Why Men Still Get More Promotions Than Women

Your high-potential females need more than just well-meaning mentors.

Read the HBR In Brief -by Herminia Ibarra, Nancy M. Carter, and Christine Silva

Are women as likely as men to get mentoring? Yes.
As companies continue to see their pipelines leak at mid-to-senior levels even though they’ve invested considerable time and resources in mentors and developmental opportunities, they are actively searching for ways to retain their best female talent. In a 2010 World Economic Forum report on corporate practices for gender diversity in 20 countries, 59% of the companies surveyed say they offer internally led mentoring and networking programs, and 28% say they have women-specific programs. But does all this effort translate into actual promotions and appointments for both sexes?

Does mentoring provide the same career benefits to men and women? No. The numbers suggest not. A 2008 Catalyst survey of more than 4,000 full-time-employed men and women—high potentials who graduated from top MBA programs worldwide from 1996 to 2007—shows that the women are paid $4,600 less in their first post-MBA jobs, occupy lower-level management positions, and have significantly less career satisfaction than their male counterparts with the same education. If the women are being mentored so thoroughly, why aren’t they moving into higher management positions?

Do men and women have the same kinds of mentors? No. (All mentoring is not created equal, we discovered. There is a special kind of relationship—called sponsorship—in which the mentor goes beyond giving feedback and advice and uses his or her influence with senior executives to advocate for the mentee. Our interviews and surveys alike suggest that high-potential women are overmentored and undersponsored relative to their male peers—and that they are not advancing in their organizations. Furthermore, without sponsorship, women not only are less likely than men to be appointed to top roles but may also be more reluctant to go for them.

Why Mentoring Fails Women
Although more women than men in the 2008 Catalyst survey report having mentors, the women’s mentors have less organizational clout. We find this to be true even after controlling for the fact that women start in lower-level positions post-MBA. That’s a real disadvantage, the study shows, because the more senior the mentor, the faster the mentee’s career advancement. Despite all the effort that has gone into developing the women since 2008, the follow-up survey in 2010 reveals that the men have received 15% more promotions.

Does having formal versus informal mentoring make any difference in terms of promotions? Yes.

Does mentoring provide the same career benefits to men and women? NoAmong survey participants who had active mentoring relationships in 2008, fully 72% of the men had received one or more promotions by 2010, compared with 65% of the women.

Does having formal versus informal mentoring make any difference in terms of promotions? Yes
Women who had found mentors through formal programs had received more promotions by 2010 than women who had found mentors on their own (by a ratio of almost three to two).

ASOCIA Group is a top-tier information technology consulting and staffing firm recognized as one of the top ten diversity businesses in the U.S. in 2010. ASOCIA Group is a woman-owned enterprise (WBE) certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). www.asociagroup.com/WBENC

Most Influential Women In Technology 2010

Fast Company’s List of the Most Influential Women In Technology 2010 is impressive to say the least. Here is a list of the top women arranged by categories.

The Executives: Susan Lyne, CEO Gilt Group; Julie Lee, SVP Vevo; Sheryl Sanbert ,COO Facebook; Ursula Burns, CEO Xerox, Rebecca Parson, CTO Thoughtworks, Virginia Rometty, SVP IBM; Ann Livermore, VP HP; Carol Bartz, CEO Yahoo, Teresa Carlson, VP of Microsofts US Federal Business, Genevieve Bell, Director User Experience Intel, Marissa Mayer, VP Google, Judy McGrath, CEO MTV.

The Activists: Shela Krumholz, Executive Director Center for Responsive Politics; Ellen Miller, Cofounder Sunlight Foundation; Leslie Harris, CEO Center for Democracy; Lelia Chirayath Janah, Founder Samasource; Jessica Jackley, Founder Kiva; Cheryl Contee, Founder Fission Strategy, Sarah Durham, Founder Big Duck; Gwen Bell, Social Media Guru.

The Media: Allison Lewis, Creative Innovator Switch Craft; Darlene Liebman, Cofounder and Vice President of Production Howcast Studios, Laura Brunow Miner, Founder Pictory, Elizabeth Spiers, Media Consultant The Cut; Pim Techamuanvivit, Food Blogger; Lisa Stone, Cofounder BlogHer, Liza Sabater, Publisher Daily Gotham and Culture Kitchen; Meredith Artley, Managing Editor CNN.com.

