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www.livinginsti-tute.com

November 2019 November 2019

THE CATALOGUE

13 initiatives you should implement

4 initiatives you shouldn’t

ACCELERATING GENDER BALANCE

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”I think that if something should be done here and now it should be to send the right message about role models. There are many women out there that want to advance to the top yet don’t behave like men.

Then it would be easier for them to see that it is actually possible.”

Male Manager

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“The leadership style here is very masculine. We have fine leadership values and principles that apply to a feminine leadership style, but it is not being practiced among our managers, Women should take own-ership of their ambitions and be proud of dreaming about influence and power.

Female Leader

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”Our sector is characterized by old men who have an tendency to pick someone who look like the-selves”

Male Leader

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IT STARTS WITH A CULTURAL TRANSFORMATION Ifanexclusionarycultureremainsunchanged,anyinitiativetoimprovegenderbalancewillmostlikelyfailorevenmakethingsworse.Manycompaniesandcommunitieshavefoundthistobetrueoverthepasttentotwentyyears.Ifyoudon’tchangetheculturethatcreatedtheprobleminthefirstplace–youprobablywon’tsucceedincreatinggenderbalance.

Toharvestthefinancialbenefitsofenhancedgenderbalanceatthetop,ambitiouswomenmustfeelasvaluedandwelcometotopmanagementpositionsasambitiousmen.Ithasalsobecomeclearthatacompanyculturethatchampionswomenandprioritizesgenderbalanceleadstoincreasedoveralldi-versity,withunderrepresentedgroupsseeingmoreopportunitiesforthemselvesinthesespaces.

Beginningwithnarrowingthegapbetweenwomenandmenexponentiallypaysoff.

Currently,myths,habits,trapsandunconsciousbiasesareblockingabreakthrough.Atthesametime,anincreasingnumberoftopmanagersaresearchingforproven,effectivepathstowardsrapidandsus-tainedprogress.Thecleversaying,“cultureeatsstrategyforbreakfast”isatplay.Cultureisthekiller,butitalsoincludesthecure.

Asthiscataloguewilldisplay,wehaveidentified,developedanddocumentedthepracticesrequiredtoend old obsolete, one-gender cultures. The downsides of the primary dead end, i.e. working withwomen-onlysolutions,havebecomeclear.Thebarriers,namelyunconsciousbias,groupthink,blindspotsandcovering,havebeenidentified.Wehavemappedthepathtosetcompaniesandcommunitiesfreefromthisoldworld,sotheycanwelcomenewtalent,ideas,andperspectivesthatwillmakethemstrongerandimprovedecision-makingprocesses.

Top management must mean business Therecommendationsinthiscatalogueareproventobringabouttransforma-tionalculturechange.Aboveallelse,aneffective,sustainable,culturaltransfor-mationrequirestopmanagement’sdedicationtoprioritizingdiversityefforts,foraslongasittakes.

So,ourfirstrecommendationistohostafacilitatedsynchronizingprocessthatresults in buy-in from company leaders and sets the foundation for transfor-mation.Theindisputablebusinessconsequencesofgenderbalance,orimbalance,mustbeclearandshared,andthemembersoftheexecutiveboardmustdefinetheirrolesandtheirgoalsofthetransformation.Numbersandtimingmustbeexplored.Howmanymenandwomendoyouwantintopmanagementpositions,andbywhen?

Introduce new management tools Thenextstepisequippingmanagerstoembedinclusivityintocompanyculturebyarmingthemwitheffectivestrategies,goals,toolsandactions.Competentandmotivatedmanagers,withanunderstanding

“At the end of the day, managers are the key. It is all about top manage-ment – it starts there and then drizzles down”

Male Leader of Leaders

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oftheirvitalroleandpersonalaswellasprofessionalresponsibilityinthetransformation,arekeytosuccess.Newleadershipcompetencesarecrucialonaneed-to-knowandmust-dolevel.

Data driven solutions Culturaltransformationmustbedatadriven.Abaselinesurveyactsasaperceptiongap-analysis,un-coveringhowemployeesactuallyexperienceworkingwithintheorganization.Thesurveyisfieldedinyearoneandresultsinformthecreationofatransformationstrategydesignedtoaddressthecompany’sspecificchallenges.

Inordertomonitorrealchange,thesurveymustbeconductedannuallyforaminimumofthreeyearsafterthecompanybeginsimplementingchangeinitiatives.Astheseinitiativesareimplemented,devel-opmentismonitoredandcorrectionsaremadealongtheway.Thefirstyeartypicallyshowsmarginalchangesinsurveyresults.However,bythethirdyear,significantculturechangebecomesevidentpro-videdtherightinitiativeshasbeenimplantedintherightorder.

CULTURECHANGEINITIATIVESTHATAC-TUALLYWORK

So,whatistherecipeforlastingculturechange?

Werecommendimplementing13initiatives.Eachinitiativeisindividuallyeffectivebutwhenusedtogether,impactisamplified.

Inthiscontext,culturechangereferstocreatinganenvironmentthatisfreefromlimitingstereotypesinrecruitment,workingconditions,tasksandadvancementopportunities.

Frequentstereotypesinclude:

• Womendonotpossessleadershiptalent• Womenarelessambitiousthanmen• Womenarelesswillingtotakeonleadershippositionsduetotheirfamilyresponsibilities

Stereotypeslikethesefuelunconsciousbiasesandgenderpreferencesthatreinforcemasculineculture,thatis,acultureinwhichwomenexperienceunequalopportunities.Stereotypesobviouslyexistinfe-male-onlycultures,butsincethosearerareinthebusinessworld,thiscataloguefocusesonmasculinecultures.However,theroadmapisalsoapplicabletopredominantlyfemalecultureslookingtobemoreinclusive.

Itisbecauseofthesestereotypesthatwestronglyadviseagainstthefourwellknownactions,whichwecalltraps(leftsideinfig1).Theydonotcontributetobreakingdowngenderstereotypesandoften,leadtotheoppositeoutcome.

