When it comes to women in top executive positions, nothing causes more upheaval than the threat of quotas that could push more women in. But the real threat is the quota that is already in place and not talked about – the quota that allows one woman in but is locking women in general out.
A new study by Cristian Dezső from the Robert H. Smith School of Business and two co-authors David Gaddis Ross and Jose Uribe from Columbia Business School found evidence of a hidden quota at work at the top inside of companies:
If a woman holds one of the top five executive positions at a company, the chances of a second woman joining the top executive ranks falls by 51%.
The culprit behind this hidden quota? The study, to be published in the Strategic Management Journal, could not discern whether this was conscious discrimination or unconscious bias at play. What’s clear however, is the outcome.
Lone Woman Up a Ladder
The researchers looked at the top five executive roles by compensation across 1,500 S&P firms over twenty years from 1991 to 2011, where top management positions held by women rose from 1.6% in 1992 to 5.8% in 2000 to a slower yet incline of 8.7% in 2011.
The authors found that when one woman had been promoted to the top executive ranks, she was not a key opening up executive offices for more women but more like a lock on the door.
The report states that “women in top management face an implicit quota, whereby a firm’s leadership makes an effort to have a small number of women on the top management team but makes less effort to have, or even resists having, larger numbers of women.”
The study conducted a simulated distribution analysis and compared it to actual distribution of top company executives. If one female executive opened the path for more, there would be lots of clustering. If she had no impact on other female appointments, there would be random distribution. Nope, neither were true.
What the researchers found was a “negative spillover” – the actual distribution of female top executives was isolated, repelling one another. In other words, most companies had only one, resulting in a fragmented female executive population.
As co-author Ross shared with The Huffington Post, “It’s like someone really carefully went around and put one woman on one top management team, and another woman on another, and another woman on another.”
Dezső implies that one woman leads to a pat on the back and now let’s all move on. “Once they had appointed one woman, the men seem to have said, ‘We have done our job.’”
Left of Power Center
The research also implies that the quota seems to not only to limit numbers of women, but their influence – because many companies satisfy the hidden quota by promoting a woman to a professional position, such as head of human resources, rather than (or to keep them out of) a line position. 47% of first-time CEOS came from a line position in the survey, whereas only 4% came from a professional position.
The researchers noted, “The strongest spillovers are associated with professional positions, which are generally more supporting, lower in status, and less integral to a firm’s operations than line officer or CEO positions. We argue that a firm’s managers have greater latitude to use professional positions to satisfy an implicit quota on women in top management.”
Lower Return on Gender Equality Investment?
The study found that efforts to promote women into executive roles after one woman was in place become lower or even in opposition. Getting the second women promoted into the top ranks is a far more challenging feat than the first.
Observing company dynamics, Ross told Business Insider that after one appointment, “They orient their efforts away from promoting women, perhaps to the point of resistance.”
The authors speculate that this could be down to “diminishing returns” for companies on the gender equality scoreboard. While companies gain legitimacy, media, and a representative “face” for change when one woman is hired into a top executive position – and even hold an advantage to peer companieswho have zero -the marginal “value” declines with additional hires, while the cost to the status quo becomes higher.
One woman is enough to stave off internal and external pressure for gender equality but not enough for real change. Stopping at hiring one woman into a top executive position is kind of like crossing the starting line, but then prematurely taking a break to rest securely upon your laurels.
No, It’s Not Queen Bee Syndrome
Maybe those queen bee women are keeping other women out, protecting their coveted positions of power by pushing other women down? No.
The researchers found that the lowest negative spillovers actually occurred in companies with a woman CEO – a female CEO went some way towards mitigating the implicit quota. If a woman CEO was in place, there was a greater chance of further female top executive presence.
Maybe it’s about time that we stop suspecting the lone woman on the ladder in the crowd of men as the one that’s rigging the rungs.
Protected Territory At the Top
Many studies have shown that women create a positive spill-over for each other, such as decreased discrimination and increased pay, at other management levels.
“However,” the researchers state, “we obtained qualitatively different results among top managers, perhaps because men’s willingness to work towards the betterment of women within their organizations is lower in top management, where each job is so valuable both to the individual who holds it and to the dominant male coalition inside the organization.”