The Entrepreneurs: Jen Bekman, Founder 20×200; Clara Shih, Founder Hearsay Labs, Tina Sharkey, President and CEO BabyCenter, Claire Boonstra, Cofounder Layar, Danae Ringelmann, Cofounder IndieGoGo, Sam Reich-Dagnen, Cofounder Braincandy; Tan Le, Founder and President Emotiv; Caterina Fake, Cofounder Hunch

The Evangelists: Shireen Mitchell, Founder Digital Sisters; Shaherose Charania and Angie Chang, Founders Women 2.0; Allyson Kapin, Founder Women Who Tech; Molly Holzschlag, Web Standards Advocate; Debbie Weil, Corporate Blogging Expert; Cindy Padnos, Founder Illuminate Ventures, Addison Berry, Document Team Lead Drupal; Susan Scrupski, Founder and CEO 2.0 Adoption Council; Pamela Jones, Founder Groklaw, Laura Fitton, Founder OneForty; Gina Trapani, Project Director Expert Labs.

The Gamers: Susan Wu, Cofounder and CEO Ohai; Jane McGonigal, Director of Games Research & Development Institute for the Future; Lucy Bradshaw, Electronic Arts, Nicole Lazzaro, Founder XEO Design; Shinyoung Park, Founder Funji, Kate Connally, VP Addicting Games; Annie Chang, Cofounder and Head of Products LoLapps, Trina Schwimmer, Founder GamingAngels, Sara de Freitas, Director of Research Serious Games.

The Braniacs: Elizabeth Stark, Cofounder Open Video Alliance, Sheila Campbell, Head of the General Service Administration’s Web Best Practices Team, GSA’s USA.gov, Melissa Hathway, Cybersecurity Expert; Jayne Poynter, Cofounder Paragon Space Dev Corp; Amber Case, Cyborg Anthropologist; Fernanda Viegas, Cofounder Flowing Media; Robin Murphy, Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Texas A&M University; Jill Tarter, Director SETI; Maria Alovert, Biodiesel Advocate; Alexis Ringwald, Cofounder Valence Energy Corp

ASOCIA Group would like to congratulate these amazing women for their great contributions and leadership in technology.

ASOCIA Group is a woman-owned enterprise(WBE) certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).www.asociagroup.com/WBENC.

ASOCIA Group is top-tier information technology consulting, staffing and executive search firm.

Full article at Fast Company

U.S. Women Directors and Executives: A Case For Diversity

The InterOrganization Network (ION) recently released its annual Report on the Status of U.S. Women Directors and Executive Officers and, as has been the case for the past six years the study has been conducted, the results aren’t much to be excited about. Or, as ION more optimistically states, the findings illustrate a “bleak landscape ripe for change.”

The Numbers

ION has 14 regions that are represented by their member organizations, these include: California, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Florida, Georgia, Kansas City, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Philadelphia, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. In these regions, women were found to hold between 7.6 and 17.8 percent of board seats in the nearly 2,000 companies included in the study.

In Fortune 500 companies located in the 14 regions, women hold between 12 and 19.5 percent of all board seats, while in Fortune 501 to 1000 companies, women hold between 6.3 and 18 percent of all seats.

Often with the results, the bad outweighs the good. For example, companies with boards on which women comprise 25 percent or more range between 1.4 and 21 percent. However, the percentages of companies that have no women directors range between 11 and 55 percent. And women of color have even less representation. ION’s 14 member organizations report that women of color hold between 0.8 and 3.6 percent of the board seats of companies in their respective research pools. It was also found that between 32 and 70 percent of the companies surveyed have no women in their executive suites and between 60 and 78.1 percent of companies surveyed don’t have a single woman among their highest paid executives.

A new addition to this year’s study is a “Guys Who Get It” segment, which features 11 male business leaders who, according to ION, “understand the value of diversity at the top.” Some of the men include Douglas Conant, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Company, Eric Foss, CEO, Pepsi Beverages Company, and John W. Rogers, Jr., Chairman, CEO and Chief Investment Officer, Ariel Investments, among others. All of the companies represented by these men demonstrate a clear understanding of the business case for diverse leadership by aiming for increased diversity in the C?suite and on boards of directors.

