Gender diversity and breaking through the glass ceiling September 2015
1. All you wanted to know about
gender diversity and breaking through
the glass ceiling
by Toronto Training and HR
September 2015
2. CONTENTS
3-4 Introduction
5-6 Definitions
7-9 The business case for gender diversity
10-12 Myths and reality
13-14 Second-generation gender bias
15-16 Patterns of gender bias
17-20 Strategies for overcoming bias
19-20 Dimensions of job satisfaction in call centres
21-22 Igniting gender equality in the world of work
23-24 Development payoffs of gender-specific jobs strategies
25-26 How to be more effective and feel more comfortable
27-28 Gendered characteristics
29-31 Leadership characteristics; how men compare to women
32-33 Adopting a more gender intelligent approach
34-35 Explanations generated for the glass cliff
36-37 Reasons why the class ceiling exists
38-39 How women rationalize working under a glass ceiling
40-44 Sponsorship and the glass ceiling
45-46 The glass ceiling in France and Turkey
47-48 Female labour force participation around the world
49-50 Conclusion, summary and questions
Page 2
4. Page 4
Introduction to Toronto Training
and HR
Toronto Training and HR is a specialist training and
human resources consultancy headed by Timothy Holden
10 years in banking
15 years in training and human resources
Freelance practitioner since 2006
The core services provided by Toronto Training and HR
are:
Training event design
Training event delivery
HR support with an emphasis on reducing
costs, saving time plus improving employee
engagement and morale
Services for job seekers
8. The business
case for gender
diversity 1 of 2
• Economic benefits
including strong
financial performance
• Improved governance
• Ability to retain and
attract talent
• More innovation
• Enhanced client insight
• Strong performance on
non-financial indicators
• Improved board
effectivenessPage 8
9. The business
case for gender
diversity 2 of 2
Specific initiatives
• Female-friendly work
policies have been
shown to boost
profitability
• Gender diversity in
senior leadership has
been associated with
higher profits
• Kenyan and Vietnamese
examples
Page 9
11. Myths and
reality 1 of 2
• Women don’t aspire to
senior leadership roles
• Women don’t stick it out to
make it to the very top
• Childrearing stops women
getting to the top
• Women don’t get to the top
because they lack
confidence
• Women lack the leadership
qualities needed at the top
Page 11
12. Myths and
reality 2 of 2
• Women don’t have the
networks that open doors
• Senior women pull up the
career ladder behind them
• High potential programs are
fast tracking women
• Formal flexible working
arrangements ease women’s
route to the top
• The business case for
gender diversity is working
Page 12
18. Strategies for
overcoming
bias 1 of 3
• Form a posse
• Gender judo
• Strategic “No”
• Ask for help
• Be explicit
• Make an enemy into an
ally
Page 18
19. Strategies for
overcoming
bias 2 of 3
Specific initiatives to employ
• Stereotype awareness
training
• Outdated views need to
be changed
• More sponsorship for
women, especially high-
potential
• Change of culture
• Focus on competencies
• Ensure leadership
commitment
Page 19
20. Strategies for
overcoming
bias 3 of 3
Specific initiatives to employ
• Hire outside the C-suite
• Recruit beyond traditional
networks
• Increase the number of
women in the pipeline
• Adopt formal board
policies
• Ensure there is an
impartial nominating
committee
Page 20
22. Igniting gender
equality in the
world of work
• Integrate gender into
jobs diagnostics
• Level the playing field
through government
actions across the
lifecycle
• Proactive private
sector leadership and
innovation for gender
inequality
• Global action is
needed to fill
knowledge gapsPage 22
25. Page 25
How to be more effective
and feel more comfortable
26. How to be more
effective and
feel more
comfortable
• Master the ‘pre-
meeting’
• Prepare to speak
• Make your language
more muscular
• Keep an even keel
Page 26
30. Leadership
competencies
; how men
compare to
women 1 of 2
• Takes initiative
• Practices self-development
• Displays high integrity and
honesty
• Drives for results
• Develops others
• Inspires and motivates
others
• Builds relationships
• Collaboration and teamwork
• Establishes stretch goals
Page 30
31. Leadership
competencies;
how men
compare to
women 2 of 2
• Champions change
• Solves problems and
analyzes issues
• Communicates
powerfully and
prolifically
• Connects the group to
the outside world
• Innovates
• Technical or professional
expertise
• Develops strategic
perspective
37. Reasons
why the
glass ceiling
exists
• Social role and identity
theory
• Gender stereotyping and
unconscious discrimination
• Double bind hypothesis
• Family-work conflict and
women’s confidence
• Mentoring and networking
within the ‘old boys
network’
• Gender differences in
leadership style
Page 37
39. How women
rationalize
working under
a glass ceiling
• Denial
• Gender-role socialization
• Historical precedent
• Women turning against
other women
• Corporate culture
Page 39
41. Sponsorship
and the glass
ceiling 1 of 4
• Definition
• The hallmark of
sponsorship
• Mentoring
• Relationships
• What does a sponsor
actually do?
• Male sponsors
• Benefits of being a
sponsor
• Recent changes
Page 41
42. Sponsorship
and the glass
ceiling 2 of 4
What are the best
employers doing?
• Make sponsorship robust
• Lead from the top
• Pay attention to the
pipeline
• Make sponsorship safe
Page 42
43. Sponsorship
and the glass
ceiling 3 of 4
Examples of best practice
• Bristol Myers Squibb
• Cisco
• Citi
• Deloitte
• Deutsche Bank
• Ernst & Young
• Intel
Page 43
44. Sponsorship
and the glass
ceiling 4 of 4
Examples of best practice
(cont.)
• Morgan Stanley
• Novartis
• Pepsico
• Time Warner
• Turner Broadcasting
• Unilever
Page 44
46. The glass
ceiling in
France and
in Turkey
• Criteria to be met for a
glass ceiling to exist
• Descriptive statistics
• Barriers for female
executives
• Personal compromises
• Career encouragers
• Corporate culture
Page 46