Leadership Pipelines

Why Mentoring Is Not an Option at IBM

Teaser:

Mentoring isn’t an option at IBM (No. 7 in The 2011 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity). It’s a heavily weighted performance metric that is critical to the company’s talent pipeline, especially when it comes to senior management. Specific mentoring goals, in particular those with a cross-cultural and cross-gender component, must be met by managers. This expectation is conveyed to all employees from day one as part of the corporate culture.

Editorial:

From the article:

Ron Glover, IBM’s vice president, diversity and workforce policy, human resources, started nine years ago with the company. He was told flat-out that he needed to not only get a mentor but also become a mentor to at least three employees. The success of his job depended on it. “[Executives and leadership potentials] are assessed annually against a set of competencies through the Business and Technical Leader Process, and one of the competencies has to do with this ability to manage cross-culturally and globally,” he says.

...

Source:

Diversity Inc

URL:

http://diversityinc.com/generaldiversityinformation/why-mentoring-is-not-an-option-at-ibm/?mgs1=ad39679VZp

Date:

November 9, 2011

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Overcoming the Gender Gap: Women Entrepreneurs as Economic Drivers

Submitted by asklar on Fri, 11/04/2011 - 10:18am

Women who are capable of starting growth companies that serve global markets may be the nation's secret weapon for achieving sustained economic growth.

URL:

http://www.kauffman.org/newsroom/untapped-potential-for-expanding-womens-entrepreneurship-holds-promise-to-grow-us-economy.aspx

New York Law School Law Review Law Review Diversity Report

Submitted by asklar on Thu, 11/03/2011 - 10:06am

In 2011, the New York Law School Law Review launched its Law Review Diversity research project examining gender and minority diversity among law review membership and leadership at ABA law schools nationwide. This research builds upon the 2010 survey conducted by Ms. JD, an organization dedicated to the success of women in law school and the legal profession.

URL:

http://www.nylslawreview.com/diversity-report/

NCRW Regional Conference Features Film Premiere and Keynote Panel at Claremont Consortium Oct. 13-14

Attachment:

NCRW REGIONAL CONFERENCE 2011 Media Alert FINAL.pdf

Post Date:

11/01/2011

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Flexibility in the Corporate Sector: Still a Business Imperative?

Submitted by vivhdem on Tue, 11/01/2011 - 12:43pm

By Linda Basch, PhD*

<< Back to the Full Blog

Sponsoring Women to Success

Submitted by asklar on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 10:23am

While mentoring is essential for leadership development, it is insufficient for advancing to top levels. Recent research has pointed to a more influential and specific professional relationship: sponsorship. Lately, organizations and the media have given sponsorship widespread attention, but questions abound.

URL:

http://www.catalyst.org/publication/485/sponsoring-women-to-success

Member Organization:

Catalyst

The Myth of the Ideal Worker: Does Doing All The Right Things Really Get Women Ahead?

Submitted by asklar on Fri, 10/28/2011 - 9:50am

Catalyst's longitudinal project, The Promise of Future Leadership: A Research Program on Highly Talented Employees in the Pipeline, develops timely reports on the retention and advancement of high potential women and men. The project surveys graduates of leading business schools in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia, with the intent of assessing their career values, goals, and expectations, the developmental opportunities afforded them, and their strategies for managing work and family life. The reports highlight the differences in women's and men's career experiences and satisfaction; some feature perspectives from global leaders and other experts.

URL:

http://www.catalyst.org/publication/509/42/the-myth-of-the-ideal-worker-does-doing-all-the-right-things-really-get-women-ahead

Member Organization:

Catalyst

Survey: LinkedIn Research Reveals Nearly One Out of Every Five Women in the United States Doesn’t Have a Mentor

Teaser:

LinkedIn surveyed nearly 1,000 female professionals in the U.S. and found that 19 percent of respondents had never had a mentor. LinkedIn asked the women who hadn’t had a mentor why that was the case. Fifty-two percent of the women noted they hadn’t had a mentor because they had, “never encountered someone appropriate.” As part of the survey, LinkedIn also asked the women who had never been a mentor why they weren’t mentoring another professional, and sixty-seven percent of those respondents said they have never been mentors because, “no one ever asked.”

Editorial:

Philadelphia — October 25, 2011 — LinkedIn (NYSE:LNKD), the world's largest professional network with more than 120 million members worldwide, today released the findings of a study it conducted to learn more about women and their attitudes toward mentoring. The survey results were unveiled during the Pennsylvania Conference for Women, the largest women's conference in the state with more than 5,000 attendees. LinkedIn is the conference’s exclusive connection sponsor and LinkedIn’s Connection Director, Nicole Williams, is speaking at the event.