The Business Case for Diversity

According to Rona Wells, ION’s outgoing president, who has been with the organization in some capacity since its inception in 2004, the men included in this year’s report understand that the business case for diversity is key. “Some of the most important information to come out of this study is not stated, but implied,” Wells said. “When you read over the information and think about the findings, you’ll reach the conclusion that diversity is a business issue, not a social one. The interviews with the male CEO’s illustrate that; they’re using diversity to impact business results. I do believe that many feel diversity is a social issue; they simply get caught up in the urgency of the day-to-day politics of business.”

A five-year study conducted by the non-profit group Business Opportunities for Leadership Diversity (BOLD) states that during the 1990’s diversity rhetoric began shifting in order to emphasize the business case for supporting workforce diversity. Many studies seem not just to suggest, but to prove that diversity – from the bottom up – has a wide range of business benefits, including higher staff retention, reduced recruitment costs, a more satisfied customer base, access to a wider customer base, better supply chain management, increased revenue, and access to new ideas for development, process, and product development.

So, why is it that women continue to be represented in low numbers for director, executive officer, and other managerial positions despite these promising findings?

Because studies, such as the one entitled “Harnessing Workforce Diversity to Raise the Bottom Line” conducted by CREATE, an independent research center, also found that diversity management is a long-term process with no quick fixes and oftentimes companies who put forth diversity efforts encounter major obstacles along the way. The most telling of which, is that diversity also creates a culture of long working hours, which makes it difficult for women to aspire to these senior management positions. It leads one to wonder whether or not diversity efforts geared toward the upper ranks of companies will simply lead to the inclusion of more men, though from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, as opposed to including more women.

According to Amin Rajan, chief executive of CREATE and co-author of the study, companies are beginning to see that diversity in the workplace pays and that “instead of thinking about diversity in terms of equality – that is, in terms of the law or compliance – companies are now seeing it as an issue of merit and merit alone.”

Parlaying the Numbers into Action

So what can women do? How can women improve their chances of obtaining director and executive officer positions despite all of the cards seemingly stacked against them? According to Wells, there is no “silver bullet,” no one thing that women can do to fix the problem.

“Obviously, it’s not an easy question to answer,” Wells said. “Though there are things that women can do to help their cause. Networking, of course, is at the top of the list. Too many women think that if they do a good job they’ll get noticed, but that’s usually not the case. It’s also important to stick together; help the women beside us and by us, reach out a hand and pull them forward. Sometimes it’s also really just a matter of being in the right place at the right time with the right qualifications. If it’s like that in life, why wouldn’t it be that way in business?”

Another problem Wells is quick to point out is the lack of available, qualified women. “The pipeline’s not as full of women as it is of men,” she said. “We need to engage men and make sure they understand the importance of having women in the pipeline who are being considered.”
Another option, one that many companies overseas are pioneering, is the use of gender quotas to drastically improve the number of women in managerial positions. Due to the success of these quotas, many in the United States are left wondering if we should jump on the bandwagon.

As illustrated by ION’s latest study, the number of women directors and executive officers in the United States varies little – if at all – with each passing year. Though laws such as those passed in Norway in 2003 were controversial at first, they have proven to be a great success. As Wells commented, it may be worth looking into. “Although it would be best to get progress without mandates, I am beginning to hear more and more women say they are in favor since the pace of women increasing in leadership positions seem to be so slow.”

ASOCIA Group, a leading information technology consulting and staffing provider, is a woman-owned enterprise (WBE) certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council(WBENC). www.asociagroup.com/WBENC.

Asocia is committed to helping women advance in the workforce. For more information on programs we are sponsoring, please visit www.asociagroup.com.

ASOCIA Executives Services Highlight – CIO Placement Specialists

Since our inception, the ASOCIA Executive Services Search division has been recognized has a national leader in mid- to senior-level executive placement. Our areas of expertise range from Fortune 500 to start-up organizations spanning all industries including information technology, finance and accounting, human resources, sales and marketing, and healthcare(biomedical, medical devices, pharmaceuticals).

We have further established ourselves as a industry leader in C-level placements, with a specialization in CIO placement due to our strong expertise in the information technology sector. Asocia Group’s core competency is providing information technology services to clients nationwide. Our strong background in information technology, coupled with executive recruitment expertise, has enabled us to become a market leader, as we have a thorough understanding our clients’ industry and needs.