At the top it would seem, male managers are protecting the most valuable turf.
We Must Disassociate “One” With Progress
Gender diversity isn’t about show. It’s about change and influence – and as long as changes are made to show gender diversity, they won’t really be made for gender diversity.
It’s well-documented that women in top management bring serious benefits to organizations. It’s well-documented that real progress happens when gender diversity goes beyond tokenism to meet a critical mass.
Whether a board member, an investor, or any champion for diversity within a company, Dezső advises that when you see one woman at the top, it’s best to “keep up the pressure or even apply more pressure” to avoid a plateau.
Today women in top executive positions remain an isolated and fragmented minority. One women among top executives is not a sign of real progress at a systemic level. She’s a sign of more work to be done, and if not recognized as such, a decoy for the changes that aren’t being made.
Real progress doesn’t have a face. It has so many that no one person becomes exemplary of it.
By Aimee Hansen
Making Success Stick!
Career Advice, Guest ContributionThere’s no question that women have achieved success in today’s business world. More than half the work force now is female. The familiar “Rosie the Riveter” poster, created in 1942 to help America visualize women in the work force, is an historical artifact now. There is no need to create an image. All we have to do is open our eyes.
But while women have succeeded in numbers, we still do not attain the higher rungs of the success ladder. Few of us climb higher than middle management. As Sheryl Sandberg aptly points out, “Women are not making it to the top of any profession in the world.”
It would be easy to lay the blame on external causes. Systemic sexism persists; we know that. But without making it about “them,” what, first of all, can we women do to understand the challenges that we face, and secondly, what can we do to create change for ourselves and in the system as well?
While there may be external forces at work, if we’re honest, we must acknowledge an internal monologue that holds us back. Somehow we believe we need to continue to prove we have earned the success we have achieved. Even when we succeed, even when we have the coveted job, we seem to think we still need to apply for it. We tend to think there is someone more well-suited for the opportunity, we dismiss our value-add, we opt out, we wait and see.
Not just our mind, but our wiring—our neuro-circuitry—works against us in this regard. Ironically, while women generally have better memories than men, helping us to multi-task, we also tend to hold on to past failures and ruminate to our own disadvantage. We “stew” in the soup of our imagined shortcomings. As neuropsychologist Rick Hanson says, human brains “are Velcro to bad experiences and Teflon to good experiences.” Unfortunately, that is especially true of women.
It turns out, it takes concerted effort to make positive experiences “stick.” Hanson encourages his clients to “marinate” in positive thoughts by consciously dwelling on the good stuff: happy experiences, satisfaction, joy, for ten to twelve seconds. Evolving neuroscience shows that a practice of this sort (mental activity which stimulates reward neurotransmitters dopamine and natural opioids) stimulates a general “brightening” of the mind. As Hanson says, “neurons that fire together, wire together.” By changing mental activity, by working at making the positive sink in, we can change our neural circuitry, and in turn change the way we think.
The solution for women in the workplace is to target that technique on work experience: Women need to learn how to internalize the successes they have. Re-story their narrative. Re-engineer their mental and emotional wiring. Lay down new neuro-circuitry.
Here are some ways to do that:
Record the progress you make, first in your own words, in a file, along with any acknowledgement you receive from others of your “wins,” whether big or teensy. Archive all emails like: “Hey you killed it at that meeting!” “Great presentation!” “Your execution on that project was flawless.”
When you catch yourself speaking to yourself in ways that make you feel small, have a mantra handy that reminds you of who you really are. Say, “I am gracious, magnanimous, a wise leader!” Pause and allow those words to percolate through your mind.
Identify one valued workplace behavior you want to increase, like speaking up more in meetings, and make note in a document file every time you do it. Then ask a trusted co-worker to point out your progress and also to let you know when you do “that thing” you’re trying to change: being defensive, trying to prove yourself, speaking pessimistically, whatever it may be.
Form a professional women’s circle of four to six colleagues to support one another in your development and provide honest feedback and encouragement for each other. We need to be heard and hear that we’re not alone in our challenges. Give that meeting a regular slot in your schedule, and stand by it.
As your head hits the pillow mentally scroll through your day, intentionally focusing on anything you are proud of that happened that day, whether big or small, and allow yourself to really feel the success in your body.
