompetent and nepotistic. There seems to be no winning when it comes to advocating greater diversity in the organization in fact, when a woman hiring manager advocated hiring a female manager despite the candidate being competent, the hiring manager got lower scores for both competency and performance. This research provides an alternative perspective to the Queen Bee Syndrome, which describes a woman in a position of authority who views or treats subordinates more critically if they are female. It is possible that, these women, in a male-dominated world, are acutely aware of the potential cost to promote other women. They may be seen as incompetent and playing favoritism consequently, hesitating to sponsor junior women. This unfortunate cycle reinforces a challenge that women face in having limited access to both networks and sponsors, reinforcing a vicious inadequacy that causes them to be hesitant to advocate for themselves or ask for what they want. Figure 1: Leaders diversity-valuing behaviors and their competency ratings Figure 1: Male and female leaders showing low diversity-valuing behaviors received similar competency ratings; however, female leaders demonstrating diversity-valuing behaviors received much lower competency ratings than their male counterparts. Figure 2: Leaders diversity-valuing behaviors and their performance ratings Figure 2: Compelling evidence that diversity-valuing behaviors by women leaders impede their advancement because they are penalized in the form of lower competency and performance ratings Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. 4

8 Breaking the Cycle Evidently, gender bias is the root cause of the vicious cycle but, what can be done about it? Examine your own bias. Gender bias excludes no one both men and women alike. Some questions to ask include: Do I perceive women as individual contributors, high potentials and leaders, rather than as women? Do I judge women s behaviors, performance and success by the same standards as a man? Question the system. Do we see the current design of the system favoring men s lifestyles and situations? Does the data show that men are getting more opportunities to rise, even though there are equally competent women? Do not assume; ask. There are men who do not want to travel; there are women who prioritize work over family. Organizations need to take actions on a general policy level with arrangements applying to both genders. Champion diversity and inclusion. Creating a diverse and inclusive work environment is not only beneficial for women. Studies show that when men value diversity, their performance evaluation is higher than those who do not demonstrate diversityvaluing behaviors (Hekman, 2016). Involving men in the diversity campaign can prove to be a win-win for all. By recognizing biases, challenging inequalities and re-imagining the boundaries of leadership, we can broaden our vision of who leaders are and what they are able to accomplish. As individuals part of a greater community, we must rise to create a world that values all forms of positive leadership and celebrates leaders who strive to improve the state of humanity. Watermark Corporate Member Perspective To overcome stereotypes, it helps to be aware of them. Once we understand how others perceive us, whether consciously or subconsciously, we can adjust our communication style to be more effective. This doesn t mean that women or minorities always need to bear all of the burden of adjusting how we project ourselves; but the constant challenge is how to be at our most effective, no matter what environment we re in. As leaders and managers, we play a big part in supporting and advocating for the women who are coming up the career ladder behind us. We can act as sponsors, mentors and coaches. When a woman is hesitant to advocate for herself, sometimes it s helpful to have a sponsor who recognizes that woman s potential and opens doors. Ching Valdezco, Director, Exec Comm Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.

9 Individual Development + System Shifts = Solution Ways organizations can help develop, retain and promote talented women. Developing, retaining and promoting female talent is a stated priority in many organizations but there is a significant gap between knowing it is important and making it happen. Often, gender-diversity efforts are vague, misdirected or too limited. A McKinsey study found that 32% of companies had not implemented any specific gender-diversity measures, and only 30% implemented four measures or more (Desvaux, 2010). Systemic shifts could include flexible working conditions, support for work-life balance, gender-specific hiring and promoting goals and programs. A deep understanding of the unconscious bias that affects women in organizations is essential. Commitment of the CEO and other high-level leaders is important. Coaching and mentoring, skill-building and networking initiatives are valuable (Desvaux, 2010) Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. 6

10 As organizations pursue a range of strategies, three ideas for individuals and organizations can guide decisions about developing, retaining and promoting talented women: 1. Address women s leadership challenges and needed competencies. According to a CCL survey of 337 HR leaders and line managers, the top leadership challenges for women are establishing credibility, managing up and across the organization, negotiating adeptly and influencing others. The two most important competencies for women leaders to start developing now are managing organizational complexity and strategic thinking and acting. 2. Leverage the power of choosing. Women need to be intentional about their careers and development as leaders. The power to choose is one that is often overlooked by women. Encourage women in the organization to: Exert greater influence over the choices they make especially about their careers Take the lead in shaping conversations about their careers Create a personal leadership development strategy 3. Rethink systems; challenge assumptions. Look for ways that unconscious bias in the organization affects opportunities and motivation for women. Scheduling opportunities for networking, mentoring and talent management processes are some potential areas for rethinking and improvement. For example, a hiring manager may assume that a woman who doesn t discuss her career ambitions is not interested in a promotion or that a woman with small children won t take on a travel-intensive role. Instead, managers should ask women what they want and organizations should create the culture and systems that make it easier to have those conversations Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.