Our seasoned technology executives have a reputation for producing in-depth, accurate assessments of our clients’ strengths and solving complex challenges. Whether you need restructuring leadership, program implementation or turnaround support.

We provide full-time and interim executive placement services. Our services are available on a retainer or contingency basis.

- ASOCIA Executive Services- CIO, CTO, VP of IT - CIO Executive Search

As a premier provider of human capital solutions, the Asocia Executive Services division is dedicated to helping our clients secure the most talented people in the market.

ASOCIA Group is a woman-owned organization (WBE), certified by the Women’s Business Enteprise National Council (WBENC) since 2007. www.asociagroup.com/WBENC

For more information on our executive placement services, please contact us:
Info@asociagroup.com
www.asociagroup.com

Asocia Group Launches S.W.I.T: An Organization To Support Women In Technology Careers

Atlanta, Georgia - Asocia Group, a leading provider of information technology consulting, staffing and executive services focused in the commercial, government and healthcare sectors, announced the launch of a new organization S.W.I.T. – Supporting Women in Technology. S.W.I.T. is solely focused on supporting women in technology careers.

There is a vast underrepresentation of women in technical positions in US companies. Women hold only twenty four percent of technology jobs, yet represent half of the total workforce. This underrepresentation persists even though the demand for technical talent remains high: computer occupations are expected to grow by thirty two percent between 2008 and 2018. Companies are increasingly aware of the benefits of diversity for innovation, and are looking for solutions to recruit, retain, and advance women.

S.W.I.T. will be partnering with other women-focused technology organizations and leading corporations to help offer and increase opportunities for women in technology.

Asocia Group is a top-tier information technology consulting, staffing and executive search services provider focused in the commercial, government and healthcare sectors. Asocia was ranked as one of the nation’s top 500 diversity businesses in 2009 by Diversitybusiness.com. www.asociagroup.com.

Asocia Group was named one of the Top 500 Diversity Businesses in the US in 2009 by Diversitybusiness.com. Asocia Group is a minority, woman-owned business (WBE), certified by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). www.asociagroup.com/WBENC

For additional information about S.W.I.T or Asocia Group, please contact:
www.asociagroup.com/SWIT

ljohnson@asociagroup.com
1.800.481.0352

8 Trends Driving IT Job Growth, Salaries

1. Expect more churn in IT staff as CIOs accelerate their move to more flexibile staffing models, says Foote Partners. CIOs are outsourcing more technical work, including managed IP services such as VoIP and VPNs. They’re hiring more contractors for desktop and security services, and they’re putting more applications such as remote backup in the cloud. At the same time, they’re looking to hire IT people with business and analytical skills, such as risk management and project management. Indeed, CIOs report that they’re having trouble hiring IT people because either they can’t find IT professionals with the right business skills or they can’t afford them. All of this means more turnover in IT departments.

2. IT hiring will grow in the second half of 2010, according to Dice.com. The Dice.com Web site, which lists tech job openings, conducted a survey of IT hiring managers and recruiters, and nearly half of them said they plan to add 10% more employees in the next six months than they did in the first half of the year. Another 28% of respondents plan to increase hiring by 11% to 20%. Survey respondents are getting more optimistic about salaries, too. A quarter of survey respondents predicted that IT salaries will rise in 2010, compared to 10% of survey respondents making this prediction six months ago. Another good sign: 69% of survey respondents said layoffs are not likely at their companies during the next six months.

3. Banks are starting to hire IT staff, but they are in no hurry to fill open jobs, says Dice.com. Dice says banks are looking for IT professionals who can manage new technology or integration projects, but that they are taking from six to eight months to fill open jobs. This compares to three or four months to fill jobs prior to the recession. Dice said banks are being “really selective” and are looking for “exact matches” for their detailed job descriptions.

4. IT pros are getting paid slightly more than last year, says Janco Associates’ mid-year IT salary survey. Total mean compensation for IT pros has increased to $78,210 from $77,690 a year ago – a rise of less than 1%. However, most of the additional money is going to CIOs, and not their staffs. Compensation of CIOs in large enterprises rose 7.5% to $181,533, and in midsized enterprises it rose 3.7% to $169,303, Janco found. Lower-level IT pros, on the other hand, are experiencing reduced bonuses, frozen salaries and in some cases they are being asked to pay a greater portion of their healthcare costs, Janco said. One positive sign: companies are more willing to consider flexible hours and work schedules as a low-cost benefit for IT workers.