If these suggestions seem simple, good! Just know that they are not simply “helpful hints” but are potentially powerful tools, based on brain science. By changing the way we frame our experience in word and thought, we affect our wiring. We can change the way we think. And if workplace mindset really plays a part in holding women back, the good news is, we can change that.
Guest contributor’s advice and opinions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com
Wendy Wallbridge is a strategic advisor and pioneer in the coaching field. As the founder and principal of On Your Mark Corporate Coaching, Wallbridge works with Fortune 100 leaders and teams at organizations such as Intel, Apple, Wells-Fargo and Hewlett-Packard, among others. A popular Tedx speaker and producer of both the TEDxSandHillRdWomen conference and the Women’s Evolutionary Leadership Forum, Wallbridge has earned a reputation for establishing breakthrough conversations that enhance the way women work, live, play, and contribute.She regularly presents to organizations such as UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, the Professional Business Women’s Conference, The Commonwealth Club, Women in Technology International, The Women’s Leadership Forum and the 3% Conference, and also teaches an annual “Leading with Power & Grace” six-month group coaching series for women. For more information, please visit www.wendywallbridge.com.
All jobs have tasks that we prefer over other tasks | Career Tip Of The Week
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!All jobs have tasks that we prefer over other tasks. Be honest with yourself, how strategically important are the tasks that you are avoiding? If they rank highly either for your current role or as a development skill, then consider setting time aside formally in your calendar to undertake them on a regular basis as habit can be a great way to embrace them.
By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist
Voice of Experience: Beth Paul, Assurance Partner with PwC US
People, Voices of ExperiencePaul began working at PwC directly upon graduation in 1992. Her career began in the auditing practice working on companies in the industrial products sector. After spending seven years in that sector, she joined the national professional service group for what was supposed to be a two-year tour in PwC’s SEC services group. Instead, she stayed in that group and was made a partner in 2005, a feat she acknowledges as her proudest professional achievement. “That day created a memory that will last forever. It has been 10 years, but in some ways, it feels like yesterday.”
Use feedback to build your brand
After 22 years with PwC, Paul feels that young women coming into the profession will benefit from understanding the importance of building their brand as well as some of the barriers that can prevent them from doing it most effectively. Essentially, Paul believes that your professional growth is built upon being able to hear what your co-workers, supervisors and mentors have to say about their impression of you and your work.
“You have to get candid feedback early and often. You will get different feedback at each stage of your career—but in order for you to advance, people have to be able to see you in the role. You need to be able to build a brand that allows you to project that image. That is why the feedback is so important; we can all have blinders on as to what we are really like. If you don’t get feedback, you won’t know how to progress—you can’t fix what nobody’s telling you need adjustment.”
Accessible accounting practices are best
In 2012, Paul was asked to join the firm’s accounting services group within the national professional services group as the strategic thought leader. In this role, she works with other leaders in her firm to determine the firm’s position on emerging trends in auditing, accounting and financial reporting. Paul is now deeply engaged in her new role and one of her primary goals is to help the firm share their insights and perspectives on accounting developments through new mediums, such as videos and new distribution channels such as the use of social media and PwC’s CFOdirect e-newsletter and website.
“I am most excited about the fact that we are trying new and different things, like social media, to distribute our content. We are also looking to expand our audience by tailoring the message to a variety of audiences.”
She says that one of the most interesting trends in accounting today is the Financial Accounting Standard Board’s simplification initiative.
“Thinking about ways to change the current standards to remove complexity will help reduce costs, minimize the possibility of inconsistent or incorrect application, and ultimately make it easier for all stakeholders.”
You won’t ever be in the locker room
In terms of barriers for women in her industry, Paul loops back to the importance of being able to receive feedback, and using this feedback in a productive manner instead of dwelling on it or letting it get you down. She reflects about some great advice she was given as a new partner that helped her understand this process and how it can affect women differently than men.
“I was a brand new partner, and a very seasoned female partner said to me, ‘when men are in the locker room together, they can tell each other what they did wrong, then slap each other on the butt and walk out of there with insight into what they need to do better next time. You aren’t going to be in the locker room so, you are going to need to be more proactive in how you get the feedback you need to succeed.’”