“On the executive level, you have to be a woman leading like a man, which I sometimes do – otherwise I get run over. If it is necessary for me to act more like a man, it won’t change the masculine culture.

Female Leader of Leaders

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Instead,werecommendactionsthathavesuccessfullybrokendownbarriersinthecompany,basedondatafromtheinternalinclusionsurvey.Leveraginginternaldatainthiswaystrengthensunderstanding,commitmentandsupportinanorganization.Actionsbasedoninternaldataareperceivedasmorecred-ible,meaningful,motivatingandrelevantthangeneralbestpracticesfromothercompanies.

Onthenextpagesyouwillfindthreegraphs.Fig1and2showthefrequency,priceandeffectforeachactionaswellastheease/difficultyofimplementation.

The13actionstotherightandthefouractionstotheleftinfig1havebeenrankedbytheireffectivenessinpromotingculturechangeandconsequently,creatinggenderbalance.Inthiscatalogueyouwillfinddescriptionsoftheindividualactionsandreasonsfortheirlocationsinthematrix.

Thethirdgraphfig.3showsthe4stepsoftheroadmapdesignedtobreakdownbarriersforwomen’sadvancementtothetop.

Therankinginfig1and2andthe4stepsinfig3arebasedonseveralfactorsandinternationalstudies,research,andexperiencesfromcompaniesindifferentlinesofbusiness.

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THE 17 ACTIONS RANKED ACCORDING TO EFFECT AND EASE OF IMPLEMENTATION

Fig.3.Thenumbersinthecirclesshowtherecommendedimplementationorderforobtainingthemostsignifi-canteffects.

Thefouractionswithlow,noorevencounterproductiveeffectsarenotrecommendedifyouwanttowelcomemorewomenintoyourmanagementteams.

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THE 17 ACTIONS ARRANGED BY FREQUENCY AND PRICE

Fig2illustratesthe17actions,arrangedbyhowfrequentlytheyoccurinorganizations-andtheesti-matedcosttoimplementthemrelativetoeachother.

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RECOMMENDED ROADMAP

The four-step process:

Fig 3 shows the impactful roadmap in 4 steps

Despite the urgency, plan your launch of gender balance actions wisely Impatienceisincreasingasgenderbalancebecomesmoreurgent.Topmanagersarelookingforfastresults.Whilethefeelingofurgencyisunderstandable,rushedimplementationoftenleadstotheadop-tionofgenericinitiativesthatarebasedoninsufficientknowledgeaboutthetruechallengesandhowtoattackthem.Whenweconductedarecentanalysisinthefinancialsector,participatingorganizationswereabletoseenotonlythenumbers,butalsothereasonswomenwereabsentfromtheirmanagementteams.Thecompaniesinvolvedwerealsosurprisedbythewiderangeofchallengesandimbalancesamongthegroup.Theseseeminglysmall,butimportantdifferencesmeanthatall initiativesmustbecustom-designedandconductedwithahighdegreeofculturalsensitivityandexperience.

Theactionsaremoreeffectivewhendrivenbydataandcarefullyplanned.So,don’twastetime(andmoney)onrandominitiativesuntilyouknowtherealreasonsbehindthenumbers,thespecificrange,andtheorderofinitiativesthatwillhelpyoureachyourgoals.Afterthesefactorsbecomeclear,every-thingmovesfast.

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Accelerating gender balance in organizations13actionstogetyouthere

Action #1: Baseline Inclusion Survey and yearly monitoring

WHY? Fieldinganinclusionbaselinesurveyprovidesthedataneededtoimplementtheactionswithmostimpact.Repeatingthesurveyannuallyallowsustocon-firmthatweareontherighttrackandadjustourdata-drivenactionsaccord-ingly.Thefindingsinformourevidence-basedstrategy.

Oncewehaveidentifiedtheorganization’schallengesandgaps,thepathtosuccessbecomesmuchclearer.

Byintentionallychoosingactionsthatcatalyzeculturaltransformationandmoni-toringtheeffects,thedesiredinclusiveculturewillemergeonitsown.Thisculturewillbecapableofbreakingdownthebarriersthatcreatedsystematicproblemsinthefirstplace.

HOW? Year1:BaselineInclusionSurvey

1. Anonlinequestionnairewillbesenttoadefinedgroupofparticipantswhoarerepresentativeofthecompany’sdemographics.Thequestionnairewillbedesignedtouncoverexistinginclu-sionandperceptiongapsandcanbemergedwithotheryearlyengagementsurveys.

2. In-depthqualitativeinterviewswillbeconductedwithsomeoftheonlinesurveyparticipants.Theseinterviewswillbeusedtovalidateandfurtherexploresurveyanswers.

3. Internalfocusgroupswillbeconductedtoqualifytherestofthesurveydata.

Thefollowingyears:MonitoringProgress

1. Annualsurveyswillbefielded,consistingofthesamequestionsasthoseinthebaselinesurvey.In-depthinterviewsandfocusgroupscanbeusedtoincreasethevalueofanswersbutarenotmandatoryfortheprocess.Theknowledgewegetfromthesurveyallowsustoconfirmthatweareontherighttrackandadjustourdata-drivenactionsaccordingly

2. Theresultsoftheannualanalysiswillbecomparedwithresultsfromyearsprior.Actionswillbeadaptedtomaximizetheintendedeffectoninequality.

What happens if you skip baseline inclusion survey and monitoring? Whenweaskcompanieswhytheychoserandomactionstocreategenderbalance,thesearetheanswerswereceive:

”I am fact driven. Show me some stats and numbers on a fairly detailed level. That twill force top management to open their eyes.”

Male Leader of Leaders

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“Itseemedeasyandinexpensive.”

“Theyweretheonlyactionswehadheardabout.”