5. CIO confidence is up, according to a survey released in June by Robert Half Technology. The survey found that 10% of CIOs plan to expand their IT departments in the third quarter of 2010, while 4% plan to reduce staffing. The states with the most active IT hiring are expected to include New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Texas. Overall, 81% of CIOs said they are confident in their companies’ growth prospects in the third quarter, while 40% said their firms are likely to invest in new IT projects in the next three months.

6. Job hopping is on the rise, prompting CIOs to worry more about IT staff retention. A recent report found that more Americans quit their jobs in the last three months than were fired. The rise in voluntary departures is prompting CIOs to worry about retaining their best IT staff. The Robert Half Technology survey found that 34% of technology executives are concerned about losing top IT performers in the next year, up three percentage points from last month. Similarly, 43% of CIOs say it is “challenging” to find skilled IT professionals today.

7. CIOs say networking and security top their list of hot IT skills. CIOs surveyed by Robert Half Technology said they had the hardest time filling jobs in networking, applications development and security. Other hot skills include software development, database management and help desk/technical support. Similarly, a recent survey of 400 U.K. recruitment consultants found that IT security skills were most in demand for permanent hires. The Report on Jobs, by KPMG and the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, also found that full-time staff with enterprise software and developer skills were in short supply.

8. Government, usually the safest sector of the economy in a downturn, has announced more job cuts this year than any other employer. Challenger, Gray & Christmas said government agencies and nonprofits announced more job cuts than any other industry segment in May. The sector shed 16,697 jobs in May, 12% more than the job cuts announced in April. All total, the sector has shed 93,470 jobs in 2010. What’s driving the cuts are state and municipality budget problems, which are likely to continue due to lower tax revenues and stagnant housing values.

Full Article: www.networkworld.com

Resilience: The Key to Professional Advancement

Corporate leaders around the world believe that resilience – the ability to overcome challenges and turn them into opportunities — is key to keeping your job. These leaders view women as slightly more resilient than men, and they are providing their female professionals with a variety of programs aimed at developing resilience, according to new research from Accenture.

The research, “Women Leaders and Resilience: Perspectives from the C-Suite,” released today as part of Accenture’s sixth global celebration of International Women’s Day, found that more than two-thirds (71 percent) of corporate leaders report that resilience is very to extremely important in determining who to retain. While respondents are divided about whether men or women are more resilient (53 percent report women are very to extremely resilient; 51 percent report men as very to extremely resilient), 60 percent are providing women with career enhancing assignments, and 40 percent are preparing women for senior management roles.

The survey of more than 500 senior executives — including CEOs, COOs, CFOs and CHROs — of mid- to large-size companies in 20 countries in Europe, Asia, North America and Latin America also found that, despite the economic downturn, many corporate professional development programs specific to women remain intact. Just under one half (48 percent) of all respondents reported making no changes in the past year to leadership programs for women, and 48 percent did not alter coaching and mentoring programs specific to women.

“Resilience — the combination of adaptability, flexibility and strength of purpose — may be the new criterion for professional advancement,” said Adrian Lajtha, Chief Leadership Officer at Accenture. “In the current world of economic uncertainty and intense competitiveness, organizations that instill resilience in their up-and-coming leadership will have a clear advantage.”

Few executives reported eliminating leadership curricula, mentoring activities or minority leadership programs (cited by just three percent each). At the same time, 18 percent said they made moderate to extensive increases to leadership programs, 22 percent said they had augmented their mentoring programs and 17 percent noted they had enhanced their minority leadership programs.

The survey also asked respondents what actions their companies have taken to support women’s career development, and almost five in ten said they provide internal mentors or work-life balance programs (reported by 48 percent and 46 percent, respectively). Additionally, only 24 percent of respondents’ companies assign an advocate to women early in their careers and 37 percent provide women with external coaches. At the same time, respondents associate resilience and adaptability most frequently with seniority; they said senior managers are most resilient, followed by middle managers and, last, by employees below manager (reported by 77 percent, 55 percent and 36 percent, respectively).