11 In Action: 3 Levers for Women to Pull Three themes or levers women can use to improve their effectiveness 1. Gaining Self-Clarity Women s leadership development is, in large part, about identity. Learning specific skills or competencies cannot be separated from strengthening a woman s identity as a leader. Self-clarity comes from thinking about values, motivations and behaviors, as well as the characteristics and roles that make up a woman s identity. It s also about gaining a clear picture of the social, organizational and cultural dynamics that are part of her experience. With self-clarity, women begin to see ways their identity plays out positively or negatively in terms of leadership effectiveness. They are able to pinpoint developmental goals, explore an identity that includes leader, and articulate a clear leadership brand. 2. Living Agentically Agency is about taking control of one s career and shaping one s life. Often, women default into a role, assignment or task in their work and personal lives rather than choosing. Living agentically begins with identifying a desired goal and then actively pursuing the experience, behaviors, skills or relationships that fuel that goal. It can have a profound impact on career direction and accomplishments, as well as on personal resilience and capacity for living full, often overloaded, lives. Living agentically is also tied to creating a desired and effective leadership brand. While gender bias exists, leadership brand is still shaped by the ways a leader behaves, reacts and interacts. Owning her leadership brand, and knowing the gender biases in play can help women move beyond the role of a victim and start deeper conversations to bridge the gap. 3. Partnering The right relationships and ties are known to be an asset in getting access to information, earning promotions and receiving opportunities. Effective leaders rely on key networks and trusted partners to get results. Creating the right network is not about maintaining a big, expansive network or schmoozing with the boss or the boss s boss. Research has shown that high-quality networks are open and varied, with people who don t all know each other (Cross, 2008). They are diverse, crossing critical boundaries. And core relationships are deep, trustworthy and mutually beneficial. Many women resist the process of networking, believing it s insincere, manipulative or political or simply not a natural part of who they are. Unfortunately, the relationships that form easily or naturally are not necessarily beneficial for women, their careers or their organization. To be more effective leaders, women need a clear understanding of the network they have versus the network they need. Then they need to improve their network by building, maintaining, leveraging and transitioning relationships. When they are grounded in candid assessments of the cultural, organizational and individual factors shaping them, women can construct coherent narratives about who they are and who they want to become. (Ibarra, 2013) Watermark Corporate Member Perspective Many of my female colleagues did not necessarily set out to achieve their current career status. Instead, they may have migrated to their career through changes brought about by outside forces. And so when they find themselves looking forward to the future and where they wish their career to unfold, they are faced with the struggle of how to assess, plan and execute a career progression. When looking forward in my own career, I ve learned to trust the input of mentors, leaders and friends who will share unvarnished yet kind truths with me. This input has proved invaluable as it highlighted areas of strengths, opportunities and passion all of which led to opportunities for growth as I envisioned the professional I am to be. Amee Cooper, Senior Director, PMO and Change Management, VMware 2017 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. 8

12 2 The Bottom Line? The business imperative to ensure women are fully participating in leadership is clear. Organizations can no longer accept the status quo in how they develop, retain and promote female talent. It is time for executive leadership, talent professionals and women, themselves, to make women s careers a priority and their organizations places where women are motivated and supported to learn and lead. By addressing the mindsets holding women back, corporate leaders can reshape the talent pipeline... increasing the number of women role models at the top and, in turn, making it likelier that more women will retain their ambition. (Barsh, 2011) Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.