“Wedefinitelyneededtodosomethingimmediately.”

Inthesesituations,companiesfindthemselveswithzeroresultsandincreasingdemandforchange.Un-fortunatelyweoftenseebaselessexperimentshavenegativelyimpactedenthusiasmforculturechange.

Tocombatthisreality,thecompaniesinquestionmusthighlightthebarriersandbringbackinsightandmotivation.Researchshowsthatincludingthevoicesofyouremployeesintheprocessandallowingthosevoicestobeyourquantitativeandqualitativepointofdeparturemakeschangehappenfasterandgodeeper.1Inotherwords;weneedtoslowdowntospeedup.

Roadmap:Action#1belongs2.quadrant”Knowledge”fig.3

Action #2: Synchronized top management

Why: Makingsurethattopmanagementexperiences,sharesanddeclaresastrongcommitmenttocreateaculturethatisreadyandcapableofincludingmorewomenisthemostimportantkeytosuccess.Wecallthissynchronizingtopmanagement.Theseleadersmusthaveanagreementanddeepownershipoftheculturechangeagendainordertocrediblyshareitwithemployees.

Itisallaboutcommitmentandaccountability.

How? Conductingaworkshopfortopmanagementdedicatedtostrategicculturechangetoreachgenderbalance.Thebaselineinclusionsurveywillofferthenecessarybackground forrealizingandcalculating theconsequencesof thebusiness-criticalgenderbalance.Thesenseofurgencywillincreaseduringtheprocessaswilltheorganization’sfaiththatafastchangeiswithinreach.

Theworkshop produces a reconciled strategy,well-informed team, shared,specifictargetfigures,afinancialoverviewofactionsneededforthecomingyears,andastrong,crediblestory.

Thebusiness-criticalconsequencesforthetopmanagementtodiscussinclude:

• Whatistheun-tappedbottomlinepotentialofgenderbalance?2• Whatistheriskofmissingoutontalentandtheinabilitytomirrorthemarket/customers?• Whatistheriskofaweakpipelineinahigh-mobilitymarketifyoucan´tattractandmaintaina

workforcewithadiversesetoftalentsandqualifications?

1hbr.org/2019/04/Wantfeweremployeestoquit?Listentothem.2 CreditSuisse2019:“Genderdiversityisgoodforbusiness”

”We all have our posh di-versity policies. But some-times it’s just there because it has to be there – not be-cause it’s owned by top management.”

Male Leader of Leaders

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• Whatistheriskofhavinghomogeneousmanagementteams,consistingofpeoplewithmoreorlessthesamequalifications,perspectivesandexperienceswhenitcomestomakingincreasinglycomplexdecisionsandnavigatinganunpredictable,diversemarket?

What happens if top management is out of sync? Itrendersallpartsoftheorganizationfrustratedandweak.Officiallystatingthatdiversityandequalityaretopprioritiesandthenfailingtofollowthroughwitheffectiveactionsendsaterriblemessage.So,beforespeakingupandpromisinganinclusivefuture,makesureyoucompletelyagreeonwhatitentailsandhowandwhentogetthere.Anysignofdoubtorhesitationwillweakentheabilityoftheculturetorecruitandmaintainfemaletalent.Inotherwords,iftopmanagementallowsunacceptablepatternsthatbenefitonegendergroupovertheothertopersist,allculturechangeworkwillhavebeendoneinvain.Lastly, culturechange thatprofoundly improves futurebusiness isnot free.Thewholeorganizationmustbeinvolved,andagain,ifthebudgetdoesnotsupporttheintentions,theresultwillbedisappoint-mentandlackofmotivation.Thenextattemptwillbeharder,andmoreexpensive.

Roadmap:Action#2belongsinthe1.Quadrant”Motivation”andthe3.Quadrant”Strategy”fig.3

Action #3. Anchoring the equality strategy in the top

Why:Genderbalanceatallmanagementlevelsisnowtobeconsideredastrategicandbusiness-criticalambi-tion,onparwithotherstrategiesandasimportanttothebottom-line.Topmanagementwillnotbeabletoremove“changegenderculture”fromitsagendauntiltheoldone-genderculturediesoutandanew,inclusivecultureisborn.

How? Likeotherbusiness-criticalthreats,thisonemustbegivenspecialattentionuntilitisingrainedinthheartsandmindsoftheorganization’speople.Almostalllinesofbusinessexperienceconstantchangeand fight for innovative talent and processes. This is exactlywhat diversity provides if it has beenproperlyinsertedintocompanyculture.Reproducingthepastisnotanoptionandneitherisaonegen-derculture.Topmanagementmuststayincontrolandfollowthedevelopmentinclosecollaborationwiththeinternalandexternalexpertsinthearea.

Wehavenoticedincreasinginterestfromboardmemberslookingtoleveragetheoutcomesofasuc-cessfulgenderbalance.However,CEOstendtobecomefrontrunnersbeforethereisanyinterventionbyboardmembers.

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What if the equality strategy is not anchored in top management? Research,studies,andourexperiencesfromthepast15yearsshowusthatmostcompanieschargetheirHRdepartmentswithcarryingoutequality,diversityandinclusionpractices.Traditionally,HRisnotcon-sideredtopmanagement.Power-vacuumsandminimalresourcesleadtothelackofwomeninmanagementpositions.Also,whenyouhaverepeat-edlytriedandfailedtomakethenumbersmove,fatiguesetsin,resultingingeneralaversiontotrynewinitiatives.