This advice helped Paul see how important it was for women to find an advocate who would not be afraid to speak openly with them about their performance. Paul is clear that women and men are definitely different, but she lays part of the responsibility to see that difference—and do something about it – with women.
“You can’t just ignore it; you have to do something about it. You have to be willing to listen to the feedback constructively because the more you are willing to listen, the more people are going to be willing to give you that feedback and help you.”
And, for the women who share a seat at her table, she believes they owe it those who are less tenured to reach out, mentor them and be engaged with the younger women making their way up the ladder.
A calm focus wins over fast and busy
Paul believes that PwC provides a very supportive working environment, for men and women alike. PwC offers flexibility programs to help women and men accommodate their family life and navigate the many decisions between balancing life and work. “I’m proud that we have a very inclusive and collaborative culture.”
Outside the office
When not at work, Paul enjoys her daughter’s competitive cheer competitions. To help balance out the busyness, Paul started practicing yoga three years ago and finds it tremendously beneficial.
“Yoga is really about being in the moment and having that clear focus. I think there is a real place for that. It has impacted me greatly, and not just in a healthy, get-fit way, but from a broader perspective. When you apply that focus to work, you can really get a lot done in a short amount of time.”
By Rebecca S. Caum
Men Who Get It: Douglas Kennedy, President/CEO, Peapack-Gladstone Bank
Men Who "Get It", PeopleNot only did his teller position begin his career in banking, but it also earned him a wife. After college, he joined the training program of a local Connecticut bank, where he began by working in a branch. As the industry deregulated, banks were increasingly growing, and so did Kennedy’s career. He held leadership roles with a number of banks, most recently with Capital One where he was responsible for commercial lending in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast; he was also market president for New Jersey. Two years ago, he joined Peapack-Gladstone Bank as its president and CEO.
A Diversity Champion
Diversity has always been important to Kennedy.
“If there wasn’t diversity, the world would be a boring place, and you’d never progress beyond your own beliefs and capabilities,” Kennedy says. For him, diversity starts in his family life. “At the end of the day, I am aware of the diversity in my personal life; this life experience translates easily to what diversity means at the bank.”
Over his 35-year career, Kennedy has worked alongside many talented women and has championed women’s issues, including a job-share situation early in his career with two women whom he knew were top performers that the bank needed to keep.
Kennedy collected statistics that showed that the job-share employees were more productive than their male counterparts. Armed with the numbers, his human resources department invited him to an off-site meeting of 400 bank leaders, where he was able to show that it wasn’t a crazy, far-fetched idea. “The proof was in the numbers,” he says. “Having math to prove something as a banker elevates it from just an opinion to a fact.” His presentation helped pave the way for additional similar job-share situations — a huge advance at a time when the lack of technology made it harder for women to stay in the workforce.
Maintain Diversity
Currently, more than half of Peapack-Gladstone Bank’s employees are female, and six months ago, he was instrumental in starting a woman’s organization called LEAD (Leadership, Education, Advocacy and Development) which invites senior women in to speak about their careers and the challenges they have faced. The bank’s executive vice president, Karen Rockoff, acts as the senior female leader, and has created a curriculum that speaks to women’s needs and interests and is helping the company develop an agenda to support them.
His goals for the year include accessing female senior leaders in the organization who can organize talks around wealth and how to plan for retirement. “Women can have a gap with financial issues, and since that’s one of our core competencies, we want to deliver those insights to our employees,” he says. In addition, the curriculum will double as an outreach for other corporations with women’s groups.
Kennedy says that he approaches diversity from an enlightened perspective. “I just never have differentiated people on the basis of gender, starting with my wife and I, who have always viewed each other as equal partners. Just because I had the role of breadwinner didn’t give me any authority above hers managing the family and household. So with an equal partnership at home it has been a fairly natural approach when I come to work.”
He says that he would always consider the best person for a position — whether it is a man or a woman. “You have to look at each position and ask yourself, ‘What are the skills each candidate has, what are the skills that are needed, and do they align?’”
Advice for Leaders
Though he sees the prejudice changing, he believes that men would benefit from listening more. “If you are willing to listen to different perspectives, at the end of the day you will end up benefitting. Despite my experience and leadership, it doesn’t mean I have all the answers. We all gain by paying attention to diverse views.”