13 What We Can Do To Help True progress can only happen with a diversity of perspectives in leadership roles gender diversity, in particular. Does your company have the right tools in place to rise to the next level in gender parity? Is your company investing enough in female talent? Stand up, speak up and reach out! For close to 25 years, Watermark s programs have played a central role in helping many of the world s largest brands develop, retain and promote the women in their workforce as well as attract new female talent into their organizations. Rolling out hundreds of custom programs, both domestically and internationally, Watermark has shaped and shifted employee engagement and work/life satisfaction for its members. Whether supplementing existing leadership development programs or creating new initiatives, Watermark has helped companies effortlessly create long-lasting initiatives that make a difference. For more information on how we can make a profound, consistent and lasting impact for you and your organization, please contact the Watermark Team at membership@wearewatermark.org, and visit our website at Even the most confident and competent women leaders need time to step away and gain clarity about their roles, especially when they confront the severe odds that remain stacked against their rising above middle management. Create space for your women leaders to discuss and practice new ways of acting and thinking congruent with their purpose, values and self-concepts. Build a community of support and advocacy. With 45+ years of research and experience developing leaders and helping them achieve their desired impact, CCL can help. The Women s Leadership Experience (WLE) is a candid, exploratory, results-driven experience that tackles provocative and timely issues facing highachieving women leaders who are ready to rise to the next level of upper management. The program helps participants become more adept and ready to make purposeful choices that will expand their impact in their organization and personal lives. To learn more about WLE or to partner with us on designing a solution tailored to your leaders, please visit our website at Watermark Corporate Member Perspective We live in a world where disruption seems to be everywhere. And in the midst of this disruption are people and organizations that inspire and lead the way towards making the right kind of difference. Since its inception, Watermark has been such an organization. Its impact on our community of women and the professional world has been profound, consistent and lasting. Julie Brush, Founding Partner, Solutus Legal Search 2017 Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. 10

14 References and Additional Resources Barsh, J., & Yee, J. (2011). Changing companies minds about women. McKinsey Quarterly. Retrieved from minds_about_women Bersin, J. (2015). Predictions for 2015: Redesigning the Organization for a Rapidly Changing World. Deloitte Development, LLC. Carter, N. M., & Wagner, H. M. (2011). The bottom line: Corporate performance and women s representation on boards ( ). Catalyst. Retrieved from catalyst.org/knowledge/bottom-line-corporateperformance-and-womens-representationboards Catalyst, Pyramid: Women in S&P 500 Companies (July 26, 2016) Clerkin, C., Crumbacher, C., Fernando, J., Gentry, W. (2015). Bossy: What s Gender Got to Do With it? Center for Creative Leadership. Retrieved from uploads/2015/04/bossy2.pdf Cross, R., & Thomas, R. J. (2008). How top talent uses networks and where rising stars get trapped. Organizational Dynamics, 37(2), Desvaux, G., Devillard, S.; & Sancier-Sultan, S (2010). Women at the top of corporations: Making it happen. Women Matter McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from mckinsey.com/features/women_matter Devillard, S., Sancier, S., Werner, C., Maller, I., & Kossoff, C. (2013). Gender diversity in top management: moving corporate culture, moving boundaries. Women Matter McKinsey & Company. Retrieved from Eagly, A., & Karau, S., (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109(3), Ernst & Young Center for Board Matters. (2015). Women on US boards: What are we seeing? Retrieved from Fairchild, C. (2014). Number of Fortune 500 women CEOs reaches historic high. FORTUNE. com. Retrieved from Hekman, D. R., Johnson, S., Foo, M.D., & Yang, W. (2016). Does diversity-valuing behavior result in diminished performance ratings for nonwhite and female leaders? Academy of Management Journal Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved.

15 Ibarra, H., Ely, R., & Kolb, D. (2013). Women rising: The unseen barriers. Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business School Publishing Company. Retrieved from women-rising-the-unseen-barriers/ar/1 Leslie, J.B., Gentry, W.A. (2015). Women and Political Savvy. Center for Creative Leadership Whitepaper. Retrieved from Mount, P., Tardanico, S. (2014). Beating the Imposter Syndrome. Center for Creative Leadership. United States of America. National Center for Education Statistics, Table : Bachelor s, Master s, and Doctor s Degrees Conferred by Postsecondary Institutions, by Sex of Student and Discipline Division: , 2015 Digest of Education Statistics (2015) Ruderman, M.N. & Ohlott, P.J. (2002). Standing at the crossroads: Next Steps for high-achieving women. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Ruderman, M.N. & Rogolsky, S. ( July/August 2001). Getting real: How to lead authentically. Leadership in Action, 21 (3). Santana, L & Pappa, K. (2015). Challenge: Developing, Retaining, and Promoting Talented Women. Center for Creative Leadership Whitepaper. Retrieved from Scott, M. (2015) Number of women in senior management stagnant at 24%. Forbes.com. Retrieved from Stawiski, S., Deal, J.D., Ruderman, M. (2010). Building Trust in the Workplace. Center for Creative Leadership Whitepaper. Retrieved from Zhao, S., Foo, M. (2016). Queen Bee Syndrome. The Real Reason Why Women Do Not Promote Women. Center for Creative Leadership. Retreived from Center for Creative Leadership. All rights reserved. 12

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