creating high-performance organizations · to culture and attitudes in assessing the ... creating...
TRANSCRIPT
Creating High-PerformanceOrganizations
Creating High-PerformanceOrganizations
Leveraging Women’s Leadership
• With increasing demand for scarce skills,talented women managers will seek flightrather than fight dated preconceptionsabout their ability and contributions to the organization.
• Women executives look beyond the number of women in senior managementto culture and attitudes in assessing therate of change.
• Observed gender differences in leadershipstyle and management behaviour are associated with superior organizationalperformance.
• At least half of Canadian organizations see manager competency in fosteringworkforce diversity as important, yet themeans of evaluating manager competencyare not well developed.
BY BARBARA ORSER • JUNE 2000
Leveraging Women’s LeadershipLeveraging Women’s Leadership
About the Conference Board
The Conference Board of Canada is an independent, not-for-profit research organization with affiliates inthe United States and Europe. Our mission is to help our members anticipate and respond to the increasinglychanging global economy. We do this through the development and exchange of knowledge about organiza-tional strategies and practices, emerging economic and social trends, and key public policy issues. Since 1954,the Board has been committed to researching innovative practices, designing new strategies and providing our members with the most up-to-date information, analysis and expertise to help them excel in Canada and around the world.
About The Centre of Excellence for Women’s Advancement
The Centre of Excellence for Women’s Advancement, a unit within the Conference Board’s Centre forManagement Effectiveness, carries out applied research on specific key questions relating to the retention,development and advancement of women in Canadian firms. Based on the research, the Centre is developingpractical and timely learning and development strategies to help organizations fully access, develop and utilize the skills and resources they have available to them. The Centre is involved in planning symposia andexecutive briefings and developing a public, biannual report card on women’s progress in leadership positionsin Canadian organizations. It is funded by some of Canada’s leading private and public sector organizations.
Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge the valuable advice provided by The Centre of Excellence forWomen’s Advancement charter member representatives and Judith MacBride-King (Associate Director, The Centre for Management Effectiveness), as well as the research assistance provided by Pat Booth, Adele Dobson, Lisa Feeney, Karen O’Donoghue and Lisa Watson.
Editing Jane Whitney • Design and Layout Holly W. Michael
Recycled paper
©2000 The Conference Board of Canada*Printed in Canada • All rights reserved
ISSN 0827-1070 • ISBN 0-88763-471-0*Incorporated as AERIC Inc.
The Conference Board of Canada255 Smyth RoadOttawa, Ontario K1H 8M7CanadaTelephone: (613) 526-3280Fax: (613) 526-4857Internet: http://www.conferenceboard.ca
The Conference Board, Inc.845 Third AvenueNew York, N.Y. 10022U.S.A.Telephone: (212) 759-0900Fax: (212) 980-7014Internet: http://www.conference-board.org
The Conference Board EuropeChaussée de La Hulpe 130, Boîte 11B-1000 Brussels, BelgiumTelephone: (32) 2.675 54 05Fax: (32) 2.675 03 95
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
35 The Conference Board of Canada
CREATING
HIGH-PERFORMANCE
ORGANIZATIONS
Leveraging Women’s Leadership
B Y B A R B A R A O R S E R
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
37 The Conference Board of Canada
Organizations seeking to be effective on the global stage need to ensure thatthey access and utilize the skills and capabilities of a diverse workforce. This reportprovides information to help managers truly understand, build and capitalize onthe talents of women within their own organizations and within the business andgovernment communities.
The report is based on input from over 600 private and public sector chief executiveofficers, human resources professionals and women executives through surveys andinterviews. Creating High-Performance Organizations: Leveraging Women’s Leadership is thefirst in a series of reports from our Centre of Excellence for Women’s Advancement andbuilds upon the Board’s earlier research on issues related to gender and organizationalperformance.
The Conference Board would like to thank the hundreds of Canadian executives whoparticipated in this study. Special thanks are also extended to the charter members ofthe Centre for their ongoing support and leadership.
James R. NiningerPresident and Chief Executive OfficerThe Conference Board of CanadaJune 2000
PREFACE
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
39 The Conference Board of Canada
CONTENTS
1 Introduction3 Setting the Stage: Women in Senior Management3 Proportion of Women in Senior Management3 Do These Results Represent Progress?7 Contributions and Leadership Style of Women Executives7 Do Women Manage Differently or Make Unique Contributions?8 Decision Making (Balanced Views, Consensus Building)9 Focus on Interpersonal Relations
10 Personal Attributes10 Communication11 “Other” Benefits11 Understanding the Customer Base12 Demonstrating Commitment to Equity12 No Gender Differences13 Retaining and Attracting Women Managers: What Do Women Executives Look for
in an Organization?13 What Are the Attributes of Female-Friendly Organizations?13 Why Do Women Leave Organizations?15 Supporting the Advancement, Retention and Development of Women in Canadian
Organizations: What Really Works?17 Prevalence of Initiatives18 Perceived Effectiveness of Initiatives19 How Are These Initiatives Implemented?20 Toward a Gender Diversity Scorecard20 The Critical Factor—Chief Executive Commitment22 Commitment to Work/Life Balance23 Conclusion25 Appendix A. Supplementary Tables28 Appendix B. Practical Tips to Enhance Gender Diversity Initiatives31 Appendix C. Research Methodology
iii
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
1 The Conference Board of Canada
CREATING HIGH-PERFORMANCE ORGANIZATIONS:LEVERAGING WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP
Gender differencesinclude a tendencyof women to managein a consensualway, to consider thesocial and humanimpacts of businessdecisions, and toprovide a broaderset of perspectives forsenior-level decisions.
Diverse executiveteams function moreeffectively, respondingto problems andopportunities inmore creative ways.
IntroductionWomen account for almost half the
Canadian workforce and have made consid-erable gains in entry-level and middle-management positions. Yet studies find thatwomen are underrepresented in Canadiansenior management. Research also indicatesthat organizations with diverse executiveteams—those that consist of men andwomen and people of different ethnicbackgrounds and ages—achieve superiorcorporate performance. Firms where womenhold the majority of senior executive posi-tions show the largest sales growth. In 1977,these firms averaged 22.9 per cent growthcompared with an average of 13 per cent forfirms where men were predominant in thesenior management team.1
While the link between gender diversityand organizational performance is notclear—many factors affect performance—the issue of gender diversity and howorganizations can create high-performancework environments for women is ofincreasing priority for organizations.
Creating High-Performance Organizations:Leveraging Women’s Leadership documentsobserved gender differences in theleadership style and management behav-iour of women managers and the associ-ated benefits. Gender differences includea tendency of women to manage in aconsensual way, to consider the socialand human impacts of business decisions,and to provide a broader set of perspec-tives for senior-level decisions. It isargued that these behaviours support andbuild employee and customer loyalty andcommitment, accelerate the change
process and reduce dysfunctional con-frontation. Broadened perspectivesreduce the likelihood of unanticipatedoutcomes and afford new insights thatcan lead to innovative processes, prod-ucts and services. Therefore, diverseexecutive teams function more effectively,responding to problems and opportuni-ties in more creative ways.
The report presents the business casefor gender diversity on executive teams,arguing that it makes good sense for chiefexecutives to take a more proactive roleto capitalize on diversity. It outlines thefindings of survey and interview researchon the following issues:2
• What is the current representation ofwomen within the senior managementof Canadian organizations?
• Do men and women make differentcontributions and how do thesedifferences impact performance?Why is it important to the businessto ensure greater representation ofwomen on the executive team?
• What can organizations do to takeadvantage of these contributions andto be employers of choice for women?What are the essential performancemeasures with which senior womenmanagers gauge how “female friendly”an organization is?
• What are the most effective policiesand practices to enhance the recruit-ment, development and retentionof women?
• What do women executives look for inan employer and what factors promptthem to leave the organization?
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
1 The American Management Association, Senior ManagementTeams: Profile and Performance (New York: The AmericanManagement Association, 1998).
2 The report is based on a national survey of 107 chief executives(67 private sector and 40 public sector), 130 human resourcesprofessionals (82 private sector and 48 public sector) and 393
women executives (222 private sector and 171 public sector). Thiswas followed by 94 in-depth interviews, including 28 interviewswith chief executives, 26 with human resources professionals and40 interviews with women executives and senior managers. For adetailed description of the methodology employed in the researchsee Appendix C.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
2 The Conference Board of Canada
The need to understand the natureof gender diversity and organizationalperformance is underlined by fourcompelling factors:
First, many Canadian organizationsare having difficulties in recruiting scarceskills. A recent Conference Board reportfound that 83 per cent of employers arereporting skill shortages at all levels,including shortages of managers. Sixty-five per cent of employers expect theproblem to become even more pro-nounced in the future.3 Women managerscomprise a deep pool of skills and knowl-edge, a pool that is underrepresented inthe senior levels of management in mostindustry sectors.
Second, the organizations that under-stand the cultural factors that help attractand retain talented women are more likelyto be seen as employers of choice. Docu-menting gender-related aspects of leader-ship and the contributions of womenmanagers is valuable to organizationsinterested in more accurately evaluating thecontributions of all their employees.
Third, targeting to female consumersor clients is increasingly important aswomen’s disposable income continues togrow. For example, women are estimatedto control more than 80 per cent of con-sumer and household spending andcomprise 47 per cent of all Internet users.4
The number and size of women-ownedfirms is also increasing. It is estimatedthat there are 10,000 to 40,000 Canadianwomen-owned businesses (or jointlyowned firms) that export.5 Having know-ledgeable women on the senior manage-ment team ensures that organizations are
alert to the buying motives and workethics of these prospective clients.