Allexperiencesshowusthatthecompaniesthathavesuccessfullyincor-poratedgenderequalityhaveanchoredtheresponsibilityintopmanage-ment. The HR solution has not worked so far – so why keepwastingtime?3

Roadmap:Action#3belongsin1.quadrant”Motivation”and3.quadrant”Strategy”fig.3

Action #4: Mobilizing men

Why: Makesurethatgenderbalancedoesnotendupasawomen-onlyproject.Ithastoincludeeverybody,andtomanymen,thebiasandbarriersareactuallyinvisible,untiltheygettoknowthem.Bymobilizingthemenwhodoseethebarriersandexperiencetheunhealthycultureandallowingthemtospeakup,yousendastrongmessagetotheirmalecolleagues.Everyemployeemustbeawarethatgenderimbal-ancedamagesthebusiness.Itcreatesalessefficientandlesspositiveworkenvironment.Researchhasshownthat4outof5menfeelbadaboutthegenderimbalanceandarelookingforwaystochangethiselementintheculture.4

4 GlobalInstituteforWomen’sLeadershipatKing’sCollegeLondon(2019):https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/global-study-reveals-what-world-thinks-about-womens-equality

”When I have seen it work, it worked because the top owned it. In large interna-tional corporations where I have worked, it has been the message from the top. They drew the big picture and pushed it.”

Male Leader of Leaders

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How? InspiredbytheUNHe-for-Sheprogram,werecommendafacilitatedworkshopwheremenandwomensharecommonexperiencesregard-ingbenefitsandbarriersrelatedtogenderbalance.

Facilitating“barbershopsessions”formenonlyisanotherwaytocre-atecommitmentandresults.Morningmeetingsallowgroupsofmentosharetheirstoriesandcommitthemselvestomakeadifference.

What will happen if you don´t mobilize the men? Oneofthemostcommonandexpensivemistakesisturninggenderbalanceintoawomen-onlyproject.Powerlesstochangetheculture,anywomen-onlyactionisdoomedtofail.Generally,menholdthehigh-estandmostpowerfulpositionsandareresponsibleforactionsthatensureabetterbottomlineandinnovationthroughgenderbalance.Withoutmobilizingmen,changewillnothappen.Infact,researchsuggeststhatthestereotypesaboutwomenwillcontinuetothriveandevenspread.5

Roadmap:Action#4belongsin4.quadrant”Action”fig.3

Action #5: Unconscious bias training

Why:Biasleadstobaddecisionmakingandmissedtalentopportunities.Thetrainingbringsbiastothesur-face,revealinghowtoidentifyandminimizeitindecisionmaking,recruitment,andrelations.Inshort,unconsciousbiasisthebrainguessingandblindingyoutofactualinformation.6Ithappensbecausethebrainisconstantlyseekingoutmentalshortcutstosaveenergyandmakefastdecisions.Thebrain’sshortcutsarebasedonstereotypicalnotionsofotherpeopleaswellasthepreferencesandprejudiceswechose.Itisarebasedonthesocietywegrewupin,thecompanieswehavebeenworkingfor,andoursocialrelations.Thedangerousthingaboutunconsciousbiasisthatitleadstounintentionaldiscrimi-nation,positiveornegative,evenifwebelieveandtellourselvesthatwebehaveobjectivelyandtreatpeopleequally.

Thetargetgroupforunconsciousbiastrainingincludesallemployeesandmanagersintheorganizationinvolvedinrecruitmentprocesses,makingimportantdecisions,workingatthefrontline,meetingcus-tomers, leading others, developing products, having communication responsibility, facilitating em-ployeeinterviewsorpossessingkeyHRjobs.Alloftheseemployeeswillbenefitfromunderstandinghowunconsciousbiasinfluencesdecisionmaking.Participantsaregiventhelanguageandtoolstorec-ognizeandminimize theirpersonalbiasandseehowunconsciousbias inappropriatelyaffects theirworkandcooperation.

5 M.Flood,G.Russell,J.O’LearyandC.Brown(2017):MenMakeaDifference:HowtoEngageMenonGenderEquality,SynopsisReport,Sydney,DiversityCouncilAustralia,2017 6 EdenKing,KristenJoneshbr.org.’Whysubtlebiasissooftenworsethanblatantdiscrimination’

”Women on maternity leave should have a raise equivalent to the men’s. Make it visible.”

Male Leader of Leaders

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How? Unconsciousbiastrainingisbuiltonacknowledgingthateveryonemakesbaddecisionssometimes.Un-fortunately,thetrainingcanhavenegativeconsequences,andifitisnotperformedwithgreatcautionandcompetence,itmightbecounterproductiveandcouldpotentiallystrengthenexistingstereotypes.

Biastrainingshouldprovidethefollowingresults:

• Knowledgeaboutwhatunconsciousbiasisandtypicalexamplesofoccurrence• Knowledgeaboutwhyallpeoplemakebaddecisionsbecauseofunconsciousbias• Constuctivelanguagethatmakesispossibleotalkaboutunconsciousbiaswithoutblamingone

another• Specifictoolstodealwithunconsciousbiasinreallifesituations

What happens if you do not reduce unconscious bias? Ifunconsciousbiasisleftunchecked,youlosetheabilitytoavoiditsunwantedeffects.Youwillfindyourselfwithaneedfordiverseperspectivesandinnovativethoughts.

Still,unconsciousbiastrainingalonewillnotdothetrick,inspiteofitsabilitytochangethemindsetandcreateahigherdegreeofself-reflection.Ifthefundamentalculture,overallstructuresandprocessesremainunchanged,theeffectwillbeminimal.Seeaction7.

Roadmap:Action#5belongsin4.Quadrant-“Action”fig.3

Action #6: Mandatory leadership training

Why: Inordertoactandleadinclusively,upperandmiddlemanagementpersonnelmustbetrained.Newleadershipbehaviorisarequiredconditionforchange.Commontrainingwillsecureafocusonpromot-ingtalentandhighpotentialalreadypresentintheorganization,therebyavoidingreversequotas,un-consciouslypreferringtraditionalmalebehaviour.Managersareturnedintorolemodelsandfrontrun-nersforaninclusivecorporateculture.