“Like other critical skills, resilience can be learned,” commented Nellie Borrero, Managing Director, Global Inclusion and Diversity at Accenture. “Leading organizations will provide high-performing women with a variety of experiences, including training, mentoring and ’stretch’ roles, to increase their resilience and confidence to prepare them to succeed in senior leadership positions.”

Regional findings
Among the survey’s other key findings:

– The survey also found regional differences in how respondents rank female employees who are Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1978) and Generation Y (born after 1979) on certain attributes:

– Level of confidence — Four in ten respondents (44 percent) in North America report that Baby Boomers have the most self-confidence. Their counterparts in Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, however, say the same of Generation X (reported by 46 percent, 43 percent and 35 percent, respectively).

– Level of productivity — Again, four in ten respondents (46 percent) in North America rank Baby Boomers first in terms of productivity, vs. executives in Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific, who rank Generation X first in this area (reported by 37 percent, 44 percent and 38 percent, respectively).

– Degree of flexibility — Respondents from all regions — North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific — report that Generation Y is the most flexible (reported by 35 percent, 55 percent, 43 percent and 41 percent, respectively).

– There are also regional differences in the professional attributes executives associate more closely with women:

– Proficiency — North American executives are somewhat more likely to relate this trait to women (11 percent for women, vs. eight percent for men). Conversely, more respondents in other regions say men are more likely to demonstrate this quality (Latin America: women seven percent, men 38 percent; Europe: women 11 percent, men 19 percent; Asia-Pacific: women 11 percent, men 27 percent).

– Confidence – Executives in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific are much more likely to link a confident demeanor to men than women. In North America, nine percent of respondents link confidence with women vs. 26 percent who link it with men; In Europe, eight percent attribute confidence to women vs. 39 percent to men; and in Asia-Pacific, eight percent of respondents select women vs. 39 percent who select men. In contrast, more respondents in Latin America assign the quality to women than to men (38 percent for women, compared to 14 percent for men).

– Team work — Respondents in North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific link the ability to work with people at all levels to women more frequently than they do to men (22 percent women vs. seven percent men, 27 percent women vs. 13 percent men and 27 percent women vs. 15 percent men, respectively). In Latin America, however, 18 percent of respondents cite women, vs. 34 percent, who choose men.

Research methodology
In November 2009 — mid-February 2010 Accenture conducted an online and telephone survey of 524 senior executives (CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, CHROs, CLOs and their equivalents) from organizations with annual revenues in excess of $250 million across 20 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, Nordic [Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark], Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States). The margin of error was approximately +/- 4 percent. The research sought to identify actions taken by senior executives to develop women for leadership roles and the value they give to resilience as a primary quality of leadership. A full report on the research, Women Leaders and Resilience: Perspectives from the C-Suite, is available at Accenture.com.

Post by: Elizabeth Johnson, Asocia Group

Top Six Attributes of High-Ranking Women in Technology

A majority of senior technical women consider themselves to be assertive, collaborators, hard workers who work long hours, unafraid to question, risk-takers, and analytical in nature, according to a new report published today by the Anita Borg Institute for Women in Technology (ABI). The report, titled Senior Technical Women: A Profile of Success, examines the characteristics of high-level women in technology, how they perceive themselves and their top attributes for success, and what organizational practices they most care about. The ABI study is publicly available at http://anitaborg.org/files/Senior-Technical-Women-A-Profile-of-Success.pdf.

“Our survey explored both men and women’s perceptions of what the key attributes are for success in technology,” said Dr. Caroline Simard, vice president of research and executive programs for the Anita Borg Institute and author of the study. “The findings have helped identify common characteristics of those who have been able to break through the barriers associated with climbing the technical ladder. By shedding light on these attributes and encouraging further research on the subject, we hope to facilitate greater diversity, which is so critical to innovation, at all levels of the technology industry.”

Attributes of Success: The study identified top attributes for success for senior technical women -

• Analytical: The majority of senior technical women perceive themselves as analytical. Indeed, all technical employees tend to see themselves as high on this attribute, as technical careers tend to first and foremost look for analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Unafraid to Question/Desire to Learn: A majority consider themselves as questioning – having the ability to ask the right questions, which is critical to problem-solving.

• Risk-Takers: A majority of senior technical women view themselves as risk-takers, which was identified by technical employees as one of the top four attributes of success. Moderate amounts of risk-taking are an important part of leadership, and senior women and men are equally as likely to perceive themselves as risk takers. This research shatters the stereotype that men are more likely to be risk takers than women are.