Fourth, The Conference Board of Canada’sPerformance and Potential 1999 reports thatCanadian productivity fell below that of anumber of other Organization for EconomicCo-operation and Development membercountries. Increased organizational perform-ance, innovation, management capability andlabour force skills are required to boostproductivity. Arguably, underutilizing theintellectual and management skills of womenhas direct implications for Canadian produc-tivity growth as productivity is linked toeffective utilization of employees. It is quitepossible that systemic barriers and practicesremain and therefore inhibit the full utiliza-tion of women’s capabilities.
This report breaks new ground inseveral respects. It:• investigates the links between
gender diversity and value-addedperformance;
• documents executives’ perceptionsabout the commitment of organiza-tions to advance women managers;
• provides women executives’ percep-tions about the most effective ap-proaches to develop, advance andretain women managers; and
• presents preliminary work leadingto the creation of gender diversityperformance benchmarks. This infor-mation is based on input from almost400 Canadian women executives.
Exhibit 1 summarizes various rationalesfor addressing gender differences in theworkplace. Historically, initiatives haveresponded to the demand for employ-ment equity by staff and the community.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
3 Steven Murphy, What to Do Before the Well Runs Dry:Managing Scarce Skills (Ottawa: The Conference Board ofCanada, March 2000).
4 Diane Francis, “Women continue to climb,” Globe and Mail,June 1, 1999.
5 Barbara Orser, Eileen Fischer, Sue Hooper, Rebecca Reuber andAllan Riding, Beyond Borders: Canadian Businesswomen inInternational Trade (Ottawa: Department of Foreign Affairs andInternational Trade, March 1999).
Women managerscomprise a deeppool of skills andknowledge, a pool thatis underrepresentedin the senior levelsof managementin most industrysectors.
Organizations thatunderstand thecultural factors thathelp attract and retaintalented women aremore likely to be seenas employers of choice.
Targeting to femaleconsumers or clientsis increasinglyimportant as women’sdisposable incomecontinues to grow.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
3 The Conference Board of Canada
The traditional rationales are thereforereactive. A “high performance” rationaleis based on the business case for fosteringdiversity. Gender diversity is seen asa strategic objective that will enhanceperformance. Management teams canuse Exhibit 1 to evaluate their motivesfor assessing diversity in the workplace.
We begin by setting the stage withinformation from our survey about thestatus of Canadian women in seniormanagement and executive positionsin the private and public sectors.
Setting the Stage: Women inSenior Management
Proportion of Women in SeniorManagement
The median percentage of women onsenior management teams is 20 per centamong the surveyed private sector firms and40 per cent among public sector organiza-tions. Table 1 shows that the representationvaries considerably by sector grouping.Public sector organizations—even those notin areas traditionally dominated by womenemployees—appear to have a far higherproportion of women within their executiveranks than do private sector firms. While
Exhibit 1
Why Focus on Gender Diversity?
Traditional Rationales High-Performance Rationales
• Complying with employment equity guidelines • Improving organizational efficiencies,• Responding to shareholder and employee queries effectiveness and performance
regarding the lack of women in senior management • Positioning the organization as an employer• Dealing with grievances, lawsuits and of choice for women
harassment complaints• Responding to press coverage related to the lack of
women in high-profile positions
the height of the glass ceiling differs bysector, it nevertheless persists. (The rangein the proportion of women in seniormanagement by industry grouping appearsin Table A1 of Appendix A.)
These results complement findingspublished in a 1999 Catalyst report.6 Thisreport, based on publicly available infor-mation, finds that women represent 12 percent of “corporate officers” in Canada.Discrepancies in the percentage of womenmanagers identified by the Catalyst reportand the current report reflect differences insampling procedures. Catalyst drew fromthe Financial Post’s largest-ranked Cana-dian businesses and a sub-sample offinancial institutions, insurance companiesand Crown corporations. The currentresearch draws on both Canadian privateand public organizations and includes asample of large and medium-sized firms.This is a self-reported survey that providesinformation from organizations andsectors that are not all included in theFinancial Post 500.
Do These Results Represent Progress?
While the numbers tell one storyregarding women’s representation in theexecutive suite, they do not necessarily
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
6 1999 Catalyst Census of Women Corporate Officers of Canada(New York: Catalyst, 1999).
The median percentageof women on seniormanagement teams is20 per cent among thesurveyed private sectorfirms and 40 per centamong public sectororganizations.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
4 The Conference Board of Canada
Table 1
Proportion of Women in Senior Management Positions by Industry Sector
Median % of womenSector on senior executive team*
Public sector (N=157) 40.0Health & social services (N=47) 50.0Education (N=38) 40.0Provincial government departments (N=35) 35.3Federal government departments (N=23) 33.3Non-governmental organizations & other public sector organizations (N=14) 35.4
Private sector (N=200) 20.0Equipment manufacturing (e.g., electrical, machinery, transportation; N=10) 26.1Communications & telecommunications (N=19) 25.0Consumer goods (N=14) 24.3Other manufacturing (N=22) 20.2Finance, insurance, real estate (N=54) 20.0Transportation services (N=9) 18.2Other private sector services (N=20) 16.7Energy (N=10) 15.5Retail & wholesale (N=10) 13.5Professional services (N=14) 26.7Primary industries (metals, wood, chemicals; N=18) 12.8
*Based on survey data collected from chief executives, human resources professionals and women executives.“N” represents the number of organizations by industry grouping.
reflect the extent to which Canadianorganizations truly embrace genderdiversity. Managers cannot assume, evenwhen women are present on the execu-tive team, that gender issues are resolvedor dismiss the possibility that thereremain antagonistic attitudes or systemicbarriers to women’s advancement anddevelopment in the organization. Tobetter understand the managementchallenges associated with women’sadvancement, survey questionnaires andin-depth interviews were used to investi-gate executives’ perceptions about genderdifferences and the type of leadershipnecessary to motivate change. The
report draws on input from womenexecutives, chief executives and humanresources professionals.
Management researcher Felice Schwartz,in a widely accepted theory about theprogress of women in American organi-zations, argues that companies followpatterns in terms of their awareness ofthe importance of gender.7 Change occursthrough a series of stages. Stages rangefrom a lack of awareness (and, therefore,no demonstrated commitment) to initialawareness (and a few policies related tochildcare and flexible work arrangements),to multiple initiatives to promote women,and finally to a focus on valuing gender
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
7 Felice Schwartz with Jean Zimmerman, Breaking with Tradition:Women and Work, The New Facts of Life (New York: WarnerBooks, 1992).
Managers cannotassume, even whenwomen are presenton the executive team,that gender issues areresolved or dismiss thepossibility that thereremain antagonisticattitudes or systemicbarriers to women’sadvancement anddevelopment inthe organization.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
5 The Conference Board of Canada
differences. According to Schwartz, thefinal stage of the process reflects environ-ments that are truly equitable, a stage thatfew organizations achieve.
Using Schwartz’s model as a guide,how do Canadian organizations stack up?How receptive and supportive are they ofwomen’s advancement? In order to gaugethis commitment, chief executives andwomen executives were asked to ratetheir organizations in terms of theiragreement with four statements:• A gender balance exists in the
organization.• The executive team is conscious
of gender-related barriers facedby women.
• The executive team is committedto women’s advancement.
• The executive team demonstratesleadership in the advancement ofwomen in management.
Using these four survey statements,a gender diversity progress scale wascreated. This scale provides a proxy thatmeasures executives’ views about thecommitment of the organization andsenior management team to the advance-ment of women and the rate of changein these organizations. Chart 1 presentsthe average scores of this scale for chiefexecutives and women executives inboth the public and private sectors(+4 indicates that a respondent agreeswith all of the above statements;–4 indicates a perception that noneof these conditions are present).
There is both good news and not sogood news in the results. First, as Chart 1illustrates, very few executives scoredtheir organization low on all four points.However, women’s perspectives differedsignificantly from those of the chiefexecutives. In both the private and publicsectors, women executives perceivedsignificantly less progress, on average,
than did chief executives. Women execu-tives in the private sector were least likelyto agree that senior management is awareof, committed to and providing leader-ship in their organization on the advance-ment of women or that gender balancehas been achieved. Differences betweenthe average scores of the public sectorand private sector are not surprisinggiven the lower representation of womenamong private sector executive andsenior management teams (as docu-mented in Table 1).
The diverging views of chief executivesand women executives were evident inthe interview phase of the study. Rationalesthat progress has, or has not, been madecould be grouped according to two schoolsof thought. One school of thought sug-gests that there are more opportunitiesfor women compared with 10 or 20 yearsago. Typical responses included that therehas been marked improvement in oppor-tunities for women; gender is not an issuein promotion; change takes time; morewomen are in the pipeline; and it is merelya matter of time. For example, according toone chief executive of a financial firm:
Chart 1
Gender Diversity Progress Scale
Women executivesin the private sectorwere least likely toagree that seniormanagement is awareof, committed to andproviding leadershipin their organizationon the advancementof women or thatgender balance hasbeen achieved.
CEOs Women executives-0.5
0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
0.77
2.05
-0.08
1.39
Private sector Public sector
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
6 The Conference Board of Canada
“Things today are much better than 10 to20 years ago. I think that the thought thatsomeone is female or male is not an issuethat is overly apparent these days.”