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How? Themandatoryinclusionmodules,strengtheningdiversityandequalitycog-nition and competences, can be fit into existing leadership programs. Themanagerswhohavealreadyparticipatedintheseprogramswithoutthedi-versitydimensionsareofferedanadd-on.Learningtosystematicallyaddressunconscious bias indecisionmaking is an important part of the inclusionmodules. Othermandatory and connected subjects are age, cultural back-ground,ethnicity,sexualorientation,religionandculturalintelligenceforin-ternationallyoperatingorganizations.

What if you skip mandatory leadership training?Well,theanswerliesinthewording.Somecompanieshaveofferedvolunteertraining,anditisnotdif-ficulttoimaginewhowouldchoosenottoparticipate.Voluntarytranslatesintonotconsideredhighpriorityintopmanagement.7

Roadmap:Action#6belongsinthe4.quadrant”Action”fig.3

Action #7: Adjusting recruitment processes

Why:HRisanimportantpartnerformanagement.OptimizingHRandrecruitmentprocessestopromotegen-derbalanceandminimizestructuralbarriersandbiasthroughouttheorganizationisamust.

How? IncollaborationwithkeypersonsfromHR,criticalprocessesinfluencinggenderbalanceinmanagementarereviewed,suchas:

• Transparencyinoccupationofpositionsandcareerdevelopmentiscreatedbybustingbiasandexcludingunintentionalinappropriateculturaltraitsinrecruitment,retention,careerplanning,performance reviews, talentandhighpotential programs,mentoring, exit andpost exit inter-views.

• Bias-freeone-to-oneemployer/managermeetingswherethemanagerismadecapableofcontrol-lingtheolddiscriminationpitfallsaretrained.

• Externalrecruitmentagenciesareinformedaboutthebusiness-criticalgenderbalancegoalsandrequiredtopresentqualifiedmaleandfemalecandidatestoallvacantpositions.

7C.N.Lacerenza,D.I.Reyes,S.L.Marlow,D.L.Joseph,&E.Salas(2017).“Leadershiptrainingdesign,delivery,andimplementation:Ameta-analysis”iJournalofAppliedPsychology,Vol.102:1686–1718

”In no way is it taken into consideration that women are different from men. They should be led and de-veloped differently.”

Female without management responsibilities

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Youcanstartbyusingordevelopingtechnicalsolutionsthatanonymizename,gender,ageandethnicityinjobapplications.Thenextstepispickinganumberofapplicantsforacompetencetestsothatthefinalgroupischoseninabias-freeprocessonthebasisofcompetenceonly.Lastly,whenyouknowalltheequallycompetentapplicants,thefinalconsiderationmustbewhetherthepersoncontributestodiver-sityandgenderbalance–orifhe/shestrengthensstatusquobybringinginmoreofthesame.8

What if you forget don’t adjust recruitment processes? IfyouneglectthenecessaryHRadjustments,thestructureofthesystemwillretainoutdatedmecha-nismsthatcounteractthegenderbalanceandresilientpipelineambitions.Ifallthebiasesknowntopermeaterecruitmentandcareerdevelopmentarenotsystematicallyremoved,theoldimbalance-cre-atingculture liveson.Furthermore, if leadership training isenforcedandHR forgotten, theeffect isboundnottoappear.

Roadmap:Action#7belongsin4.quadrant”Action”ifig.3

Action #8: Focus on promotion procedures and career planning

Why: Everyonemustlearntoletgoofthelean-inthinking,wherewomenandmenaresupposed to be personally responsible for their promotions.We know from re-searchthatcareerdevelopmentsupportinggenderbalancehastobesystematicandincludedifferencesingender-relatedbehaviour.Sponsorschemeshaveproventobeoneoftheeffectivetools.

Someoftheissueswehavefoundinourresearchinclude:

• Lackofleadershipcompetencesorfocus• Focusonnarrowprofessionalissuesonly,notonthepotentialofthewhole

humanbeingandhis/hercontributiontotheculture.• Potentialleadersexperiencethattheirambitionsarenotmetwithsincere

interestandactions–butratheroverlooked• Mentendtobemorevisibleandmorespecificwhenadvertisingtheirambitions• Womentendtoexperiencethemselvesashumblerthanmenanditoftenfeelsunnaturalforthemto

offensivelyadvertisetheirleadershipcompetencesanddreams• Womenareseenaslessambitiouswhentheychoosenottoactlikemen• Womenaremotivatedbymakingadifferenceandworking towardsacommonpurposeand

commonambitions,buttheyareoftenmetwithquitedifferentmotivationfactors• Womenneedtobespecificallyencouragedandmotivateduntilagenderbalancedinclusivecul-

tureisareality

8IrisBohnet(2016):Whatworks:GenderequalitybydesignformoreexamplesonhowHRprocessescanbedesignedtoenhancediversityandinclusion.

”It has taken me a while not to talk negatively about having kids. Now I have accepted it and I now own being a mother AND a career woman. You must fight for being true to yourself on your way up the career lad-der.”

Female with no man-agement responsibilities

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Atthesametime,womenmustbeencouragedtobeclearandconfidentwhenexpressingtheirleader-shipambitions,andmalemanagersmustbeencouragedtoenterintothisconversationwithopen,bias-freemindsets.

How: Allmanagersshouldbemeasuredonwhethertheyimplementactionstoclarifyandsupporttheirem-ployees´careerdevelopmentqualificationsandambitionsallyearround–notjustconsideringitasub-jectfortheyearlydevelopmentmeeting.

Anotherefficientsolution istargetedsponsorschemes for individualhighpotentialsthroughout thecompany.(Seeaction9)

Thefactthatmenandwomentendtothinkandcommunicatedifferentlywhenitcomestocareeriniti-ativescaneasilycreateaviciouscircle.Themalemanagersays:“Butsheneveractuallysaidthat.”Andthewomansays:“Butheneveractuallyaskedme.”