“Tooting your own horn is just one of the many ways you can increase the likelihood that you’ll shatter the glass ceiling and snag keys to that corner office,” said Williams. “If you’re uncomfortable speaking up about your accomplishments, then often times, your best bet is to seek out a sponsor or a mentor in your office who can vouch for you.”

LinkedIn surveyed nearly 1,000 female professionals in the U.S. and found that 19 percent of respondents had never had a mentor. LinkedIn asked the women who hadn’t had a mentor why that was the case. Fifty-two percent of the women noted they hadn’t had a mentor because they had, “never encountered someone appropriate.” As part of the survey, LinkedIn also asked the women who had never been a mentor why they weren’t mentoring another professional, and sixty-seven percent of those respondents said they have never been mentors because, “no one ever asked.”

“Waiting in the wings for a mentor to discover you or hoping that your company will implement a mentoring program aren’t your only options,” said Williams. “Take control of your professional life and use LinkedIn to search for professionals by title and find potential mentors in your zip code.”

An interesting sign of encouragement from the research is that more women taking the time to mentor other women:

More than half, 51 percent, of the Gen Y women (females between 18-29 years old) LinkedIn surveyed noted that they are being or have been mentored by women.

Forty-three percent of Gen X females (women between 30-44 years old) noted that they are being or have been mentored by women.

Only 34 percent of Boomers (females between 45-66 years old) noted that they are being or have been mentored by women.

LinkedIn’s survey results also revealed the most important reasons why women depend on their professional network:

Professional guidance
Recommendations
Career advancement
Keeping current with industry news and trends

Job-hunting actually came in last place on the list at number six.

Download an infographic on LinkedIn’s women and mentoring research and get tips on finding a mentor on the LinkedIn Blog:http://lnkd.in/mentoring-women.

Source:

URL:

http://press.linkedin.com/node/951

Date:

October 26, 2011

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

Report: Women on Boards: A Conversation with (Male) Directors

Teaser:

To better understand the opportunities for and obstacles to increasing the number of women on boards, IFC invited over 15 prominent male chairpersons, CEOs, and directors of listed and unlisted companies across a range of industries and countries to share their opinions on how women add value to the corporate decision-making process. They offer practical ideas on how to encourage recruitment of women to boards through networking, training, and improving transparency of the director nomination process.

Editorial:

About the report:

Research suggests that the presence of women on boards contributes to improving corporate performance. Yet, globally over 90 percent of directorships are held by men. To better understand the opportunities for and obstacles to increasing the number of women on boards, IFC invited over 15 prominent male chairpersons, CEOs, and directors of listed and unlisted companies across a range of industries and countries to share their opinions on how women add value to the corporate decision-making process. They offer practical ideas on how to encourage recruitment of women to boards through networking, training, and improving transparency of the director nomination process.

The publication (download pdf) includes interviews with Gilberto Mifano (Brazil), Peter Dey (Canada), Zhang Shude (China), Ashraf Gamal (Egypt), Christian Strenger (Germany), Jaspal Bindra (India), Nasser Saidi (Lebanon), Patrick Zurstrassen (Luxembourg), Paul Chang (Malaysia), Zaffar Khan (Pakistan), Mervyn King (South Africa), Lars Thunell (Sweden), Yilmaz Argüden (Turkey), John Plender (United Kingdom), Peter Browning (United States), Patrick Chisanga (Zambia).

Focus #9 was compiled and edited by Marie-Laurence Guy, Carmen Niethammer, and Ann Moline. Foreword by Nena Stoiljkovic, IFC Vice President for Business Advisory Services.

Source:

International Finance Corporation

URL:

http://www.ifc.org/ifcext/cgf.nsf/Content/Focus9

Date:

October 17, 2011

Affiliate:

Study: National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications and Women in Cable Telecommunications Announce Highlights of Joint Industry Diversity Survey

Teaser:

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) announced highlights of the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR Cable Telecommunications Industry Diversity Survey at a town hall held jointly by the associations in New York City in conjunction with the 25^th Annual NAMIC Conference and the 2011 WICT Leadership Conference. The study gathered data related to workforce demographics and diversity and inclusion practices from the cable telecommunications industry. The primary methodology for the study was a census survey consisting of 83 quantitative and qualitative questions focused on gender and race/ethnicity, for a variety of job categories. Twenty-five companies completed the survey, representing 54% of the cable telecommunications industry workforce.

