PROMOTING gender equality in organisations isn't just ethical, but grows businesses too
PROMOTING gender equality in organisations isn't just ethical, but grows businesses too
Gender equality is still a long way off in many businesses. The problem needs to be tackled in both legislation and in the way women perceive themselves. Researchers add this could lead to greater profitability and better management.
"In South Africa, we have one of the most liberal constitution's in the world and the government has been congratulated for its high representation of women in Parliament," says Marjolijn Dijksterhuis, director of the Women in Leadership course at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business.
"But on the ground, the data is still disconcerting," she adds.
More South African women than men are unemployed; almost 1.5 times more women than men have no formal education and teenage pregnancy remains a significant threat to young women's career prospects, Dijksterhuis explains.
Internationally women fill less than 15% of executive officer positions at Fortune 500 companies and make up just 3.6% of CEOs.
Studies increasingly show that investing in female leaders makes good business sense.
"New research shows that gender equality delivers rewards organisation-wise. It is vital to invest in women leaders, not just morally speaking, but for the benefit of businesses," Dijksterhuis says.
Her explanation echoes a recent article by Ginka Toegel of Forbes Woman: "A great deal of research suggests the value of having gender-diverse management teams. For example, companies that have more than three women in management positions tend to have better returns on equity and assets than do those with fewer women. They also tend to score higher on effectiveness criteria."
Toegel adds that female leaders are more likely to demonstrate "friendliness, support and a caring attitude rather than assertiveness and dominance.
"This communal style of leadership delivers great benefits to businesses. Fostering positive emotions in employees, through a caring and compassionate approach, delivers a measurably positive impact on staff performance. This includes greater achievements, creativity, problem-solving and decision-making skills, better memory, flexibility and overall health," Dijksterhuis says.
For this reason, it is essential for businesses to develop their female leaders. The first step is improving their self-belief, she says. "Even when legislation doesn't actively hold women back, the damage is often internalised. Disempowerment experienced at a social level eventually filters through to their self-image - where it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yet one of the most powerful tools for leadership growth is personal inquiry."
Women-only programmes are a great way to facilitate such personal inquiry, she adds.
"A women-only leadership programme can offer more than traditional leadership programmes because the single-identity format allows the additional discussion of concerns common to the group. Participants have the opportunity to discuss issues not often tabled in organisations where conversations are shaped by the majority, usually men.
"In women-only leadership training, the learning can be deeper as participants are all women, which allows trust to emerge relatively quickly. Trust is essential. It is a catalyst for personal and professional change," she says.
Single-sex programmes can also make participants more open to feedback, she says.
"Research shows that single-identity groups are more conducive to constructive criticism. Critical feedback from men can be rejected on the grounds that it is prejudiced, whereas the same feedback by a peer female leader will often be more easily accepted," she says.
Dijksterhuis' alumni include a range of female leaders from companies of all sizes, many of whom say what they learnt helped them to lead with more confidence and to grow in the workplace. Fahmeeda Khan, planning and scheduling manager at Chevron, says: "It liberated me from certain mental models of the role of a woman in a male-dominated workplace."
- The first module will run from June 11 to 14 and the second from August 13 to 15. For more, contact Nondwe DeCaires on 021-406-1375 or Nondwe.decaires@gsb.uct.ac.za
It pays to invest in top women
PROMOTING gender equality in organisations isn't just ethical, but grows businesses too
PROMOTING gender equality in organisations isn't just ethical, but grows businesses too
Gender equality is still a long way off in many businesses. The problem needs to be tackled in both legislation and in the way women perceive themselves. Researchers add this could lead to greater profitability and better management.
"In South Africa, we have one of the most liberal constitution's in the world and the government has been congratulated for its high representation of women in Parliament," says Marjolijn Dijksterhuis, director of the Women in Leadership course at the University of Cape Town's Graduate School of Business.
"But on the ground, the data is still disconcerting," she adds.
More South African women than men are unemployed; almost 1.5 times more women than men have no formal education and teenage pregnancy remains a significant threat to young women's career prospects, Dijksterhuis explains.
Internationally women fill less than 15% of executive officer positions at Fortune 500 companies and make up just 3.6% of CEOs.
Studies increasingly show that investing in female leaders makes good business sense.
"New research shows that gender equality delivers rewards organisation-wise. It is vital to invest in women leaders, not just morally speaking, but for the benefit of businesses," Dijksterhuis says.
Her explanation echoes a recent article by Ginka Toegel of Forbes Woman: "A great deal of research suggests the value of having gender-diverse management teams. For example, companies that have more than three women in management positions tend to have better returns on equity and assets than do those with fewer women. They also tend to score higher on effectiveness criteria."
Toegel adds that female leaders are more likely to demonstrate "friendliness, support and a caring attitude rather than assertiveness and dominance.
"This communal style of leadership delivers great benefits to businesses. Fostering positive emotions in employees, through a caring and compassionate approach, delivers a measurably positive impact on staff performance. This includes greater achievements, creativity, problem-solving and decision-making skills, better memory, flexibility and overall health," Dijksterhuis says.
For this reason, it is essential for businesses to develop their female leaders. The first step is improving their self-belief, she says. "Even when legislation doesn't actively hold women back, the damage is often internalised. Disempowerment experienced at a social level eventually filters through to their self-image - where it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Yet one of the most powerful tools for leadership growth is personal inquiry."
Women-only programmes are a great way to facilitate such personal inquiry, she adds.
"A women-only leadership programme can offer more than traditional leadership programmes because the single-identity format allows the additional discussion of concerns common to the group. Participants have the opportunity to discuss issues not often tabled in organisations where conversations are shaped by the majority, usually men.
"In women-only leadership training, the learning can be deeper as participants are all women, which allows trust to emerge relatively quickly. Trust is essential. It is a catalyst for personal and professional change," she says.
Single-sex programmes can also make participants more open to feedback, she says.
"Research shows that single-identity groups are more conducive to constructive criticism. Critical feedback from men can be rejected on the grounds that it is prejudiced, whereas the same feedback by a peer female leader will often be more easily accepted," she says.
Dijksterhuis' alumni include a range of female leaders from companies of all sizes, many of whom say what they learnt helped them to lead with more confidence and to grow in the workplace. Fahmeeda Khan, planning and scheduling manager at Chevron, says: "It liberated me from certain mental models of the role of a woman in a male-dominated workplace."
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Latest Videos