What happens if you don’t focus on promotion procedures and career planning?Well,thenumberswillkeepstallingbecausewomenwillkeepholdingbackandmalemanagerswill,oftenunintentionally,remainhumanbarriersforhealthy,diversepipelinesandgenderbalanceinman-agementteams.

Roadmap:Action#8belongsin4.quadrant”Action”fig.3

Action #9: Sponsorship

Why:Initiatingandmeasuringresponsiblesponsorshipsforfemaleswithhighpotentialcaneffectivelyhelppushtalenttothetopoftheorganization.

How? Selectedleadersintopmanagementteamsaredesignatedtobecomesponsorsforindividual,promisingfemales.Sponsorsmustbecommittedtoactivelysupportthewomen´scareerdevelopmentthroughspar-ring,coaching,action,openingdoorstonetworking,etc.Connectingsponsorshipstobonusagreementsisboundtopushtheresultsremarkably.

And what if you neglect the sponsor method? Contrarytomentorships,sponsorshipsareobligatory.BadperformanceasaresponsiblesponsorwillmeanconsequencesforKPIsandbonuses.

Roadmap:Action#9belongsin4.Quadrant:”Action”fig.3

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Action #10: Quotas

Why:

• todriveforwardnumbersthathavebeenstallingforyears• tohavemorequalifiedwomenapplyformanagementpositions• tosolvethegenderbalancepipelineproblem• toobjectivelymeasureprogressinthecompanyaswellasonindividualmanageriallevels

How? Youcanchoosesoftgenderquotas40/20/40,meaningaminimumrepresentationof40%ofeachgen-derand20%ofwhichthecriteriaareopen.

Hire thebestqualified inabias-freeand transparentprocess.Thismeanstheonewho–apart fromhis/herprofessionalcompetences–contributestotheunderrepresentedgroupandthusthedegreeofdiversity.Thereisnodoubtthatquotaspresentsomeofthebestsolutionsforchangingthisbusiness-criticalaspectoftheculturefast.9

Quotas tends tobe fairlyunpopular.A frequentobjection comes fromwomenwhodonotwanttobehiredbecauseofgender. Incompanieschoosingquotastokickstartnecessarydevelopment,itgoeswithoutsay-ingthatqualificationsmustalwaysbetheprimarycriterium.

Itisimportanttorememberthatforages,thefactthatpeoplearebiasedhasmade them pick candidateswhomeet their unconscious expecta-tionsandpreferences–forexample,adefinitegender–insteadofobjec-tivecompetences.10Alsotakeintoconsiderationthatquotashavebeenproventomakemorewomenoptforpositionsthattheywouldotherwiseoptoutofinadvance.Inotherwords,quotassolvethepipelinebalanceproblemdirectlyconnectedwithmaleleadersunintentionallynotnotic-ingfemaletalent–evenifthefemalemanagersinthecompanydoseeit

veryclearly.11

9J.F.Christensen&S.L.Muhr(2019):“H(a)untingQuotas:AnEmpiricalAnalysisoftheUncanninessofGenderQuotas”iEphemera:Theory&politicsinorganization,Vol.19:77-105.10C.A.Moss-Racusin,J.F.Dovidio,V.L.Brescoll,M.J.Graham,J.Handelsman(2012)“Faculty'ssubtlegenderbi-asesfavormalestudents”iProceedingsoftheNationalAcademyofSciencesVol,109:16474-16479.

11M.Niederle,C.Segal,L.Vesterlund(2012):“Howcostlyisdiversity?AffirmativeActioninlightofgenderdif-ferencesincompetitiveness”iManagementScience,pp.1-16.

”We could be bold and set new big goals. And make sure that women are in the race – for example by having at least 1/3 female candidates. If you don’t have clear goals, nothing happens. It is self evi-dent: Women are afraid of being alone as they advance – and they will be. As women on the top, you will be twice as alone.”

Male Leader of Leaders

”

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Takingthequotaroadmeansthatforthesakeofahighlyattractivebalance,wetemporarilyprefertheunderrepresentedinsteadoftheoverrepresentedgender-competencesbeingequal.

Theresultismovementtowardsacriticalmass.Thisisimportant.Hiringoneortwowomenintoagroupoftenmenrisksmakingstereotypingworseandthuspreventingthewomenfromactingauthenticallyandcontributingtoadiversecul-turechange.12

Targetfigures:ImplementKPIsforallmanagerswithinbusinessrelevantareas(seeaction1intheBaselineAnalyses).

ExamplesofKPIs:

-Recruitment:whichdegreeofdiversityhasthemanagerreachedwhenhiringforhisteam?Ifthenumberislowerthanexpected,anexplanationandstrongeractionswillberequired.

-Careerdevelopment:whichspecificactionshasthemanagerimplementedtosupporttheindividualcareerdevelopmentofmenaswellaswomen?

What happens if you back away from quotas and ambitious target fig-ures? Anopt-outofeffective,kick-startingquotasmustbeconsideredcarefully.The fact thatthe imageofquotasdoesnotcurrentlymatchthepotentialbusinesseffectisanargumentthatcouldbackfire.Youmightdiscardatoolthatwillbeneededeventuallyifthegenderbalanceprocessturnsouttobeunac-ceptablyslow.Atthesametime,settingquotasclearlysignalsthatyoumeanbusinessasfarassystem-aticrecruitmentisconcerned.Itshowsthatgenderbalanceisnotonlynicetohave,butabsolutelynec-essary.

Quotascanbeabindingandthusfutureproofcommitment,whichmorethanmostotherinitiatives,protecttopmanagementagainstitsownbiases,whichlikelyincludethesocalledMSL–MoralSelfLi-censing.

Insteadofoptingout,considerhowyoursolutioncanre-inventquotasasoffensive,competence-based,committedandcourageousapproaches.

Roadmap:Action#10belongsin4.Quadrant:”Action”fig.3

12hbr.org/2006HowManyWomendoBoardsNeed

”We simply haven’t moved the needle. That’s why I feel this way: We have to have quotas.”