• Collaborative: Senior technical women are collaborators. A collaborative work style is perceived as a critical success factor in high-technology by both technical men and women, and is consistent with a culture that values innovation, which cannot be achieved without extensive collaboration. Collaboration is both a critical source of success but also a great source of career satisfaction.

• Hard-working/Long Hours: Advancement for senior women comes with long working hours. This finding is consistent with the culture of technology where advancement is tied to increased responsibility and significant availability. This can be a barrier for women who seek advancement while juggling family responsibilities in dual-career couples. 72 percent of the senior technical women surveyed reported cutting back on sleep to advance their careers and nearly a third have delayed having children.

• Assertive: A majority of senior technical women describe themselves as assertive – significantly more so than women at the entry and mid levels. In a professional culture that rewards speaking up, self-promotion, and ambition, senior women interviewed uniformly said they had to learn to be assertive and promote themselves in order to advance. However, research also shows that women have less freedom than men in assertive behavior. Because women’s assertiveness defy long-standing gender stereotypes, women often experience a “likeability penalty” when they are assertive.

About the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI)
The Anita Borg Institute provides resources and programs to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women leaders in high-tech fields, resulting in higher levels of technological innovation. ABI programs serve high-tech women by creating a community and providing tools to help them develop their careers. ABI is a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 charitable organization. ABI Partners include: Google, Microsoft, HP, Cisco, First Republic Bank, Intel, National Science Foundation, NetApp, SAP, Sun Microsystems, Symantec, IBM, Lockheed Martin, Thomson Reuters, CA, Intuit, Wilson Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati, Yahoo, Amazon, Facebook, and Raytheon. For more information, visit www.anitaborg.org.

Strong Managers will Lead Companies Through the Economic Recovery

Despite layoffs and recession-starved budgets, many employers are investing in leadership-development programs, hoping not to be caught short of strong managers when the economy recovers.

Identifying and grooming leaders is important in good times, says Bret Furio, senior vice president of consumer lifestyle for Philips Electronics North America. “In times of crisis when the economy is struggling,” he adds, “it’s imperative.”

Per the Wall Street Journal article – Despite Cutbacks, Firms Invest in Developing Leaders – Companies Renew Focus on Employee Training, Betting That Strong Managers Will Help Through the Recovery

Even though Philips Electronics has cut their training budget this year, as have many companies, they will still offer their annual Inspire program for 30 high-potential employees, stressing subjects such as business strategy and personal leadership. Participants are assigned to teams to work on a business project. Mr. Furio reasons that investing in leadership development will help Philips through the recession and the recovery.

According to Bersin & Associates, a research firm that studies corporate training, companies have cut their overall training budgets approximately 11% with the deepest cuts in “soft skills” such as communicating with co-workers and conducting meeting. Leadership development, however is taking a growing share of the training budgets in this economy.

Yaarit Silverstone, global managing director for the organizational-effectiveness practice at consulting firm Accenture Ltd., says the emphasis on leadership development is a departure from the past. Ms. Silverstone says companies historically cut leadership-development programs during downturns, but the moves backfired, prompting midlevel managers and top performers to leave when the economy recovered. Now, she says, executives believe that without capable managers, “their ability to come through [the recession] in a healthy fashion is diminished.”

Leadership development programs are an effective way to hone and sharpen your leaders’ skills so they can more effectively guide and mentor their teams to the desired outcomes that are key to your company’s success.

Here are a few points on leadership development and programs:

• Talent management is more critical during tough economic times to be able to handle current challenges and avoid talent shortages when the economy recovers.

• Align your leadership development training with your company’s issues and needs. Determine what the major critical business issues are that your company is facing now and wihtin the next 12 months.

• Focus on critical leadership competencies – skills that are critical to the future success of the business, whether it’s innovation, startegic thinking, etc.

• Focus on high potential leaders and critical roles that are crucial to the company’s success. These leaders may need customized programs to develop their full potential.

• Determine what roles are of strategic importance, if there is a talent pipeline for those roles and how to handle the talent pipeline to ensure your success.

• Measure the impact of leadership development programs. Measurement plans focusing on return on investment will demonstrate the impact that they have on business performance, as well as unveil areas of improvement that need to be made “now” in order for your company to emerge successfully and stronger.