He says that the key to success in an organization is hiring people who are thoughtful, who have more knowledge about a particular subject and then tapping into that talent — no matter who it is – which will always end up delivering better results. Listening will help any leader find great ideas and solutions to problems.
Is being a pessimist at work bad for your career?
Office PoliticsRead more
3 signs your perfectionism is killing your career…and how to overcome it
Career Advice, Guest ContributionSuccessful high achievers (like you and me) have a huge disadvantage when it comes to advancing our careers.
It’s the fear of not being perfect.
If you’re constantly scrambling to fix “just one more thing,” if your social life no longer exists because you’re always working, or if you worry perpetually about others’ opinions, then you know what I’m talking about.
And while it’s gotten you to where you are today, you know that if you keep on working like this, you’ll burn out long before you get that coveted “C” title.
So what’s an ambitious professional to do?
Below are the top 3 signs your perfectionism is hurting instead of helping, and what to do instead.
1. You live by an all-or-nothing mentality. Every project you oversee has to be as flawless as the Hope Diamond.
Do any of the following sound familiar?
This is still not good enough!
I need to push the deadline back because this isn’t just right…
How can I face that client after that mistake?!
If so, you need to: Get comfortable with good enough, and leverage the 80/20 rule – the principle that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts.
The key is figuring out which 20%. Is it really that important that your presentation’s footer isn’t perfectly centered? Or are you the only one who will even notice? And is it really necessary to chew yourself out for that small mishap your client has already forgotten?
Place yourself in the other party’s shoes (your audience, your boss, or your client) and ask yourself what they care about. Then focus on those areas and let go of the little things they don’t care about.
2. You take rejection personally.
Does the thought of making a mistake keep you up at night? Did you not speak up during that meeting because you were afraid of sounding stupid? And have you not asked for that bonus you deserve because you’re afraid your boss will say no?
If you said yes to any of those, here’s what to do: Think through the worst case scenario. Will you get fired? Will you be physically harmed? Will your colleagues secretly judge you and whisper that you’re incompetent?
Once I realized that rejection is not something to be feared and has no real consequences (aside from some bruised feelings), I learned to actually embrace taking on situations with rejection potential. Not because I’m a masochist, but because I realized they were actually win-win situations for me.
Worst case scenario, I would learn something new (oh, this didn’t work). Or, best case scenario, I would get what I wanted. When you think about it that way, doesn’t it seem a waste not to put yourself out there?
3. You can’t remember the last time you savored a career win – you were already on to your next big goal.
Do you ever feel a little dizzy when you think about your achievements and what you have to do next? And when was the last time you took a few to congratulate yourself on all you’ve accomplished?
If you can’t remember, here’s what to do: Look inside yourself and examine what motivates you. For perfectionists, it’s often a fear of failure and of not being good enough.
Before realizing this, I was incredibly fearful. I was afraid of not getting that promotion, of not advancing quickly enough, and most of all, I was afraid that if I didn’t stop being afraid, I would lose my steam. One of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do was let go of that fear, and honestly it was a long and difficult process.
But once I did, I realized that it’s even more powerful to be motivated by positive forces – by passion, service, and love. Letting go of my perfectionism didn’t hinder me as I’d once feared, but instead allowed me to succeed more than ever before. Specifically, within the space of one year, I got a new job, a 32% raise, and a promotion, and launched a successful side business.
Now it’s your turn. What new levels of greatness will you achieve once you get out of your own way?
Luisa Zhou is a business coach for aspiring entrepreneurs. Join Luisa’s newsletter for coaching opportunities and bi-weekly tips for starting your side business.
Guest advice and opinions are not necessarily those of theglasshammer.com
Career Tip of the Week
Career Advice, Career Tip of the Week!Do you have so many meetings in your calendar that you don’t have the time to do the actual work?
In a world of constant contact of live and virtual meetings and a flurry of emails to answer, it is hard to find time to do uninterrupted work sometimes.
Schedule time in your calendar every day to not be disturbed and resist the temptation to check your email during that time. Let people such as team members or managers know that you are working on a project and will get back to them later that day. Manage expectations and stay focused on productivity in this time.
