eve-olution

eve-olution newsletter September 2007

Contents

• Statistic of the month
• Book of the month
• Harvard Business Review

Statistic of the month

A fifth of UK directors refuse to hire women of child-bearing age. Source: YouGov

Book of the month

Assertiveness and Diversity – Anni Townend

Assertiveness is a way of life, way of doing business based on mutual respect and regard. Assertiveness and diversity are closely entwined. It is not possible for people to be assertive if they do not feel safe. Many people throughout the world do not feel safe, are not safe, and live and work in fear, because they are different from the majority and, or from a cultural 'norm'.

To be assertive, to enjoy assertive relationships and to develop assertive organizations are business goals of many organizations expressed in values and beliefs, such as respect and dignity, openness and honesty, diversity and inclusivity.

This book explores the relationship between being able to be truly oneself and assertive and illustrates with personal stories and case studies how individuals, teams and organizations can make a difference and can make it possible for everyone to be valued for who they are and respected for what they do through connection and relationship.

Harvard Business Review

"Women and the Labyrinth of Leadership" - Alice Eagly and Linda Carli

In 1986, Carol Hymowtiz and Timothy Schellhardt stated in Wall Street Journal; "Even those few women who rose steadily through the ranks eventually crashed into an invisible barrier. The executive suite seemed within their grasp, but they couldn't break through the glass ceiling."

40% of all managerial posts in the US are occupied by women – why then are only 6% of Fortune 500's top executives and just 2% CEO's women?

Why are these statistics still surfacing 20 years after the phrase 'the glass ceiling' shook the world and started the change process?

"When you put all the pieces together, a new picture emerges for why women don’t make it into the C-suite. Its not the glass ceiling, but the sum of obstacles along the way." This article looks into how this is indicative of a labyrinth – 'a contemporary symbol, it conveys the idea of a complex journey toward a goal worth striving for.'

What are these career barriers faced by potential women leaders?

• Prejudice
• Resistance to women's leadership
• Leadership style issues
• Family demands

Prejudice: Why are men promoted more quickly than women with equivalent qualifications?

The US government accountability office (GAO) researchers tested whether individuals total wages could be predicted by sex. This research was carried out between 1983 and 2000 and had the following results. It showed that women earned 44% less than men; it found that men associated with marriage and parenthood had higher wages whereas women did not.

Does discrimination (as mentioned above) affect promotion? Research has found that promotions come more slowly for women than men with the equivalent qualifications.

Resistance to women's leadership: Why do people find it difficult to see a woman in a role of leadership?

Study after study has confirmed that people associate men and women with different traits. They seem to link men with more of the traits that connote leadership: "Verbally intimidating others can undermine a woman's influence, and assertive behaviour can reduce her chances of getting a job or advancing in her career."

Self-promotion is a risky area for women in general. Men use this tool to get themselves noticed whereas, with a woman, modesty is expected even with the highly accomplished.

'Nice behaviour' seems to be a noteworthy trait in a man and unimpressive in a woman – in the other sense, a man gets away with being unhelpful whereas a woman will not. It is not surprising then that in one study, participants characterised the 'successful female managers' as more deceitful, pushy, selfish and abrasive than their 'successful male' counterparts.

Leadership styles issues: why do female leaders often struggle with the position?

Women leaders often conform to whatever style is typical of the men in the organisation. Research shows that 'female leadership' (compassion for others, trust and confidence) mixed with generic leadership (establishing give-and-take relationships) is the preference of the modern organisation. Further research also tells us not only that men and women do have somewhat different leadership styles, but also that women's approaches are more generally effective – while men's often are only somewhat effective or actually hinder effectiveness.

Female leaders often struggle to cultivate an appropriate and effective leadership style. It is often difficult to transform your style whilst remaining authentic as a leader. In the words of a female leader: "I think that there is a real penalty for a woman who behaves like a man. The men dont like you and the women don't either."

Demands of family life: why do women continue to struggle with the work/life balance?

"Decision makers (in organisations) often assume that mothers have domestic responsibilities that make it inappropriate to promote them to demanding positions."

Women continue to be the ones who interrupt their careers, take more days off, and work part time due to the demands of family life. This results in fewer years of job experience and fewer hours of employment per year, slowing career progress and potential earnings.

Surprisingly, women provide more homecare working hours than they did 40 years ago: Married mothers have increased their housekeeping hours per week from 10.6 (1965) to 12.9 (2000) whereas married fathers increased theirs from 2.6 to 6.5. This therefore shows that pressure has not eased for women even with the increased help from the men.

Demands of family life can often lead to a decrease in socialising hours; i.e.: building professional networks with colleagues. This is an essential tool in a leader's / potential leader's work belt. One study showed that 'fast-track' managers spend more time socialising, politicking and interacting with outsiders than their less successful counterparts. This would therefore identify social capitalising as very important and necessary to a manager's advancement, even more so than perhaps more traditional managerial tasks.

Management Interventions: what can be done to improve these career barriers?

• Increase people's awareness of the psychological drivers of prejudice toward female leaders, work to dispel these prejudices. Workshops and development towards the understanding of gender diversity will help to dispel implicit assumptions.
• Change the 'long-hours' norm: An inspirational read for those wishing to bring their workforce into the 21st century: 'The seven day weekend' – Ricardo Semlar
• Reduce subjectivity of performance evaluation: "Criteria should be explicit and the evaluation processes [should be] designed to limit the influence of decision makers' conscious and unconscious bias"
• Ensure critical mass of women in executive positions – not just one or two women. Avoid a sole 'token' female team member: "Token women tend to be pegged into narrow stereotypical roles such as 'seductress', 'mother', 'pet', or 'iron maiden'". This will limit many options for women and so increase difficulty in achieving positions of authority or responsibility. As women reach positions of increased power and authority, they increasingly find themselves in gender imbalances groups.
• Increase the importance of socialising/networking: Organisations need to help women to appreciate why this area needs more attention; i.e.: gaining strong and supportive mentoring relationships and connections with powerful networks.
• Prepare women for line management with appropriately demanding assignments: Women should insist on line jobs when they enter the workforce rather than assume support roles, therefore slowing development for a leadership role.
• Allow employees who have significant parental responsibility more time to prove themselves worthy. This is very relevant to organisations that follow an 'up or out' career progression mentality.
• Welcome women back: give high achieving women who step away from the workforce an opportunity to return to responsible positions. Keeping lines of communication open can convey the message that a return may be possible.

"Organisations will succeed in filling half their management slots with women – women who are the true performance equal of their male counterparts – only by attacking all the reasons they are absent today."