Hot Topic: Women in Leadership
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Executive Gender Diversity that Builds Organizational Performance
Studies show that when there is the right balance of women and men in executive roles, their organisations gain a new competitive edge that improves performance. But few organisations know how to develop and support the kind of behaviors among their women leaders that create that edge.
For the past decade, Viventé has been designing and implementing solutions that develop Women in Leadership so they can realize their potential for middle management and senior roles. At this blog, we’ll be sharing a bit of what we’ve learned so you can start building this advantage in your own organization.
In our experience, one of the determining factors to women realizing their potential in organizations is the genuine sponsorship of senior executives. If you’re ready to progress this issue as part of your talent strategy, please download and read “How to Optimise the Benefits of Women in Leadership,” available in the box on the right.
Much has been written about the barriers women experience to realising their potential as leaders in organisations. Usually the barriers are explained either as the result of gender differences in socialisation and/or social roles and expectations, or from a biological perspective involving reproductive differences. So I was fascinated to read the neurohormonal view from Louann … Read More…
Over the years that Viventé has been working in the Women in Leadership arena, we have seen many organisations tackle the challenge of engaging men in the agenda. The ever-expanding body of knowledge that articulates the challenges for women and builds the business case for Women in Leadership only ensures that male leaders know about … Read More…
Organisations making early moves to increase the number of women in senior positions often believe they have made a huge step forward when they appoint their first woman to a key role. But there’s likely to be an unintended downside. In too many cases, it proves not to be an achievement at all. That’s because, … Read More…
Where are the women who believe they should “get ahead” just because they are women, rather than because of their contribution and performance? A single example would be hard to find. Often in our work, we hear executives genuinely and proudly describe their values of meritocracy as evidenced in their performance criteria, how they select … Read More…
We are often asked, “If networking is an important vehicle for landing senior leadership or board roles and women are recognised as having strengths in building teams, networks and communities, how is it that their strong networking skills aren’t moving them ahead?” Part of the answer lies in the fact that, while women do tend … Read More…
In our work with clients, contacts and the broader community, we see many organisations eager to take advantage of the benefits women in leadership can bring to their long-term success. In the eagerness to get started, a diversity manager is often appointed; however, the key element of success too often is missed: the executive team … Read More…
One day, Viventé’s Peter Ivett attended a meeting with a client in an industry sector that traditionally is skewed towards males. As they discussed different aspects of corporate culture, the client brought up the issue of Women in Leadership. This caught Peter somewhat by surprise. In this organisation, he had not encountered many women in … Read More…
Two forces are intensifying the scrutiny placed on companies’ performance regarding gender equity: The new ASX requirement for publicly listed companies in Australia to “adopt and disclose a diversity policy that includes measurable objectives relating to gender” and The recently-announced government reforms to the Equal Opportunity for Women in Work Agency in Australia Reporting. This … Read More…
Many businesses in Australia today are so tightly focused on creating short-term results that they are not developing their organisations for long-term success. Those committed to strengthening their sustainability find they must measure their performance against criteria in addition to short-term financial performance. When they approach critical measures of leadership style, they discover that male … Read More…
A study by Peter Berry and Associates (2008) involving more than 1800 Australian male and female executives and managers found that overall, women have a stronger personality type than men for senior executive and management roles when measured on eight dimensions. On the key issue of strategic drive, female executives scored higher than males. The … Read More…