The second school of thought suggeststhat major impediments to women’sadvancement linger in Canadian organiza-tions. Proponents of this view stressed thatsignificant challenges remain; that womenare still not considered capable by theirmale colleagues; and that women’s per-formance is measured by different criteria(e.g., more stringent standards than theirmale colleagues). These results support theneed to better understand the nature ofthese challenges and perceived differences.Comments such as the following reflect theperception that gender remains an issue.
I think that there is still a good way togo. There are still things like pay equityand a lot of other things that over theyears women have been fighting for.And it’s a struggle. . . . These arethe things we face every day.(Woman executive, federalgovernment)
One president of an organization whomI know had a board member come in, sitdown and talk to her. Then, finally hesaid “Well it’s very nice talking to youdear, but when will the president behere?” These are common stories.And they just blow you away. . . .This is about someone who’s alreadya president. This is about the day-by-day uphill battles [women face]and their struggles to be heard andseen as credible, professional,competent persons.(Chief executive, health sector)
Further analysis of the current surveyresults was therefore undertaken to investi-gate the association between executives’
perceptions of their organization’s progressin developing and advancing women andthe ranked percentage of women on theirsenior management team. Organizationswere coded as “high” or “low,” dependingon the median percentage of women on thesenior management team relative to themedian percentage of women on seniormanagement teams in their respectiveindustry grouping (see Table 1).
Chief executives in organizations codedas having a “high” percentage of women onthe senior management team were signifi-cantly more likely to feel that progress hasbeen made. But this was not the case forwomen executives. Women executives weremuch more likely to indicate that progresshas been slow, regardless of whether theiremployer was coded as “high” or “low.”This finding suggests that women executivesview progress from a different perspectivethan do chief executive officers. One expla-nation is that women executives lookbeyond the number of women in seniormanagement to culture and attitudes intheir assessment of the rate of change.
This explanation is supported by thesurvey data, which reveal that the majorityof women executives believed they faceattitudinal obstacles in their dealings withcolleagues. Chief executives were signifi-cantly less likely to agree that attitudinalbarriers exist. As Table 2 illustrates, themajority of women executives believedthat they are not taken seriously at workand are seen to be less committed and lesscapable than male colleagues. Fewer thanhalf the chief executives agreed that beingtaken seriously is problematic for womenmanagers. And fewer than 25 per centbelieved that women managers are per-ceived as having less organizationalcommitment and professional capability.
If chief executives believe that sufficientprogress has been made and attitudinalbarriers no longer remain, they are less
These results supportthe need to betterunderstand the natureof these challenges andperceived differences.Comments such as thefollowing reflect theperception that genderremains an issue.
Women executivesview progress from adifferent perspectivethan do chiefexecutive officers.
The majority of womenexecutives believedthat they are not takenseriously at workand are seen to beless committed andless capable thanmale colleagues.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
7 The Conference Board of Canada
likely to prioritize the advancement ofwomen as a key leadership issue. Thisis an important finding given that, in asubsequent section of this report, womenexecutives rate the demonstrated commit-ment of the chief executive as the mostimportant ingredient in enabling culturalchange. A lack of awareness, understand-ing and commitment by chief executivesregarding gender issues in the organizationsupports the status quo. This is, perhaps,one reason that the representation ofwomen in senior management remains low.
Contributions and Leadership Styleof Women Executives
Do Women Manage Differently or MakeUnique Contributions?
Why is it important to a business toensure greater representation of women onthe executive team? Do the contributions ofmen and women managers differ and howdo these differences affect performance?
What is the business case for women’sadvancement? If there are no differencesin management skills and contributionsbetween male and female managers, equityis the only rationale for greater representa-tion of women in executive teams. Thissection addresses these questions.
In order to explore the views of chiefexecutives, human resources professionals,and women executives about gender differ-ences in contributions to the organization,respondents were asked to rate their agree-ment with the following statement: Womenand men make different, but equally valu-able, contributions to my organization.
The majority of chief executives (56 percent) agreed with the statement that menand women differ in their contributionsto the organization (24 per cent disagreed,20 per cent neither agreed nor disagreed).Much higher proportions of both privateand public sector women executives agreed(72 per cent and 80 per cent, respectively).The views of the human resources profes-sionals for the private and public sector werenearly identical, at 72 per cent agreement.
Further analysis found that the perceptionof differences was more likely to be attribut-able to gender than to occupation. In otherwords, female human resources profession-als, in both the private and public sectors,were more likely than their male counter-parts to agree that women and men makedifferent but equally valuable contributionsto the organization. Female chief executivesin the public sector were also more likely toindicate agreement with the above statementthan their male colleagues.8 These prelimi-nary results suggested the need to furtherinvestigate executives’ perceptions aboutgender differences in managers’ behaviourand contributions to organizations.
Table 2
Perceptual Barriers to Women’sAdvancement
% of women % of chiefexecutives executives
Statement that agree that agree
“Not being takenseriously at work ismore problematic forfemale managers thanfor male managers” 69 42
“Women managers areoften perceived ashaving less organizationalcommitment andprofessional capability” 50 24
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
8 Since women constituted very few (four) private sector chiefexecutives, male and female responses could not be comparedon this issue.
Female humanresources professionals,in both the private andpublic sectors, weremore likely than theirmale counterparts toagree that women andmen make differentbut equally valuablecontributions tothe organization.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
8 The Conference Board of Canada
Womenexecutives
Chiefexecutives
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
1027
3232
37
714
2121
28
Other differences
Style and content of communications
Personality traits
Focus on interpersonal relationships
Consensual decision making
To that end, in-depth, open-ended inter-views were carried out to probe the nature ofthese perceived differences and to determinethe link to organizational performance. Chiefexecutives and senior women from organiza-tions with a high proportion of women ontheir executive teams were asked the follow-ing two questions:• Have you observed any differences
between men and women in regardsto their leadership style, behaviour,communication techniques orperformance? and
• What are the organizational benefitsof having women in senior manage-ment and on the organization’sexecutive team?
Responses to each of these questions werecoded and analysed.9 First, it should benoted that 76 per cent of interviewed chiefexecutives and 90 per cent of womenexecutives described differences in themanagement and leadership style ofmen and women. That is, the majority ofchief executives and women articulated oneor more gender-related difference. Chart 2illustrates the proportion of executives whoidentified each of the categorized differences.
Based on an analysis of the executives’statements, five categories of responsewere identified. These included state-ments referring to decision-making style,people management skills, personalattributes, and style and content ofcommunications. The response categorieswere not mutually exclusive.
Decision Making (Balanced Views,Consensus Building)
One of the more fundamental differ-ences is that generally the men that I’vebeen involved with tend to just make thedecision, as opposed to including everyone.
Sometimes the decision is still the same,but in terms of the staff and their attitudetowards it, it is entirely different. They feelas though they’ve been a part of that solution.(Woman executive, equipmentmanufacturing)
Topping the list of observed genderdifferences is the decision-making styleof women. Twenty-eight per cent of chiefexecutives and 37 per cent of womenexecutives identified differences in thedecision-making style of women. In thiscontext, women managers were perceivedto be consensus builders, be more inclusive
Chart 2
Frequency of Statements AboutGender Differences: Chief Executivesand Women Executives(per cent)
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
9 All interviews were taped, transcribed, coded and analysed usingNUD*IST (Non-Numerical Unstructured Data — Indexing,
Searching, Theorizing) software specifically designed for theanalysis of qualitative information.
Women managerswere perceived to beconsensus builders,be more inclusive intheir decision making,and provide differentperspectives thatbalance the views oftheir male colleagues.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
9 The Conference Board of Canada
in their decision making, and providedifferent perspectives that balance theviews of their male colleagues. Executivesalso articulated the view that womendemonstrate a particular ability to take intoaccount the needs of various stakeholdersin their decision-making process.
What are the benefits to the organizationof this style and approach? According tothe executives (both men and women) inthis research, consensual decision makingalerts managers to the subtleties of aproblem and allows management to framea more effective response. By first tablingothers’ points of view—views that havebeen gathered through a consensual styleof managing—the team is better informedand, hence, able to address the issues in aninformed and creative way. Implementa-tion of the senior team’s decision is en-hanced since employees are more likelyto feel that they have been a part of thedecision-making process and are keyplayers in implementing solutions. Forexample, according to one chief executive:
The more that you have women on theteam, with their male counterparts, youhave a better blend of different styles.Business issues are looked at withdifferent perspectives, perhaps notsimply a left-brain, traditionallybusiness-oriented perspective. You alsohave more focus on social impact. Youmight have more focus on communica-tions within the organization, and Ithink that only leads to greater successif you have better communication.
Focus on Interpersonal Relations
A “focus on interpersonal relations”refers to the way in which women dealor work with employees and clients.Twenty-one per cent of chief executivesand 32 per cent of women executivesarticulated the view that women have a
particular strength in this area. Executivestypified women as being more empa-thetic, more likely to praise, less likely tobe critical of employees, more compas-sionate, more likely to be aware of thesocial impacts of decisions, and morelikely to bring family and social issues tothe management table. Women were alsocharacterized as having particularly closeand positive relationships with custom-ers. For example, one chief executivestated: “Women are often more willing todeal with people issues than men. Mensometimes tend to ignore that.” Anotherchief executive asserted: “I think womentend to give more informal praise andfeedback to their staff.”