Welcome to Career Tip of the Week. In this column we aim to provide you with a useful snippet of advice to carry with you all week as you navigate the day to day path in your career.
By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist
Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work.
Voice of Experience: Kristin Olson, Partner, Goldman Sachs
People, Voices of ExperienceOlson is a lifer at Goldman, having joined the firm as an analyst in the Financial Institutions Group in the Investment Banking Division right out of her undergraduate studies at Georgetown. She figured it would be a great fit for her international economics background and an ideal launching pad to learn in a firm renowned for its accomplished professionals and tremendous amounts of deal activity. As an analyst, she had what she calls a “phenomenal two year experience,” which included cultivating relationships with other employees who have grown in the firm with her and are now in senior positions.
After two years in the analyst program, in 2000 she joined Goldman’s dotcom effort focused on online wealth management, where she worked primarily on marketing and client acquisition activities. She then joined the Special Investments Group within the Investment Management Division, where she has been ever since, earning steady promotions, until she was named partner in 2014.
“Making partner at the firm where I spent my entire career is something that makes me incredibly proud. When I started as an analyst I couldn’t have imagined it happening. I have had the opportunity to help build and be a part of an incredible team with impressive longevity.”
Olson sees the industry as one that will continue to be exciting.The alternative investment landscape continues to evolve and change and become more accessible to a wider universe of investors.In particular, focusing on alternatives allows Olson to hone in on what the interesting investment trends are and how to access them.For example, today technology is transforming and disrupting traditional industries left and right, providing compelling investment opportunities to capitalize on that growth.
Advice For Women That Resonates
In her experience, Olson has found that women are more likely to second guess themselves or feel less secure in their abilities. “Women have to first recognize their abilities and then be more vocal and speak up. They tend to stay quiet even though they have the same skill set and are just as capable. If there were more female role models at senior levels that would help the confidence of more junior women,” she said, adding that it has to be a priority to get more women role models at higher levels throughout the industry.
She advises young women entering the industry to be themselves, be heard and not to try to conform too much. “Teams really benefit from a female approach and the diversity of thought we bring. Some women feel like they don’t want to stand out, but they fail to recognize that being a woman can be and is an asset.”
And for women who have achieved career success, she urges them to continue to challenge themselves. “It’s easy to become complacent, but when you accept those stretch assignments, you’ll find it’s the best way to continue to learn and grow.” In addition, she finds that stepping outside your comfort zone can allow you to meet a new universe of colleagues, and even find a role you didn’t know would inspire you.
Olson herself had that experience, working with a mentor in investment banking, who had always told her she should consider sales. “He urged me to consider a sales role right up until I ended up in one, and he was right. I enjoy the dynamic nature of managing client relationships and it challenges me constantly”
Goldman Sachs’ Investment Management Division has its own women’s network, with which Olson has been involved over the course of her career. She and a colleague recently assumed leadership of the group and are planning future events. Olson has found it to be an excellent way to get to know more women in the division with its focus on mentorship and networking events.
With two young children, Olson and her husband have their hands full outside of the office too.
By Cathie Ericson
Why Real Progress Doesn’t Have a Face
Career Advice, Managing ChangeA new study by Cristian Dezső from the Robert H. Smith School of Business and two co-authors David Gaddis Ross and Jose Uribe from Columbia Business School found evidence of a hidden quota at work at the top inside of companies:
If a woman holds one of the top five executive positions at a company, the chances of a second woman joining the top executive ranks falls by 51%.
The culprit behind this hidden quota? The study, to be published in the Strategic Management Journal, could not discern whether this was conscious discrimination or unconscious bias at play. What’s clear however, is the outcome.
Lone Woman Up a Ladder
The researchers looked at the top five executive roles by compensation across 1,500 S&P firms over twenty years from 1991 to 2011, where top management positions held by women rose from 1.6% in 1992 to 5.8% in 2000 to a slower yet incline of 8.7% in 2011.
The authors found that when one woman had been promoted to the top executive ranks, she was not a key opening up executive offices for more women but more like a lock on the door.
The report states that “women in top management face an implicit quota, whereby a firm’s leadership makes an effort to have a small number of women on the top management team but makes less effort to have, or even resists having, larger numbers of women.”