Female Leader of Leaders

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Action #11: Clear communication

Why: Whenyouareworkingtowardsdiversity,hearingbeforeandafterstoriescankeepyougoing.Com-municatinginternallyandexternallyabouttheeffectsofyourculturechangeeffortscanboostmorale,maintaincommitment,andcreateanoverallhealthierenvironment.

How?Communication,knowntonegatemythsandbuststereotypes:

• Greatstoriesaboutrolemodels(menandwomen) • Greatstoriesaboutwomenmakingit• Storiesaboutthenewbias-freerecruitmentandpromotionpractices• Greatstoriesaboutmenandwomenworking theirwayacrossthe

organizationalsilos• Storiesaboutatopmanagement’scommitmenttogenderbalance• Anti-stereotypes, picturing a diverse talent pool of different ages,

genders,ethnicityandlifephases–theobviousexamplebeingamantakingcareofhiskids13

What happens if you miss out on the powerful stories, driving the process? Consistentlycommunicatinghelpsactionsandnewlanguagesinkintotheculturalbehaviour.Ifcom-municationback-upismissing,allactionswillbeassessedagainstwhattopmanagementisNOTsaying.Ametaphorforthiscouldbeanorganization,feelinglikeafootballteamplayingagamewithoutknow-ingtherulesofthereferee.Youareessentiallyplayingwithoutknowingwhatisimportantforthefutureofyourbusiness.Communication iskey togenderbalancesuccessand thediversity image isan im-portantpartoftheharvest.

Roadmap:Action#11belongsin4.quadrant:”Action”fig.3

13F.E,OakhillJ,GarnhamA.(2015):“Counter-stereotypicalpicturesasastrategyforovercomingspontaneousgenderstereotypes”.iFrontPsychol.Vol.6:1291.

”Change communication and make it more appealing to women. Change career paths so they fit into women’s life circum-stances. As things are now, it is created by men and for men.”

Female without management responsibilities

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Action #12: Educating diversity champions

Why: TodevelopdeepdiversitycompetencesinaselectedgroupofHRbusi-nesspartners,keypersonnelandchangemakerssothattheyarepre-paredforthedailydialoguewithmanagerstofulfiltheambitiousgoals.Theyallactonaclearlycommunicatedmandatefromtopmanagement.

How? Workshops,duringwhichtheparticipantsareturnedintoD&Ichampionswiththeknowledgeandtoolstoskilfullysupportmanagersandemploy-eesincreatinggenderbalance.

Doubtwillcropupfrequentlyandhelpwillbeneeded.Asmanagersaremetwith indispensablebalance targetnumbers, theywillneed supportfromskilledHRbusinesspartnersinrecruitmentandinternalcareerde-velopment. These advisorsmust have authority, confidence, knowledgeandskillstochallengetheoldcultureandbevaluablepartnersinalltheprocessesthatneedtochange.

What if you don’t educate change-making champions? Theeducatedchangemakersaretopmanagement´sguaranteethatthenewbalanceactisoneverybusi-nessagendainthedailylifeoftheorganization.Ifknowledgeandtoolsarenotavailable,personalre-sponsibilitywillweaken,excuseswillflourish,andoldhabitswillwinagain.

Roadmap:Action#12belongsin4.quadrant:”Action”fig.3

Action #13: Workplace flexibility

Why: Allemployeesneedflexibilityattimes.

Menandwomenbetweentheagesof30and39especiallystruggle,astheytrytobalancework/careerwithfamily.However, it isamyththatwomencarrymostof thisburden.This is agender stigma that affectswomen´soptionstoentertopmanagementlevelsforyearstocome.

A focusonflexibilitymust,ononehand,be fully transparent intermsof theneedsofmenandwomenatdifferentlifestages.Ontheotherhand,itmuststopthewasteoffemaletalentinthelongrunthatresultsfromrigidityinthecurrentsystem.

”It really worked in my previous job. There was a strong focus on unconscious bias – and lots of training and networks and performance interviews focus-ing on creating diverse teams. Not by letting people off, but by making it happen over a period of three years – a mix-ture of competencies and gender. Only focusing on gen-der is obsolete. You could only get a full bonus if you en-hanced diversity in your team. Our top management was di-verse.”

Male Leader of Leaders

”

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How? Increasedflexibilityincertainperiodsoflifeshouldbeofferedtoallemployees–menaswellaswomen–toavoidwastingtalentinthelongterm.Theopen-mindedapproachcannotdependontheindividualmanager´sunderstandingorgoodwill.Acatalogueofformalinitiativesshouldbemadeavailabletoallemployees.Itshouldinclude:

• Stopthelate,andoftenunnecessarilylong,afternoonmeetings• Optiontoleaveearlytopickupkidsandcatchuplaterfromhome• Dinnertogo,laundrypickup,etc.• Options to share jobs to ease the workload and keep talent on

boardduringtoughtimes

Itisagreatideatohighlightexamplesofmodernmeninthecompanychoos-ingthenewflexibleoptionsforcombiningcareerandfamily.Theyarealsoonthelookoutforalternativewaysthatleadtoamoreholisticlife,andnewheroesareneeded.

What if you opt out the openness and flexibility? Lackofflexibilityhaskeptqualified,ambitiouswomenfromtopmanagementlevels.Notbecausefamilylifeismoreimportanttowomenthantomodernmen,butbecausedecisionmakersconsiderfamilylifetobeabarrierforfemaleambition.Womenwhohavekidsarenotseenasbeingreadytohaveacareereveniftheythemselves–andoftenwomencolleagues–seethepotential.Followingtheinstitutionaliz-ingofflexibleworkingconditions(e.g.earmarkedmaternityleaveformen)intheEU,thedemandfornationalflexibilitywillnaturallyincrease.Butthereisnoreasontowaitforevidencethatflexibilityforallresultsinbusinesssuccessaswell.