A woman executive in the communica-tions sector related a more specific example:
Our Canadian division has been rolledinto the U.S. operation. As we wentthrough that process, my primaryconcern was for the people in myorganization, to ensure that they had arole in the next position. Arguably, thatwas “mothering.” . . . Meanwhile, myboss’s perspective was that “we’ve giventhem a job, we’ve paid our dues to them,they’ve done work for us and we’ll callit even.” [This] is a totally differentperspective. He says, “It’s business, andthis is what happens. If you lose yourjob, you lose your job. If you find a rolein the organization, then all the better.”Whereas, I say these people have playedan important role in the organization,and they do have a place in the nextoperation. Somebody needs to put themforward. This is just sort of a differentstyle, a different perspective and maybea different way to lead.
An ability to develop and nurturestrong interpersonal relationships affectsthe bottom line. Watson Wyatt, among
Executives typifiedwomen as being moreempathetic, more likelyto praise, less likely tobe critical of employees,more compassionate,more likely to be awareof the social impacts ofdecisions, and morelikely to bring familyand social issues to themanagement table.
An ability to developand nurture stronginterpersonalrelationships affectsthe bottom line.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
10 The Conference Board of Canada
others, has quantified the financial impactof this skill.10 The American study matchedfinancial measures of company value,including market value and three- andfive-year total returns to shareholders,with proxies of workplace climate.Watson Wyatt found that significantfinancial gains (a 7.8 per cent increase inmarket value) were associated withcollegial, flexible work environments.According to their study, financial out-comes stem from cultures that encouragetrust, flexible work arrangements, team-work and co-operation, high employeesatisfaction, and less formal authority.Again, these practices are underscored bystrong human relations skills, a character-istic observed in women executives.
Moreover, in an economy wherebusinesses increasingly enter strategicpartnerships, mergers and alliances toenhance competitiveness, to the extentthat women have a particular strengthwith respect to relationships, organiza-tions benefit from this attribute. Relation-ship management is key to building trustand confidence in any partnership.Interpersonal skills are necessary whenmergers require that organizations’cultures mesh quickly.
Personal Attributes
For the purpose of this study, “per-sonal attributes” were defined as psycho-logical traits that differentiate men andwomen, as identified by the executivesinterviewed. One-third of women execu-tives described differences in the personalattributes of men and women managers.Twenty-one per cent of the chief execu-tives shared this view. Women managerswere seen to be more emotional and
compassionate and less confident andegotistical. Many of these observeddifferences mirror traditional role stere-otypes. For example, one woman execu-tive in the insurance sector suggested thatwomen are more willing to share power:
Women can give up and trade leader-ship roles, at a certain point in time,and let somebody else take centre stage.They can say to somebody else, “Well,it’s your turn to be the star now.”
Another in the energy sector observedthat women truck drivers are more likelyto seek assistance, which lowers mainte-nance costs on their rigs. When asked toelaborate, this executive said that womenare much more likely to seek assistanceand bring a vehicle into the shop when itshows early signs of a problem. Thisavoids the larger cost of late repairs.
Other performance benefits associatedwith these qualities are linked to strongemployee–client working relationships.As a recent Conference Board of Canadareport documents, Canadians who ratetheir manager as “sensitive” to theirpersonal and family needs report higherlevels of job satisfaction. Compassionshown by managers is rewarded withlower absenteeism, enhanced retention,and the reduced hard costs and workdisruptions associated with lost time.11
Communication
According to the chief executives andsenior women interviewed, womenexecutives are better communicators.They tend to communicate more fre-quently with staff and to be more directwhen communicating. They are also
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
10 Human Capital Index. Linking Human Capital and ShareholderValue. Summary Report (New York: Watson Wyatt, 2000).
11 Judith MacBride-King, Managers, Employee Satisfactionand Work–Life Balance (Ottawa: The Conference Board ofCanada, 1999).
Women managerswere seen to bemore emotionaland compassionateand less confidentand egotistical.
According to thechief executivesand senior womeninterviewed, womenexecutives are bettercommunicators.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
11 The Conference Board of Canada
characterized as being better listeners andmore likely to reflect upon an answerbefore responding.
In the words of one chief executive,“Our senior women are probably bettercommunicators than many of our seniormen. They are able to look a person inthe eye a little bit more or have a littlemore direct contact.” A second chiefexecutive suggested:
I’ve heard some of the men I workwith say it’s a negative aspect where[women] ask too many questions orcontinue the discussion more than itneeds to be. . . . A quick discussion, endof the point, and moving on doesn’talways mean all the points have beenmade. That, you know, leads to thebest decision.
Strong communication skills areassociated with knowledge sharing andthe ability to create a workplace environ-ment where people feel obliged to con-tribute to each other’s thinking anddevelopment.12 Value is created throughteamwork and co-operation, both ofwhich are fostered by effective communi-cations.
“Other” Benefits
The executives interviewed for thisstudy identified two “other” benefitsassociated with having women repre-sented at all levels of the organization.These are that women add to the under-standing of the firm’s customer base andthat their presence demonstrates theorganization’s commitment to equityfor staff and the community.
Understanding the Customer Base
If you don’t have women in seniormanagement, basically you really don’trepresent the communities in which youdo your business.(Human resources professional,construction)
Several chief executives and seniorwomen managers spoke to the marketadvantage of having women in seniorleadership. For example, an executive in thetransportation equipment sector remarked:
Women are responsible for 50 per centof vehicle purchases. They influence80 per cent of vehicle purchase decisions.There is a difference between under-standing and appreciating. . . . The bestway to appreciate customers is to havewalked in the shoes of that constituency.So having members of those constituen-cies helps you make better decisionsbecause you better understand.
Women’s presence on the seniormanagement team helps to ensure thatmarket opportunities are not overlooked.Maureen Kemptson Darkes (President andGeneral Manager of General Motors ofCanada Limited) has also acknowledgedpublicly that it was the firm’s Canadianfemale design team that successfullyintroduced a number of safety and female-friendly features. These included nightvision technology, satellite tracking in theevent of an emergency, standard childsafety latches, modified seat adjustmentsto accommodate pregnant women, make-up mirrors and additional compartmentsfor items such as purses.13
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
12 For a more comprehensive view of knowledge-sharingworkplaces see Creating a Knowledge-Sharing Culture.Consortium Benchmarking Study (Houston: AmericanProductivity and Quality Centre, 1999).
13 Women of Influence Luncheon Series, December 2, 1999, Ottawa.
Women add to theunderstanding ofthe firm’s customerbase, and theirpresence demonstratesthe organization’scommitment to equityfor staff and thecommunity.
Women’s presenceon the seniormanagement teamhelps to ensure thatmarket opportunitiesare not overlooked.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
12 The Conference Board of Canada
As the chief executive of a medium-sized manufacturing operation explained,women’s knowledge of the female buyercan also avoid costly mistakes:
We were debating the main colourscheme for our product line. Andthe men chose, let’s say orange, whileour [female vice-president] choseaqua. So, we decided to do an informalsurvey of our employees to learn theirperspectives. Everything was dividedalong gender lines. Eventually, wewent with the aqua scheme because ourdemographics said that the ultimatedecision makers for [the product]are female. If we were an all-maleexecutive team we would have gonein the wrong direction.
Demonstrating Commitment to Equity
Another benefit of having women onthe senior management team cited by theexecutives surveyed was that it sends aclear message to current and potentialemployees that the organization is a fairand equitable place to work. The compo-sition of the executive team is seen as anindication of the progress being made toadvance women in the organization. Forexample, one woman executive in thebanking sector stated: “If there aren’twomen at the top [it] means . . . thecontributions of women are less valued.You have to draw that conclusion.”According to another woman executive inthe communications sector, “If you don’tsee any women in [senior management]positions, it’s pretty demoralizing foryounger women coming in.”
Moreover, having women in seniorexecutive positions provides role modelsand mentors for other employees. As wewill see later in this report, mentors areseen to play an essential role in facilitat-ing advancement in organizations.
No Gender DifferencesHaving documented executives’ views
regarding the strengths women bring toorganizations, it should be noted that notall executives agree that there are differ-ences between men and women manag-ers. Twenty-four per cent of the chiefexecutives disagreed that men andwomen differ in their leadership andmanagement capabilities. Ten per centof women executives shared this view.Statements advanced that typify thisview include the following:• gender is not linked to leadership
or change within an organization;• gender stereotypes reflect social
platitudes;• gender differences are no longer
evident among younger managers;• both men and women fit gender
stereotypes; and• any differences attributable to gender
are likely a function of the job, notthe person.
This view was captured by one chiefexecutive who stated:
I’ve heard it argued that women bring asofter approach to the board table. For thetwo senior women executives that I’veworked with, this is not the case. . . . Inother words, perhaps through the processthey have tended to be more hard-nosed.Maybe that’s been necessary in order toachieve that position. Maybe the selec-tion process is such that you don’t get tothe executive floor unless you’re con-cerned with these other issues. . . . I betif you did a personality profile of seniorexecutive women, you’d find [similar]behaviour [to that of men], if they arerunning a line organization.
A growing body of research, includingour own, supports the argument thatgender diversity in the senior management
Twenty-four per centof the chief executivesdisagreed that menand women differin their leadershipand managementcapabilities.
Gender diversityin the seniormanagementteam improvesorganizationalperformance.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
13 The Conference Board of Canada
team improves organizational perform-ance. Therefore, the belief that men andwomen do not differ may imply that ifwomen hope to reach the executive floor,they may need to emulate the behaviourof men. According to the majority ofexecutives we spoke with, both men andwomen bring particular strengths toorganizations. Cultures or ways ofmanaging that recognize and build onthe strengths and differences, many ofour respondents argued, translate intoreal benefits for the organization.
Retaining and Attracting WomenManagers: What Do Women ExecutivesLook for in an Organization?