The study conducted a simulated distribution analysis and compared it to actual distribution of top company executives. If one female executive opened the path for more, there would be lots of clustering. If she had no impact on other female appointments, there would be random distribution. Nope, neither were true.
What the researchers found was a “negative spillover” – the actual distribution of female top executives was isolated, repelling one another. In other words, most companies had only one, resulting in a fragmented female executive population.
As co-author Ross shared with The Huffington Post, “It’s like someone really carefully went around and put one woman on one top management team, and another woman on another, and another woman on another.”
Dezső implies that one woman leads to a pat on the back and now let’s all move on. “Once they had appointed one woman, the men seem to have said, ‘We have done our job.’”
Left of Power Center
The research also implies that the quota seems to not only to limit numbers of women, but their influence – because many companies satisfy the hidden quota by promoting a woman to a professional position, such as head of human resources, rather than (or to keep them out of) a line position. 47% of first-time CEOS came from a line position in the survey, whereas only 4% came from a professional position.
The researchers noted, “The strongest spillovers are associated with professional positions, which are generally more supporting, lower in status, and less integral to a firm’s operations than line officer or CEO positions. We argue that a firm’s managers have greater latitude to use professional positions to satisfy an implicit quota on women in top management.”
Lower Return on Gender Equality Investment?
The study found that efforts to promote women into executive roles after one woman was in place become lower or even in opposition. Getting the second women promoted into the top ranks is a far more challenging feat than the first.
Observing company dynamics, Ross told Business Insider that after one appointment, “They orient their efforts away from promoting women, perhaps to the point of resistance.”
The authors speculate that this could be down to “diminishing returns” for companies on the gender equality scoreboard. While companies gain legitimacy, media, and a representative “face” for change when one woman is hired into a top executive position – and even hold an advantage to peer companieswho have zero -the marginal “value” declines with additional hires, while the cost to the status quo becomes higher.
One woman is enough to stave off internal and external pressure for gender equality but not enough for real change. Stopping at hiring one woman into a top executive position is kind of like crossing the starting line, but then prematurely taking a break to rest securely upon your laurels.
No, It’s Not Queen Bee Syndrome
Maybe those queen bee women are keeping other women out, protecting their coveted positions of power by pushing other women down? No.
The researchers found that the lowest negative spillovers actually occurred in companies with a woman CEO – a female CEO went some way towards mitigating the implicit quota. If a woman CEO was in place, there was a greater chance of further female top executive presence.
Maybe it’s about time that we stop suspecting the lone woman on the ladder in the crowd of men as the one that’s rigging the rungs.
Protected Territory At the Top
Many studies have shown that women create a positive spill-over for each other, such as decreased discrimination and increased pay, at other management levels.
“However,” the researchers state, “we obtained qualitatively different results among top managers, perhaps because men’s willingness to work towards the betterment of women within their organizations is lower in top management, where each job is so valuable both to the individual who holds it and to the dominant male coalition inside the organization.”
At the top it would seem, male managers are protecting the most valuable turf.
We Must Disassociate “One” With Progress
Gender diversity isn’t about show. It’s about change and influence – and as long as changes are made to show gender diversity, they won’t really be made for gender diversity.
It’s well-documented that women in top management bring serious benefits to organizations. It’s well-documented that real progress happens when gender diversity goes beyond tokenism to meet a critical mass.
Whether a board member, an investor, or any champion for diversity within a company, Dezső advises that when you see one woman at the top, it’s best to “keep up the pressure or even apply more pressure” to avoid a plateau.
Today women in top executive positions remain an isolated and fragmented minority. One women among top executives is not a sign of real progress at a systemic level. She’s a sign of more work to be done, and if not recognized as such, a decoy for the changes that aren’t being made.
Real progress doesn’t have a face. It has so many that no one person becomes exemplary of it.
By Aimee Hansen
Better Leadership: Managing and Leading Different Personalities in the Workplace
LeadershipTake the well-known and globally utilized Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as an example. MBTI was developed by two housewives during World War II as a means to align women who were entering the workforce with jobs which suited their personalities. Its output: extroversion versus introversion, sensing versus intuition, thinking versus feeling, judgment versus perception. Understanding your personality traits as a result of such tests is useful, but perhaps more important is the ability to understand the personality types of others. How can you use the output of such tests (although sometimes questionable) to effectively shape the way you deal with your employers and colleagues?
Meet the five personality types…
The first step is to identify the personality types. It is debatable just how many personality types there are; some say 4 (four temperaments), others claim 9 (nine corporate personality types). Interestingly, psychologists will tell you that personality disorders such as narcissism show up in leaders more commonly than we would like to admit since these people with these tendencies have a strong desire for unlimited success, but are ignorant to the feelings of others.
Here we look at 5 (based on the Five Factor Model).
1. Bring it on (openness): These individuals are open to new experiences, curious, creative, and prove invaluable in organizations with a focus on innovation. The number of colleagues you come across with a consistent ‘bring it on’ attitude will be industry dependent, but they tend not to thrive in slow moving industries and those where creativity is stifled. Their “can do” approach is necessary in times of uncertainty, but their associated fearless approach to risk could make them difficult to rein in.
2. No – it’s not in the plan (conscientious): You will have come across these characters before; they bring structure to organizations and keep the house in order. Such individuals may be best utilized during organizational change or short term, high intensity projects. Discipline and preparation are their strongest assets; however they can be difficult to deal with when spontaneity is needed.
3. So “out there” (extrovert): This can be one of the easiest traits to spot. Extroverts are not afraid to share ideas and opinions, be assertive and generally put themselves “out there”. While great in situations where action is required, there is a risk that they drown out the opinions of their colleagues.
4. Yes, yes, yes (agreeable): These are the agreeable colleagues who sympathize and empathize with others, invest time in people, and are seen to be both trusting and trustworthy. While the quality of their relationships tends to be stronger than those of a disagreeable nature, their ability to lead can be put to the test during difficult times.
5. Rollercoaster (emotional stability): We know this type all too well. Individuals in this group tend to go through emotional rollercoasters, feeling negative emotions acutely. They tend to get easily worked up, irritated and upset in the workplace. While difficult to keep up with their frequent mood swings, their focus on negative aspects of tasks could potentially highlight gaps and areas of improvement which would otherwise have been missed.
How to how to deal with each personality at work
Once identified, being clear on how you approach different personality types is important.
1. Embrace, or at least acknowledge, the value in all personality types: While not always the same or complementary to your personality type, the most successful teams are made up of a mix of personalities. Gender also plays a part; according to a 2001 study, most women reported themselves to be higher in the rollercoaster, “yes, yes, yes” and “bring it on” groups. Although the emotional stability trait in extremes may not be desirable, the benefits of working with an agreeable and creative colleague should not be discounted. A balanced team is important.
2. Get the right person assigned to the task: Asking a conscientious individual to lead in a volatile environment is not setting the individual or the team up for success. Use the strengths of each individual by allocating the right job where she or he can excel.
3. Remember, there is a spectrum: While personality tests can enable you in trying to understand the personalities in your organizations, it is important to see them as a framework and the majority of individuals aren’t either agreeable or disagreeable, but rather somewhere in between and dependent on the situation. The approach you choose to take with individual should align with their personality.
The most unconstructive thing to do would be for you to avoid certain personality types completely. Each person brings something to the table, and disharmony in teams and organizations is experienced when individuals and leaders do not acknowledge this.
Leaders: recruiting and managing multi-personality teams
Based on his research, Dr. Robert Hogan of Hogan Assessments, has developed a set of tools to help leaders understand the personalities of those they employ and how the individuals approach problem solving and difficult situations. According to Hogan, organizations are increasingly seeing the value of such understanding: workplace personality testing has become a $500m a year business and growing.
Nicki Gilmour, CEO of theglasshammer, who is also a qualified organizational psychologist and coach, comments about the use of tools for personal development at work,
“Personality tests are most useful when they are taken in context of the ‘coachee’s’ direct working culture since behaviour is a product of both personality and the environment that the person is surrounded by. It is so useful to know yourself and using tools like the Hogan suite, you can honestly see your potential triggers that can happen when any of us have our backs against the wall.”
The increasing diversity of our workforce demands that leaders understand how to recruit and manage multi-personality teams. Without understanding the personalities in your workforce, there is a limit to how successful any leader or manager can be.
By Nneka Orji