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WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP

Organisations investing in women leaders are benefitting from the fruit of their foresight

Despite  volumes of research carried out by top consulting companies and institutions across the globe clearly proving, that gender equality in leadership is good for business, there are still an overwhelming majority of organizations that admit to the fact, that advancing women into leadership roles is not a formal business priority. In fact, women hold only 18 percent of senior leadership positions among 2,300 organizations surveyed worldwide. In other words, men occupy approximately 82 percent of the most influential roles in today’s organizations. And promoting women is not a formal business priority at 79 percent of surveyed organizations. Respondents estimate it could take more than 50 years to close this gap.

But companies can make changes to help turn the tide much faster, and there’s good reason for them to do so. We discovered a small cohort of exceptional organizations (about 12 percent of respondents) that are more proactive in the push for gender equality in leadership. And they report that they are outperforming their competition in profitability, revenue growth, innovation, and employee satisfaction. We call these organizations “First Movers.”

First Movers acknowledge their responsibility to act and say they believe gender inclusiveness will result in enhanced organizational success. More than 80 percent have elevated gender-equitable leadership to a strategic business imperative.

Statistical evidence clearly shows that a more balanced representation of women in top leadership positions produces better financial results. Yet women remain an underutilized source of innovation, performance and leadership in organizations – and there’s a lack of collective understanding of what it takes for organizations to maximize the potential of female leaders and talent. So, what is getting in the way of women being more equally represented at all levels of leadership in companies?

Working closely together with  our partners, we offer advice on attracting women to your workforce and offer special training for women to discover heir strengths, and perhaps overcome some of their inner barriers when applying intern for leadership positions.