Both the survey and interview phasesof the research point to gender differ-ences—differences that executivessuggest contribute to organizationalperformance. Given that the majority ofexecutives perceived benefits associatedwith having women on the executiveteam, it is essential that the organizationbe attractive to capable, ambitious women.If organizations are to capitalize on thedifferences between men and women,it is also important that members of theexecutive team be sensitive to thoseaspects of the workplace that womenexecutives value. This section providesinformation that will help organizationsunderstand the characteristics of afemale-friendly workplace.
What Are the Attributes of Female-Friendly Organizations?
How do women executives define afemale-friendly workplace? Open-endedinterviews with 40 senior women pro-vided some insights. Women character-ized a healthy female-friendly workenvironment as one in which:• women and visible minorities
are promoted;
• managers encourage women to seekadvancement;
• requests for promotion are not mini-mized (e.g., “you are simply not ready”);
• personal assumptions about careerintentions are not made (e.g., assum-ing a mother and wife is less inter-ested in an international assignment);
• opportunities exist to discuss ideas;• high-potential candidates are sent
clear signals about opportunitieswithin the organization;
• fear, intimidation and “workaholism”are minimized;
• entrepreneurial endeavoursare rewarded;
• rewards recognize more than thenumber of hours worked;
• new ideas and innovative thinkingare fostered;
• a flat organizational structure exists;• managers are sensitive to the need for
flexibility in order to manage workand family demands; and
• ethical business practices and profes-sional behaviour are valued.
These are the characteristics that manywomen look for from their firms. Havingsaid that, it is important to note that whatwomen seek from employers are the samethings that are valued by most employ-ees. The challenge for organizations is toensure that women managers and execu-tives experience these to the same extentas their male colleagues.
Why Do Women Leave Organizations?
Just as it is instructive for organiza-tions to understand the attributes offemale-friendly workplaces, they canalso benefit from understanding whatprompts women managers to leave. Inthe survey phase of the research, womenexecutives and senior managers wereasked a series of questions about theircareer intentions and what had led them
If organizations areto capitalize on thedifferences betweenmen and women,it is also importantthat members ofthe executive teambe sensitive tothose aspects ofthe workplace thatwomen executivesvalue.
What women seek fromemployers are the samethings that are valuedby most employees.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
14 The Conference Board of Canada
to terminate employment with theirprevious employers. As Table 3 illus-trates, the primary factors promptingwomen to leave were:• greater advancement opportunities
(95 per cent of respondents);• increased compensation (85 per cent
of respondents); and• lack of professional or executive
development (78 per cent ofrespondents).
A factor analysis was used to combinethe motives listed in Table 3 into a smallerset of underlying patterns or themes. Fivekey themes or motivators were found.These included:• career development;• workplace climate;• personal transitions;• professional transitions; and• work/life balance (e.g., less demand-
ing work environment/familydemands/health).
These themes or motives can be dividedinto those factors that pull women to newemployment and those that push women outthe door because of their current employ-ment situation. The most important of thesefactors relates to career development—afactor associated with the motivators ofseeking advancement opportunities, increas-ing compensation and enhancing executivedevelopment. The second-most importantreason is the push factor of workplaceclimate. Women leave their current situa-tions because of inhospitable corporatecultures, harassment and organizationalvalues that are incompatible with their own.Other professional and personal factors suchas work/life balance, self-employment andrelated professional and personal factorsappear to be secondary (see Exhibit 2).
Of interest in this context, womenexecutives were asked in the survey: Doyou aspire to a higher level or positionin your current organization?
Table 3
Motives Prompting Women to Leave
% of women executivesReason citing reason
Greater advancement opportunity elsewhere 95Increased compensation elsewhere 85Lack of professional development programs 78Incompatibility of culture and values 74To change industry or profession 62Inhospitable organizational culture 48To obtain higher education 32Internal harassment (e.g., encountered harassment or discrimination by colleague[s] or supervisor[s]) 27To seek self-employment or business ownership 26Family responsibilities 25Less demanding work environment 29To follow my spouse or partner 14Health-related 10External harassment (e.g., encountered harassment or discrimination by supplier[s] or client[s]) 11
Women leave theircurrent situationsbecause of inhospitablecorporate cultures,harassment andorganizational valuesthat are incompatiblewith their own.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
15 The Conference Board of Canada
Exhibit 2
Factors That Motivate Women Managers to Leave Organizations
Fifty-four per cent of all women execu-tives indicated that they aspire to a higherposition in their current organizations.The majority (65 per cent) of privatesector executives seek promotion; only39 per cent of public sector women seeksimilar advancement opportunities.Differences between private and publicsector women executives may relate tocompensation. Both groups report similarlevels of education, similar rank withintheir respective organizations and similarage profiles. Yet, public sector respondentswere paid considerably less than theirprivate sector counterparts. Fifty-one percent of public sector women surveyedearned less than $100,000, compared with16 per cent in the private sector.
Differences in the compensation ofexecutive-level managers also suggestthat experienced and ambitious womenexecutives in the public sector may beattracted to private sector employment.
This finding may have an implication forthe retention of talented women in thepublic sector as private sector employerscontinue to cast their nets in their effortsto attract scarce skills. (Profiles of womenexecutives and senior managers appearin Tables A2 and A3 of Appendix A.)
Supporting the Advancement,Retention and Development ofWomen in Canadian Organizations:What Really Works?
Attracting top talent is a key issue.But so, too, is ensuring that current andpotential employees perceive real oppor-tunities to grow and advance in theorganization. In this context, it is impor-tant that employers know what strategiesare the most effective in retaining talentand growing it within the firm.
Survey participants were asked toassess the impact of a variety of frequentlyused initiatives that organizations employ
Differences in thecompensation ofexecutive-levelmanagers alsosuggest thatexperienced andambitious womenexecutives in thepublic sector may beattracted to privatesector employment.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
16 The Conference Board of Canada
to support the development and advance-ment of women managers. Table 4 outlinesthe prevalence of these and their perceivedeffectiveness. Human resources profes-sionals were asked to rate the impact ofeach initiative on women’s career develop-ment within their organizations, whilewomen executives were asked to rate theimpact on their own careers.14
Survey participants were also askedto indicate whether their organizationmeasures aspects of corporate culture,identifies links between employee satis-faction and financial performance and(if so) also accounts for potential genderdifferences between employee satisfactionand performance. These findings aresummarized in Table 5.
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
14 These initiatives were categorized under three headings:measures (procedures that monitor quantitatively the careerpatterns of employees); policies (organization-wide standardized
procedures); and programs (activities that are designed to addressa particular need and/or employee assistance practices designedto enhance the careers and work/life balance of women).
Table 4
Prevalence and Average Ratings of Impact of Measures, Policies and Programs
% of Impact on own Impact on executiveorganizations career (women women’s careers
with initiative* executives)** (HR professionals)**
Related measuresTrack careers of high-potential women managers 54.5 2.4 2.8Monitor manager competency in fostering
workforce diversity 48.8 2.8 2.7Track promotions by gender 42.0 2.4 2.8Monitor termination by gender 36.7 2.2 2.6Monitor cross-functional appointments by gender 36.1 2.7 2.6Report employee satisfaction scores by gender 34.1 2.2 2.7
PoliciesPost internal jobs 82.6 3.0 3.8Encourage female recruitment at all levels 73.5 3.3 3.6Acknowledge community contributions 59.5 3.0 2.6Hold managers accountable for women’s advancement 41.0 2.6 2.6Use numerical targets for women’s advancement 38.0 2.3 2.4Evaluate performance criteria for gender bias(es) 31.3 2.2 2.6Examine performance evaluations for gender bias(es) 31.0 2.3 2.6
Programs(In)formal mentoring programs 70.6 3.3 3.2Flexible work/career arrangements 67.2 2.8 3.6Supplementary maternity benefits 53.3 2.9 3.5Family support programs 55.2 2.8 3.7Gender sensitivity training 48.7 2.7 3.0Support women’s networks/councils 41.6 2.3 2.5Women-only development programs 30.2 2.0 2.0
*Based on survey responses from women executives.**Ratings were based on a five-point scale where 5 = high effectiveness and 1 = low effectiveness.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
17 The Conference Board of Canada
Table 5
Prevalence of Initiatives That Monitor Corporate Culture and Link GenderDiversity to Performance
% of organizationswith initiative
Monitor aspects of organizational culture (private and public sector) 71.3
Link employee satisfaction and financial performance (private sector only) 51.4
Account for potential gender differences in the link between employee satisfactionand financial performance (private sector only) 17.7
Prevalence of InitiativesThe most prevalent initiatives are those
that target recruitment. According to thewomen surveyed, 83 per cent of organiza-tions post all job vacancies internally while74 per cent encourage female recruitmentat all levels of the organization. This isfortunate given that women executivesindicated that these two strategies had ahigh impact on their careers.
Almost half of the employers indicatedthat they monitor manager competency infostering workplace diversity. It is notclear, however, what criteria are used todetermine manager competency. Table 4shows that fewer than half the organiza-tions track promotions by gender (42 percent) or monitor termination rates andcross-functional appointments by gender(37 per cent and 36 per cent). Furthermore,given research that consistently finds linksbetween employee satisfaction and organi-zational performance,15 it is surprising thatonly half the private sector employers (51per cent) link employee satisfaction andfinancial performance. Very few privatesector organizations (18 per cent) accountfor potential gender differences (Table 5).
