The internal pipeline of executive female talent currently feeding into Board positions is not strong. The 30% Club’s aim of Boards having at least 30% female representation by the end of 2015 currently relies on appointing more female Non-Executive Directors.
Enlightened organisations are dismantling structural barriers, addressing bias and providing professional development opportunities to help more women progress. At senior levels, women are alive to this support, committed to career progression and loyal to the organisation, but they still miss out on promotion.
Board and ExCo need to line up their actions behind their words on gender diversity by:
- unlocking the power of data to manage their talent pipeline
- showing authenticity about whether this is a strategically critical priority
- being accountable for any corporate commitments
- encouraging responsibility for delivering change at all levels in their organisation
‘What gets measured gets done’ is only partly true on this issue. The business case for gender diversity is rarely established at a local level. Women still feel that the burden of proving the case for change on this issue rests with them.
There are more similarities than differences between men and women at work. Yet the marginal differences appear to predict markedly dissimilar career outcomes for men and for women. Organisations need to provide more targeted support to women on:
- long range career navigation
- building a strategic portfolio of experience
- conveying Board-readiness
Excuses that rely on any of the myths dispelled in this research will no longer work. It is time for a concerted effort by women and men to address the shocking statistic that a man is 4.5 times more likely to make it into an ExCo role than a woman starting out at the same time.
Please read the full report here : Cracking the Code
