Women Leardership

Bridging the Gender Gap: A New Approach to Shattering the Glass Ceiling

Despite strong efforts in many organizations, women continue to be poorly represented in top leadership roles worldwide. This means many businesses are failing to reap the well-documented "gender dividend." So what are all these well-meaning companies doing wrong?

Chances are, they are looking at "advancing women leaders" as a development issue, or perhaps as a hiring-and-promoting challenge --- when, in fact, it's a culture change issue.  Advancing women into leadership roles successfully requires bringing together all stakeholders (and both genders) in a concerted change effort, with support and energy from top leadership. The organization must change, to bridge the gender gap and make the very best use of all its talent, thereby gaining a competitive advantage.

In order to achieve that, workplaces need to consider the following issues:

• The gender dividend: the business advantage of developing women leaders in the organization
• Why addressing this challenge as a change effort that brings many stakeholders together is essential to success
• How change management initiative can succeed in bridging the gender gap by being inclusive of everyone
• How to use talent management strategy as a key lever
• Specific skills women leaders need to be effective in positions of power