These findings suggest that, althoughmanager competency in fostering workforcediversity is viewed as important by at leasthalf of Canadian organizations, the meansof evaluating manager competency are notwell developed. For example, the absence ofinformation about links between employeesatisfaction, gender and performanceprecludes the ability of organizations tounderstand how (and whether) genderdiversity affects the bottom line. The lack ofdata also limits an organization’s ability toidentify internal concerns (e.g., perceivedattitudinal barriers) related to the fosteringof workplace diversity.
Analysis of the data by sector revealsthat private sector employers are signifi-cantly more likely to track the careers ofhigh-potential women (59.1 per centversus 48.5 per cent) and provide finan-cial support for women employee net-works and councils (46.1 per cent versus35.9 per cent). Public sector organizationswere significantly more likely thanprivate sector firms to offer flexible workor career arrangements (71.9 per centversus 63.6 per cent) and supplementarymaternity benefits (58.9 per cent versus
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
15 See Judith Gibson, Loyal Customers, Enthusiastic Employees andCorporate Performance. Understanding the Linkages (Ottawa: TheConference Board of Canada, May 1998).
Almost half of theemployers indicatedthat they monitormanager competencyin fostering workplacediversity.
Very few private sectororganizations (18 percent) account forpotential genderdifferences in the linkbetween employeesatisfaction andfinancial performance.
The means ofevaluating managercompetency infostering workforcediversity are notwell developed.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
18 The Conference Board of Canada
49.1 per cent). These findings hint thatwhile some private sector firms continueto monitor women’s career progress,public sector employers focus on pro-grams that have more direct benefits forwomen. Given the significantly higherpercentage of senior women managersamong public sector organizations,flexible work arrangements and supple-mentary maternity benefits may beparticularly effective in retaining newmothers and women who seek workflexibility at certain points in their careers.
Perceived Effectiveness of Initiatives
When looking at the perceived effec-tiveness of the various initiatives, the firstfinding to note is that human resourcesprofessionals consistently rated theimpact of most initiatives higher than didwomen executives. Marginal differenceswere found in the perceived impact ofmonitoring manager competency, formaland informal mentoring programs, andmonitoring cross-functional appoint-ments. Human resources executives alsotended to rank initiatives that focus onfamily and work/life balance as the mosteffective for women’s careers. Womenexecutives, in contrast, placed a priorityon initiatives relating to career advance-ment and professional development.These findings raise the question ofwhether human resources professionals
recognize what has worked for seniorwomen. For example, women executivesranked acknowledging communitycontributions in performance evaluationssignificantly higher than did humanresources professionals. The top-rankedprograms are summarized in Table 6.
Further analysis of these data wasdone to investigate the association be-tween the presence of these initiativesand the percentage of women on seniormanagement teams. Organizations werecoded as “high” or “low” based on themedian percentage of women memberson the senior management team com-pared with the median percentage ofwomen in their respective industrygrouping (see Table 1). Two initiativeswere statistically associated with organi-zations that have a relatively “high”percentage of women on the seniormanagement team. These were (1) moni-toring manager competency in fosteringworkforce diversity and (2) policies thatacknowledge community contribution inperformance reviews.
This finding suggests that monitoringmanager competency in fosteringworkforce diversity has a relatively highimpact on the organization’s success inadvancing women to the senior manage-ment team. Acknowledging communitycontributions may be an indication thatthose organizations that score “high” on
Table 6
Top-Ranked Initiatives That Support Women’s Professional Development
According to women executives According to human resources professionals
1. (In)formal mentoring 1. Post internal jobs1. Encourage female recruitment at all levels 2. Family support programs2. Post internal jobs 3. Supplementary maternity benefits2. Acknowledge community contributions 3. Flexible work/career arrangements3. Supplementary maternity benefits 5. Encourage female recruitment at all levels
Women executivesplaced a priority oninitiatives relating tocareer advancementand professionaldevelopment.
Monitoring managercompetency in fosteringworkforce diversity hasa relatively high impacton the organization’ssuccess in advancingwomen to the seniormanagement team.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
19 The Conference Board of Canada
the percentage of women on the seniormanagement team also value employee’stime outside their place of employment.This finding is consistent with results thatwill be discussed shortly, results thatshow that demonstrated commitment towork/life balance is a priority of womenexecutives when evaluating the ability ofan organization to foster gender diversity.
How Are These Initiatives Implemented?
In-depth interviews with chief execu-tives and human resources professionalswere conducted to learn more about howthese initiatives are implemented. Onlycomments from executives from organi-zations with a high percentage of womenon the senior management team areincluded. This process allowed us toprobe more deeply the factors that arecritical to successfully advancing women.
In most cases, fostering diversity wasreported to be a strategic objective of theexecutive team. This ensures that theadvancement of women is a priority forall managers in the organization. Ad-equate financial and human resources arealso required to support related initia-tives. During the start-up phases, advi-sory groups usually report directly to thechief executive. Chief executives alsostated that change depends on settingclear expectations and targets and estab-lishing some sort of monitoring processes.
This observation is consistent withthe survey findings, particularly thoserelated to monitoring manager compe-tency in fostering workforce diversity.According to these executives it is alsoimportant to monitor employees’ percep-tions about workplace culture, includingemployee satisfaction. Monitoring em-ployee satisfaction provides the seniormanagement team with ongoing, objec-tive feedback about the workplace cultureand the long-term, perceived value of
various diversity initiatives. It alsoprovides a mechanism to identify and,hence, address negative attitudes aboutdiversity in the workplace.
When asked what advice they wouldoffer to other senior executives seekingto promote the advancement of womenin their organization, chief executivesand women managers offered thefollowing suggestions:• hold managers accountable for gender
diversity results;• employ pay structures that ensure
managers meet financial and behav-ioural outcomes (behavioural out-comes include aspects of teamwork,the ability to challenge the status quo,success in retaining employees andcreation of innovative partnershipsand diverse teams);
• post all job vacancies and encouragewomen to apply;
• acknowledge community contributionin performance evaluations;
• conduct employee surveys thatinclude explicit gender-related ques-tions (sample questions are presentedin Exhibit 3); and
• track high-potential candidates,promotions, voluntary and involun-tary terminations, cross-functionalappointments and internationalassignments by gender.
The following comments, drawn fromthe interviews, reflect these suggestions.
We thought that if we created awarenessthrough an education process, managerswould eventually do the right thing.That didn’t happen. We are nowembarking on a completely differentcourse that has targets, measurementsand pretty tough reporting—the wayline managers are typically used toreporting their business results.(Human resources professional, finance)
Chief executivesstate that changedepends on settingclear expectationsand targets andestablishing somesort of monitoringprocesses.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
20 The Conference Board of Canada
We don’t set quotas. Rather, we monitorthe growth of females in the serviceprovider network, and it’s done glo-bally, as well as on an as-needed basis.As a result, we have a thrust on campushiring to make sure that we are lookingat all the candidates. I know how we aredoing corporately around the world. . . .The pay structure is made up of twoaxes. The bottom axis is the outcome ofmeeting financial targets. The verticalone is behaviour. . . . If you end up witha zero on behaviour and you’re wonder-ful on financial outcomes, you don’tget a bonus.(Chief executive, telecommunications)
In summary, organizations that demon-strate results in advancing women to theexecutive team report that success is predi-cated on executive commitment and strate-gies that hold senior managers accountablefor financial and behavioural outcomes.Additional tips to enhance gender diversityinitiatives are presented in Appendix B.
Toward a Gender Diversity Scorecard
What factors make an organization“best in class” for Canadian women? Tohelp organizations learn about progressand priorities with respect to genderdiversity, the following section presentsinitial findings that will lead to thedevelopment of a gender diversity
scorecard, a tool that corporations can useto assess how they stand relative to whatis important to senior women.
The following preliminary informationcan immediately assist organizations inprioritizing initiatives designed to attractkey talent and ensure a diverse, equitableworkplace. Future publications will build onthis information and provide concrete toolsto assist organizations in becoming attractiveto women and in ensuring they achieve theirgoals vis-à-vis women’s advancement.
To initiate development of such ascorecard, the survey asked womenexecutives to rate the importance of eachof several indicators of corporate per-formance relating to gender diversity.The benchmarks have been developedfrom the input of almost 400 womenexecutives. The scores listed indicate theweightings that women executives accordto various aspects of gender diversity.Table 7 summarizes the average scoresaccorded each of the index criteria.
The Critical Factor—Chief ExecutiveCommitment
An important early finding is thatchief executive commitment to genderdiversity is of initial importance towomen executives. They see this as thenumber one criterion for assessing anorganization’s ability to foster careeropportunities for women.
Exhibit 3
Tracking Employee Attitudes About Gender in the Workplace
The following (scaled) criteria illustrate the type of gender-related information on corporate culture that organizationsnow track (criteria are drawn from a sample of employee surveys used by “best practice” employers):• People are treated with respect regardless of gender.• My manager makes me feel that I contribute to the organization.• Men and women have equal opportunity for advancement.• An employee can take maternity or paternity leave without fear that opportunities for advancement will suffer.• I am paid fairly compared with co-workers in my company doing similar jobs.• I am paid fairly compared with employees in the industry who do a similar job.