Editorial:

From the press release:

The National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT) today announced highlights of the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR Cable Telecommunications Industry Diversity Survey. Benchmarked data vital to the advancement of ethnic and gender diversity in cable, the results of the NAMIC AIM (Advancement Investment Measurement) and WICT PAR Initiative (Pay Equity, Advancement Opportunities and Resources for Work/Life Support) were announced this morning during a Town Hall Meeting on Diversity. The town hall was held jointly by the associations in New York City in conjunction with the 25^th Annual NAMIC Conference and the 2011 WICT Leadership Conference.

Funded by The Walter Kaitz Foundation, and conducted by third-party experts at The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) the NAMIC and WICT study gathered data related to workforce demographics and diversity and inclusion practices from the cable telecommunications industry. The primary methodology for the study was a census survey consisting of 83 quantitative and qualitative questions focused on gender and race/ethnicity, for a variety of job categories. Twenty-five companies completed the survey, representing 54% of the cable telecommunications industry workforce. Fourteen of the company respondents were programmers, eight were multi-system operators, and three companies were either industry suppliers or non-profits.

To assess diversity at the highest leadership levels within the industry, this year's survey measured four specific criteria: the 10% highest paid full-time employees; executive/senior-level officials and managers; first/mid-level officials and managers; and, for the first time, women holding seats on corporate boards. Additionally, workforce demographic data was benchmarked against Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) data for all industries, as well as the telecommunications and information industry. Diversity practices among cable telecommunications organizations were benchmarked against responses from a random sample of SHRM members, a subset of which represented the telecommunications industry. Survey results were compared by programmers and multi-system operators and historical NAMIC (2008) or WICT PAR (2009) data, when applicable.

The study found that cable telecommunications organizations are embracing key diversity practices. Generally, the organizations that participated in this year's survey scored better on key diversity practices compared with SHRM telecommunications industry comparison data. However, when cable telecommunications organizations were compared to similarly sized organizations in SHRM's all-industry comparison data, responses were similar, suggesting that organizational staff size plays a critical role in the scale and sophistication of diversity practices that organizations may employ.

The top five diversity practices employed by cable telecommunications organizations in the 2011 NAMIC AIM and WICT PAR survey are listed in ranking order as follows:

Recruiting strategies designed to help increase diversity within organizations.
Community outreach tied to diversity, such as links between organizations and educational institutions, government entities, etc.
Leadership development opportunities (e.g., mentoring, coaching) designed to increase diversity in higher-level positions.
Employing employee attitude surveys that include items related to organizational diversity.
Aligning diversity with business goals and objectives.

A number of advances in the cable telecommunications industry as it relates to race/ethnicity were cited. Although the study showed increases for full-time employees, multi-ethnicity among executive and mid-level management positions is advancing at a slower rate. The study also found that Asian/Pacific Islanders and Hispanic/Latinos in particular are severely underrepresented relative to their numbers in the general U.S. population. According to the study, representation of people of color on boards of directors remains a challenge with little to no growth occurring since the 2008 NAMIC survey.

"The survey results are indicative of our industry's commitment to fostering greater diversity and inclusion," said Kathy A. Johnson, president, NAMIC. "While the numbers are moving in the right direction, there remain opportunities for NAMIC and industry collaboration to ensure that representation in senior leadership is keeping pace with our nation's demographic shifts."

When reviewing gender-related data, the study showed gains in 2011 for women in a number of positions. Cable telecommunications organizations increased their representation of women executives, board directors and new hires. However, opportunities still remain to ensure pay equity for women. In 2011, a new metric for WICT, the top 10% highest paid employees, was collected, and the results indicated that women comprised only 30% of this category. Additionally, representation of women in digital media positions has decreased.

"We are extremely pleased to see the progress women have made since we last fielded the PAR survey two years ago," said Maria E. Brennan, President & CEO of WICT. "And we look forward to partnering with the industry to continue to seek parity at all levels for women in cable."

...

Source:

PR Newswire press release

URL:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-association-for-multi-ethnicity-in-communications-and-women-in-cable-telecommunications-announce-highlights-of-joint-industry-diversity-survey-131044338.html

Date:

October 5, 2011

Affiliate:

Associated Issues & Expertise:

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NCRW is a network of leading university and community based research, policy, and advocacy centers with a growing global reach dedicated to advancing rights and opportunities for women and girls. We also have a Corporate Circle comprised of senior diversity professionals from leading U.S. and global member companies and a Presidents Circle of college and university leaders who share our commitment. NCRW harnesses the collective power of its network to provide knowledge, analysis, and thought leadership on issues ranging from reducing women’s poverty to building a critical mass of women’s leadership across sectors.

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