Roadmap:Action#13belongsin4.quadrant”Action”fig.3

”Someone said that she had experienced much more acceptance and un-derstanding of women’s family obligations. It is done in a totally different way.

Female Leader of Leaders

”

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The traps; 4 actions with minor or evenzeroinclusionandgenderbalanceeffect

Thequadrantstotheleftinfig.1onpage8

1. Women´snetworks2. AnchoringtheequalitystrategyinHR3. Mentoring4. Leadershipprogramsforwomen-only

Action #14: Women’s networks

Fromaresearchpointofview,thereisnoevidencethatwomen-onlynetworksimpactthenumberofwomen in topmanagement teamsor that it hasan effect on retentionof female talents.Weadviseagainstwomen-onlynetworksbecausetheytendtogetinthewayofinitiativesthatactuallywork.

Inthesenetworks,whatwomenoftendoisconfirmeachother´sbadexperiencesandhopelessnessasfarasprogressisconcerned.Theconclusionisinevitablythattheytendtomoveontoamoreprogres-siveorganizationwheretheirexperiences,competences,andambitionsareputtouse.

Whenacompanyinitiateswomen-onlynetworks,thisiswhathappens:

1. Thesignalisthatthisisafemaleproblemandthatwomenneedtofixitontheirown2. Competentwomenwhoparticipateinwomen-onlynetworkingactivitiesareconfirmedintheir

suspicionthattheyhavechosenthewrongworkplaceinwhichtheirambitionswillneverbemeetandtheytendtoleave

Despitegoodintentions,theinitiativeiscounterproductive.Women-onlynetworksmightbenice,buttheydonotcontributetosolvingthegenderbalanceproblems.

Action #15: Anchoring the equality strategy in HR

HRisavitalplayerintheneededculturechange,anditmightbetempting(andeasy)toplacethere-sponsibilityentirelyupontheHRdepartment.However,knowingthebusiness-criticalnatureoftheim-balance,responsibilitymuststillfalltotopmanagement.Withouttopmanagement´sfullandfrequentlyexpressedsupport,eventhebestHRemployeeswillfailatimplementingtheculturetransformationandreachingtargetnumbers.HRistherighthandoftopmanagementandwehaveseenHRmanagersandemployeesperformmira-clestofurtherthegenderagenda.But,thatneverhappenswithoutanoutspokenmandatefromtheCEO,asynchronizedtopmanagementandabudgetcorrespondingtothefuturebusinessbenefits.

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Moreover,evidenceshowsusthatmanagersandemployeeswhohavebeenleftalone,strugglingwiththisimportantambitionforages,arestigmatizedasfeminists.Thisstigmahitswomenharderthanmen.14

Action #16: Mentoring

Mentorschemesofferanotherpopularpath.Theideahereistoofferwomenmentorstohelpthemfulfiltheirambitions.Agreatdealofresearchhasidentifiedtheproblemswithtraditionalmentoring.First,thereisalackofobligationandconsequenceiftheresultsfail–andthereisnosuccessbonuseither.Also,amenteewillrarelymakeittoahigherlevelthanhermentor.

Thereareimportantdifferencesbetweenmentoringandasponsorscheme.Whilementoringincludeszeroconsequences,ifsponsorschemesdonotproduceresults,thesponsor’sjobmaybelost,orhisbo-nuswithheld.

However,thetwoschemescaneasilybeconfusedwitheachother.Iffailedmentoringhasseverecon-sequencesforthementor,thenitshouldbeconsideredamongtheefficientactions.Wedorecommenduseofthetermsponsortostressthatbothpartiesintheagreementhavesomethingtowinorlosewhenevaluatingtheresult.

Action #17: Leadership programs for women-only

Women-onlyleadershipprogramsareprimarilydesignedtochangewomen´sbehaviourandthewaytheylookatandexpresstheirownambitions.Whatemployeesaredemandingistheopposite–theywanttoseediverseandauthenticleadershipstylesbeingappreciatedbytheculture.Separate female leadership-training tendsto indicate thatwomen,despite theirprofessionalismandhighambitions,lacksomethinginthemselves.Inotherwords,theyneedtobechangedintosomethingthatthemenalreadyare.Inclusiveculturesarecreatedandfunctionincrediblywellwhenmenandwomenworktogetherto-wardsasharedpurposeandsharedbusinessgoals–respectingandexploiting theirvaluablediffer-ences.Itiscrucialthatthegenderbalanceeffortsdonotturnintoablamegame.

14S.Johnson,D.Hekman(2016):“WomenandMinoritiesArePenalizedforPromotingDiversity”iHarvardBusi-nessReview

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SUGGESTIONS TO FURTHER READING BOOKS

IrisBohnet(2016):WhatWorks:GenderEqualitybyDesign

ShirleyEngelmeier(2014):BecominganInclusiveLeader:HowtoNavigatethe21stCenturyGlobalWork-force

HowardRoss(2014):EverydayBias:IdentifyingandNavigatingUnconsciousJudgmentsinOurDailyLivesBarbaraAnnis&KeithMerron(2014)GenderIntelligence:BreakthroughStrategiesforIncreasingDiver-sityandImprovingYourBottomLine

ARTICLES

McGinn,KathleenL.,andNicoleTempest. "Heidi Roizen."HarvardBusinessSchoolCase800-228,Janu-ary2000.

Woolley,AnitaWilliams,etal.“Evidenceforacollectiveintelligencefactorintheperformanceofhumangroups."science330.6004(2010):686-688.

Kramer,V.W.,Konrad,A.M.,Erkut,S.(2006):“CriticalMassonCorporateBoards:WhyThreeorMoreWomenEnhanceGovernance”

ONLINERESOURCES:

MobilizingMen:HeForSheBarbershop:https://www.heforshe.org/en/barbershop

Creatinginclusionnudges:http://inclusion-nudges.org

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