Organizations thatdemonstrate resultsin advancing womento the executive teamreport that success ispredicated on executivecommitment andstrategies that holdsenior managersaccountable forfinancial andbehaviouraloutcomes.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
21 The Conference Board of Canada
Table 7
Corporate Gender Diversity Performance Dimensions
Average importanceCorporate performance dimensions (N=393) rating*
Demonstrated CEO commitment 4.45Demonstrated commitment to work/life balance 4.20Demonstrated support for dependant care responsibilities 4.09Programs are available to attract and retain women at all levels of the organization 4.05Report on the percentage of men and women across earning categories 4.04Monitor harassment complaint resolution 4.02Publish harassment and discrimination policies 3.99Monitor the number (percentage) of women in high-profile assignments (e.g., international
postings, heading new divisions) 3.94Carry out periodic organizational audits to assess systemic barriers 3.94Report retention, turnover, termination rates by gender 3.71Report percentage of women at all levels 3.67Provide gender sensitivity training for all managers 3.55Monitor potential gender bias in performance evaluations 3.54Track employee satisfaction by gender 3.53Track participation in professional development programs by gender 3.45Acknowledge/reward community contributions 3.43Establish special initiatives to identify and resolve gender issues
(e.g., task forces, networks) 3.34Establish usage and perceived value of employee assistance programs by gender 3.26Establish numerical targets for female representation at all levels 2.75
*Based on a five-point scale where 5 signifies “extremely important” and 1 signifies “extremely unimportant.”
Given that demonstrated chief execu-tive commitment is viewed as critical tosuccess, women executives and chiefexecutives were asked during the inter-view phase of the research to describe therole of a chief executive officer in effect-ing change for women. According tothese respondents, chief executives thatchampion gender diversity initiatives,by acknowledging to all employees thatdiversity is an important managementissue, help to build organizational com-mitment to diversity. Women executivesand chief executives describe demonstratedcommitment as:• making explicit statements about the
need to advance women;• recognizing gender differences in
contribution and management style;
• ensuring all promotions are based on merit;• actively participating in initiatives
designed to enhance career opportuni-ties for women; and
• not accepting excuses for a lack ofwomen at all levels in their organization.
One chief executive in the energysector stated:
My responsibilities include ensuringthat high-potential women are on thelist and that the list is reviewed twicea year. I now hold senior managersaccountable with goals and measures,and we now measure diversity annu-ally. I think that it’s important to stressthat you have to have clear articulationof a policy and that the policy hasbeen developed.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
22 The Conference Board of Canada
Another chief executive of an educa-tional institution ensured that genderdiversity was part and parcel of hisstrategic planning priorities:
Part of our policy is inherent withinour strategic planning process. But nopolicy in and of itself is effective unlessthe policy is supported by the adminis-tration. I have to set expectations. If youdon’t have set expectations emanatingfrom the CEO, then people will con-tinue to do what they’ve done before,or will take for granted that there is nooperative agenda to support genderissues. I think that it really is theresponsibility of the CEO to stateclearly, when you have inequities,that you expect those inequities tobe addressed.
Commitment to Work/Life Balance
The results also indicate that work/lifebalance is a priority for women executives.That women ranked support for work/lifebalance, including dependant care, veryhigh may appear inconsistent with theearlier finding that family issues aresecondary to career development andworkplace climate. One interpretation ofthe above ranking is that women executivesexpect to work in settings that support botha healthy professional and personal life.Demonstrated work/life balance andsupport for dependant care responsibilitiesare signals that the organization valuespersonal time and that the employees’personal responsibilities are important.
Further analysis was done to investi-gate differences in the weighting of thesedimensions between executive womenwho do and do not live full-time withchildren. This information is valuable
given that commitment to family respon-sibilities is often cited as a barrier towomen’s advancement.16 Further analysisindicates that those women executiveswho live full-time with children (51 percent of respondents) considered trackingemployee satisfaction by gender; report-ing retention, employee turnover andtermination rates by gender; and demon-strated support for dependant careresponsibilities to be significantly moreimportant than did women executiveswithout children. These results hint thatexecutives who live full-time with chil-dren are more concerned with job satis-faction, turnover and demonstratedsupport in helping to manage both theirprofessional and domestic responsibilities.Organizations that attend to these issuesare more likely to retain women managerswho have child-related responsibilities.
The top-ranked gender diversityperformance measures for women execu-tives who do and do not have full-timechildcare responsibilities are listed inTable 8. It is noteworthy that all womenexecutives ranked the monitoring ofharassment complaint resolutions as akey indicator of corporate performanceand commitment related to genderdiversity. While some might assume thatconcerns about employee harassment nolonger exist for women managers whohave made it into the executive suite,these findings suggest otherwise. Onepossible explanation for this can beinferred from the factors that promptedwomen to leave their previous employer.Twenty-seven per cent of the womenexecutives indicated that they had en-countered harassment and discriminationby colleague(s) and/or supervisor(s). Thesedata strongly suggest that harassment and
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
16 See Paulette Gerkovich Griffith, Judith MacBride-King andBickley Townsend, Closing the Gap. Women’s Advancement in
Corporate and Professional Canada (Ottawa: The ConferenceBoard of Canada and Catalyst, 1997).
Women executivesexpect to work insettings that supportboth a healthyprofessional andpersonal life.
Twenty-seven percent of the womenexecutives indicatedthat they hadencounteredharassment anddiscrimination bycolleague(s) and/orsupervisor(s).
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
23 The Conference Board of Canada
Table 8
Top-Ranked Gender Diversity Performance Measures
Women executives with full-time child- Women executives with no full-time child-care responsibilities care responsibilities
1. Demonstrated CEO commitment 1. Demonstrated CEO commitment2. Demonstrated commitment to work/life balance 2. Demonstrated commitment to work/life balance3. Demonstrated support for dependant care responsibilities 3. Monitor harassment complaint resolution4. Programs are available to attract and retain women at 4. Publish harassment and discrimination policies
all levels 5. Programs are available to attract and retain5. Monitor harassment complaint resolution women at all levels of the organization
discrimination of women managers isworthy of more attention.
Organizations that are seen to becommitted to advancing the careers ofwomen are in the enviable position ofbeing able to attract top female candi-dates. Demonstrated success has evolvedfrom consistent executive commitment toadvancing women in the organization.
Conclusion
This study finds that Canadian execu-tives perceive gender differences in theleadership style and management be-haviour of men and women executives.“Best practice” organizations (organiza-tions with a high percentage of womenon the executive team) understand andcapitalize on these gender differences.They are also more likely to addressperceived inequalities in the workplaceand have not left gender diversity tochance. The in-depth interviews foundthat they actively seek to understandemployees’ workplace experiences,monitor employee opinion, gatherfeedback about gender-focused policiesand programs, and (most importantly)review internal employment statisticson an ongoing basis.
Canadian women business leaders inorganizations with a high percentage ofwomen on the executive team suggest
that organizations can better attract,develop and retain women by:• identifying high-potential women,
tracking their career progress andsending clear signals to them abouttheir opportunities;
• standardizing tracking that monitorspotential gender differences in volun-tary and involuntary turnover, promo-tions, stretch-assignments and interna-tional and high-profile positions;
• conducting employee surveys thatexplicitly query gender differences inworkplace culture; and
• demonstrating organizational supportfor work/life balance and dependant care.
Women executives also clearly seekstrong commitment from their chiefexecutives. Commitment is voiced as:• explicit statements about the need
to advance women;• recognizing gender differences in
contribution and management style;• ensuring all promotions are based on
merit; and• active participation in initiatives
designed to enhance career opportuni-ties for women.
The attributes of female-friendlyorganizations were also described.
The study has also shown that aperceived lack of advancement oppor-tunity (including compensation and
Organizations witha high percentage ofwomen in the executiveteam have not leftgender diversityto chance.
Perceived lackof advancementopportunity(includingcompensationand professionaldevelopment) isthe primary reasonwomen managersleave the organization.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
24 The Conference Board of Canada
professional development) is the primaryreason women managers leave theorganization. With the tightening marketfor scarce skills, talented women manag-ers will seek opportunities through flight,rather than having to fight dated precon-ceptions about their ability and contribu-tion to the organization.
For those organizations that fostergender diversity at all levels of theorganization, the rewards are great—bottom-line results, lower turnover andemployment branding that is attractiveto talented, successful women, the kindof employees that all Canadian organiza-tions seek.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
25 The Conference Board of Canada
APPENDIX A: SUPPLEMENTARY TABLES
Table A1
Range in the Proportion of Women in Senior Management Positions by IndustrySector
Women on senior executive team*
Sector Median % Minimum % Maximum %
Public Sector (N=157) 40.0Health & social services (N=47) 50.0 14 86Education (N=38) 40.0 0 83Provincial government departments (N=35) 35.3 15 80Federal government departments (N=23) 33.3 0 56NGOs & other public sector organizations (N=14) 35.4 11 67
Private Sector (N=200) 20.0Equipment manufacturing (e.g., electrical, machinery,transportation; N=10) 26.1 0 38Communications & telecommunications (N=19) 25.0 5 86Consumer goods (N=14) 24.3 0 50Other manufacturing (N=22) 20.2 0 50Finance, insurance, real estate (N=54) 20.0 0 67Transportation services (N=9) 18.2 0 43Other private sector services (N=20) 16.7 0 50Energy (N=10) 15.5 0 43Retail & wholesale (N=10) 13.5 0 56Professional services (N=14) 26.7 2 67Primary industries (metals, wood, chemicals; N=18) 12.8 0 63
*Based on survey data collected from chief executives, human resources professionals and women executives. “N” represents the number oforganizations by industry grouping.
Table A2
Profile of Women Executives and Senior Managers (N=391)
Age (%) Live full-time with partner or spouse (%)Under 35 5 Yes 7335–39 13 No 2740–44 28 Live full-time with children45–49 25 Yes 5150–54 18 No 4955–59 7 Live part-time with children60–64 3 Yes 1265+ <1 No 82
Sole parentReporting level (%) Yes 17One; report to CEO 64 No 83Two 26 Elder care responsibilitiesThree 7 Yes 21Four 3 No 79
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
26 The Conference Board of Canada
Table A3
Profile of Women Executives and Senior Managers by Sector (N=391)
% in private sector % in public sector
EducationLess than undergraduate 11 8Undergraduate 19 18Graduate 35 57Professional accreditation 32 12Other 3 5
Compensation< $75,000 8 17$75,000 to < $100,000 8 34$100,000 to < $200,000 53 43$200,000 to < $300,000 18 4$300,000 to < $400,000 7 1> $400,000 6 <1
Table A4
Organizational Revenues
% in % inAnnual revenue of employing organization private sector public sector
< $50 million 15.6 27.5$50 million to < $200 million 11.8 32.5$200 million to < $1 billion 36.1 28.8$1 billion to < $5 billion 25.1 2.5> $5 billion 11.4 8.8
Table A5
Profile of Chief Executives and Human Resources Professionals
% in private sector % in public sectorChief Human resources Chief Human resources
executives professionals executives professionals
GenderFemale 6 48 40 59Male 94 52 60 41
AgeUnder 35 0 3 0 435 to 39 13 16 3 1140 to 44 6 24 8 1145 to 49 15 18 12 3550 to 54 26 21 42 3355 to 59 26 13 27 460 to 64 11 5 8 265 + 3 0 0 3
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
27 The Conference Board of Canada
Table A6
Women Executives’ and Chief Executives’ Rating of Gender Diversity Progress
% of women % of chief % of HRPrivate sector respondents executives executives professionals
Gender balance in senior management currently existsin my organizationAgree 37 27 14Neither agree or disagree 13 14 9Disagree 50 60 77
The executive team in my organization is consciousof gender-related barriersAgree 38 65 49Neither agree or disagree 26 21 24Disagree 36 14 27
A lack of executive commitment to women’s advancementlimited women’s progress in my organizationAgree 34 29 38Neither agree or disagree 24 23 16Disagree 42 49 46
My organization has shown leadership in supportingthe advancement of women in managementAgree 57 53 49Neither agree or disagree 18 32 29Disagree 25 15 22
Public sector respondents
Gender balance in senior management currentlyexists in my organizationAgree 55 56 55Neither agree or disagree 11 10 4Disagree 34 34 41
The executive team in my organization is consciousof gender-related barriersAgree 47 84 67Neither agree or disagree 30 8 23Disagree 23 8 10
A lack of executive commitment to women’s advancementlimited women’s progress in my organizationAgree 17 28 21Neither agree or disagree 22 5 15Disagree 61 67 64
My organization has shown leadership in supportingthe advancement of women in managementAgree 66 53 77Neither agree or disagree 21 32 13Disagree 13 15 10
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
28 The Conference Board of Canada
The following list summarizes advice provided by the executives interviewed in thisstudy. These tips will help to ensure that initiatives designed to support the advancement,development and retention of talented women have high impact on their career success.
Measures
Tracking high-potential • Establish clear criteria regarding what constitutes a high-women potential employee. Ensure that these criteria are not
gender-biased. For example, review what behavioursconstitute demonstrated leadership.
• Send a clear message to high-potential candidates abouttheir potential in the organization.
• Do not assume you know your employees’ careerintentions—ask. Several women executives indicatedthat their chances for international work would havebeen overlooked if they had not clearly indicated tosenior management that they would seek otherinternational employment unless this developmentopportunity was provided by the organization.
Monitoring manager • Base performance on standardized criteria. This requirescompetency ongoing tracking of employees (e.g., hiring, retention,
number of grievances and complaints).
Monitoring cross-functional • Ensure that, each year, performance evaluationsappointments/promotions document employees’ career intentions and interest in
participating in career development activities such asgraduate business education programs, stretch-assignments, transfers, international assignmentsand cross-functional appointments.
Reporting employee • Ensure that organizational policy requires gendersatisfaction breakdowns on all employee surveys.
• Ensure that employee attitude surveys askgender-explicit questions.
Other tips • Track and compare Canadian and internationalresults. A number of organizations have establishedstandardized, international measures to track aspects ofdiversity. These executives indicated that their Canadianoperation was setting worldwide performance bench-marks. This may be an opportunity to showcaseexpertise and demonstrate leadership in fostering genderdiversity for global partners.
• Use user-friendly technology. Best-practiceorganizations have moved to telephone and Web-sitesurveys to ensure quick turnaround of survey results.
APPENDIX B: PRACTICAL TIPS TO ENHANCE
GENDER DIVERSITY INITIATIVES
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
29 The Conference Board of Canada
Policies
Acknowledging • Recognize community contributions in performancecommunity contributions evaluations and outstanding individuals in newsletters,
on the Web site and through annual “citizen” awards.
Holding managers • Use financial and behavioural outcomes to measureaccountable performance. Behaviours measured can include the
ability to challenge the status quo and effect change, aswell as those involved in hiring a diverse work team,team building, retaining employees and buildinginnovative partnerships.
Targets for women’s • Use targets to determine performance benchmarks foradvancement gender diversity within each division or department.
Examine performance • Monitor performance ratings, promotions and retentionevaluations for bias in order to identify and respond to “hot spots” in
the organization.
Evaluate performance • Use employee focus groups to identify performancecriteria for gender bias criteria that systematically disadvantage women.
Best-practice organizations indicate that this process isparticularly valuable.
Programs
Posting all internal jobs • Ensure internal electronic posting of all internal jobnotifications.
(In)formal mentoring • Following the introduction of a formal program,consider establishing informal mentoring programswithin and outside the organization. Programs caninclude alternative mentoring models (e.g., electronicmentoring, matchmaking outside the organization).The terms and conditions of the mentoring relationshipshould be specified.
Flexible work/career • Make available case studies (drawn from all levels of thearrangements organization) that outline program benefits and limitations.
Supplementary • Ensure that program information includes a calculationmaternity benefits of the taxable benefit to the employee, including income
tax “clawbacks” on insurable earnings.
Family support programs • Enable employees to draw from a roster of employeebenefits rather than a standard package.
• Evaluate potential gender differences in program take-up. The assessment should consider family composition(e.g., single parent, dual income). Monitor employees’attitudes about workplace culture to ensure thatperceptions match work/life program and policyexpectations.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
30 The Conference Board of Canada
Gender sensitivity training • Train business units together to ensure that allemployees are aware of expected behaviour. Casestudies can also reflect sector or departmental issues.
• Make participation mandatory for all employeesincluding the chief executive and members of the seniormanagement team.
• Incorporate training into the orientation program fornew employees.
• Support training of employees as program facilitators(both men and women).
• Employ expert co-facilitators.• In designing programs, include strategies for managing
conflict resolution, adapting individual and specialneeds to corporate performance requirements, andavoiding role stereotyping.
Women’s networks • Recognize that building diversity requires executiveand councils attention and financial resources.
• Seek ongoing collaboration between councils and/ornetworks and ensure senior management recognizethis as a valuable contribution to the leadershipof the organization.
• Ensure councils and networks function independentlyfrom human resources. They are intended tocomplement special advisory groups and/or taskforces on gender diversity.
Women-only development • Present this as a choice in a portfolio of training anddevelopment options.
• Ensure that women-only programs do not requiremore justification than similar requests forprofessional development.
Other tips • Undertake an organization-wide needs assessment inorder to identify generic and departmental issues. Thisalso enables organizations to capture baseline data andbenchmark employees’ attitudes and perceptions aboutworkplace culture.
• Ensure that adequate financial and managementresources are in place following the needs assessment inorder to ensure a quick response to employees’ concerns.
• Incorporate gender diversity programs into continuousimprovement and total quality management programs.
• Ensure budgets provide for (ongoing) post-trainingevaluations of program impacts.
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
......
..
31 The Conference Board of Canada
APPENDIX C: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
In the fall of 1999 and winter of 2000, The Conference Board of Canada’s Centre ofExcellence for Women’s Advancement mailed an eight-page questionnaire to 1,240women executives who held the title of vice-president or higher (or equivalent titles).The sample included women in large Canadian corporations; professional service firms(e.g., law, accounting, general management consulting); federal, provincial and municipalgovernment departments and agencies; post-secondary educational institutions; healthinstitutions; and not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations. A similar surveywas forwarded to 719 human resources professionals and 840 chief executive officersemployed in these organizations. Of the women executives surveyed, 393 responded,for a 32 per cent response rate. Of the human resource professionals surveyed, 130responded, for a 16 per cent response rate. Of the chief executives, 107 responded,for a 15 per cent response rate.
The survey information was augmented by in-depth telephone interviews conductedwith 40 women executives, 26 human resources professionals and 28 chief executivesfrom organizations with a high proportion of women on the senior managementand executive team. All interviews were taped, transcribed, coded and analysed usingNUD*IST (Non-Numerical Unstructured Data — Indexing, Searching, Theorizing)software. This software is specifically designed for the analysis of qualitative information.
• AT&T Canada Corporation• Bank of Montreal• Bell Canada and Bell ActiMedia• Canada Post Corporation• Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce
• Canadian Pacific Limited• Deloitte & Touche LLP• Sears Canada Inc.• Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat• Xerox Canada Ltd.
255 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M7 Canada • Telephone: (613) 526-3280 Fax: (613) 526-4857Internet: http://www.conferenceboard.ca
Charter member organizations of the Centre of Excellence for Women’s Advancement include: