Insight into Women Professionals: How Accenture Smashed the Glass Ceiling
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However, women faced a large number of issues that called
for measures on various fronts.
Issues:
» Gain some key insights into women employees.
» Understand the issues and challenges related to promoting diversity and taking up the cause of women employees in the organization.
» Appreciate the linkage between the various measures taken by the firm and the consequent improvement in the diversity of the firm.
» Study the various initiatives adopted by Accenture to achieve this.
» Explore ways in which the women's initiatives could be made more effective for meeting the future requirements of the firm.
» Understand the issues and challenges related to promoting diversity and taking up the cause of women employees in the organization.
» Appreciate the linkage between the various measures taken by the firm and the consequent improvement in the diversity of the firm.
» Study the various initiatives adopted by Accenture to achieve this.
» Explore ways in which the women's initiatives could be made more effective for meeting the future requirements of the firm.
"Organizations can think of helping women improve
their aspirations by creating specific channels of career enhancement...Women
tend not to ask for a pay raise or promotion, do not cultivate mentors, feel
that their careers are not fast tracked, and do not aim for the C-suite
jobs."
- Rekha Menon, Executive Director, Accenture India, in
2011.
"Because we understand that women are critical to
the company's success, we aim to attract, retain, and advance women by recognizing
and maximizing their performance."
Rekha Menon (Menon), Executive Director at Accenture India,
quipped, "At Accenture, our commitment to diversity and building,
sustaining and expanding an inclusive culture is a key ingredient in helping
our clients and company achieve high performance levels."
Over the years, there had been a rapid increase in the number of female employees at Accenture.
Over the years, there had been a rapid increase in the number of female employees at Accenture.
Susan Bulkeley Butler recalled her experience as the first
female consultant at Accenture (then Arthur Andersen) in 1965. She said,
"There were no female consultants. It was unheard of for a woman to fill
any role except support staff... So, before they could hire me, my new bosses
had to check with clients and make sure they could accept a 'man in a skirt'.
The Research that was done:
Accenture released the results of a global study on attitudes toward work, surveying
3,400 business executives from medium to large organizations across 29
countries. The survey reveals some telling statistics about how people across
the globe feel about women, work, success, and ambition.
What may be most surprising about the report is how similar
the responses were between men and women. Apparently, securing satisfying,
fairly compensated work is important to everyone!
But there were some notable differences between genders –
mainly around the areas of career planning and development. Women are seeking
their own brand of professional success and taking their own path to get there.
The study revealed that fewer women than men (14% compared to 22%) are hoping
to attain C-suite roles. Indeed, the freedom to define your own success is
wonderful and freeing, but this begs a very difficult question: are women
choosing a different definition of success because obstacles, glass ceilings or
sticky floors perhaps, are obstructing the path to the corner office?
>>Career Satisfaction and Development: More Women Seeking
Education
One of the main findings of the report was that almost half
of the respondents (42% of males and 43% of females) are not happy with their
current work situation. Yet at the same time, they aren’t looking for a new job
(most said they’re planning to stay put for the time being). LaMae Allen
deJongh, Accenture’s Managing Director of U.S. Human Capital & Diversity explained,
“Our research found an unusual workplace dynamic in that even though today’s
professionals are dissatisfied with their jobs, they are focused on seeking the
training, the resources, and the people that can help them achieve their goals
with their current employers.”
DeJongh said that employers should take note of this
dynamic, and provide more opportunities for learning and development. “We hope
executives will view the insights emerging from this research as an opportunity
to engage their employees and help them become more successful and satisfied.”
Women in particular are seeking more ways to educate
themselves – perhaps seeing education as a way to advance their own career
potential. According to the study, a noticeably larger percentage of female executives
(18%) compared with males (11%) are looking to go back to school. DeJongh was
careful to note that while more women than men are looking to the classroom
everyone is looking to improve themselves.
She said, “Although more women reported a stronger interest
in going back to school, a majority of respondents (59 percent) both male and
female reported that training and education and additional responsibility in
general have helped move careers forward. We see this as a sign that many
employees refuse to be stagnant. They are interested in looking for ways to
move forward and reinvent opportunity for themselves.”
>>Pay & Promotion: More Men Asking for Promotions,
Equal Numbers Asking for a Raise
Given the hubbub around the
importance of building negotiation skills for women, it was surprising to
see that the percentages of individuals who had negotiated a raise were fairly
similar, with only a slightly lower percentage of females (44%) having done so
than men (48%).
But what was surprising was that the percentage of males
(39%) who had asked for a promotion was significantly larger than that of
females (28%). With the global pay gap not going anywhere for the time being
(in fact, last week’s White House report
on women noted that in the US that women still make only about 80% as much
as men for equal work), this could provide a reason why.
It’s not enough to ask for a raise – if women want to make
more money, perhaps they need to ask for more responsibilities or a higher
status within the organization first. DeJongh was hesitant to say that asking
for a promotion first will lead to making more money. But she pointed out that
with so many employees reportedly dissatisfied in their careers, employers
should make sure they are really listening to what their employees want, both
males and females.
“While the survey didn’t specifically ask about status, it’s
a good reminder for companies to really listen to employees and investigate the
source of dissatisfaction and understand what employees are looking for. For
example, in this research, respondents attribute their lack of current job
satisfaction to a variety of issues, ranging from being underpaid and a lack of
opportunity for growth to a lack of opportunity for career advancement and
feeling trapped,” she said.
She continued, “Success means different things to different
people. We were pleased to find, however, that this research suggests that
women and men are equally ambitious when it comes to improving skills and
reinventing opportunities for themselves despite current job dissatisfaction.”
>>Mentors: Women Not Getting as Much Career-Growth Advice
The importance of mentors and sponsors is deservedly getting
the spotlight lately, especially considering the recent release of two studies
on the subject by Catalyst and the Center for Work/Life Policy.
Both studies revealed the importance of mentor and sponsor
relationships – and the Accenture study confirms it. The study reveals that
while about the same percentage of women (32%) and men (31%) had formal or
informal mentors, they’re relying on them for different kinds of support.
Significantly more men (49%) than women (40%) had planned
career moves with a mentor, while more women (47%) than men (38%) used their
mentor as a sounding board. What this boils down to is that more men are
discussing the next level with their mentors. And more women are discussing the
status quo.
This is not to say that men are more ambitious than women.
Certainly, women face challenges in the workplace that men do not, and it’s not
surprising that many women need more “sounding board” support from their
mentor. The quality and content of mentor and sponsor relationships is key to
career growth – and this study illustrates that women are not getting those
critical career-growth conversations as often as men.
According to deJongh, “Employers should create a culture of
distinguishing between, and supporting both mentoring and sponsorship – and
women should be proactive and seek out mentors and sponsors, ask for help, and
find advocates to help them move up and be recognized for their talents and
achievements.”
>>Are Female Execs Getting the Support they Need from Their
Employer to Be Ambitious?
To sum up, according to the study, a large number of women
and men are dissatisfied with their current career, but they don’t plan to
change companies. They’re seeking career development opportunities, and many
more women than men plan to further their education to do so. Women are
negotiating for raises in roughly the same numbers as men, but they aren’t
asking for promotions. And at the same time, they also aren’t having as many
career-development conversations with their mentors as men – if they even have
a mentor.
Altogether, it does seem that women want to advance in their
careers, but they aren’t getting the necessary support from their companies to
achieve their ambitions. Since they’re not receiving advice from a mentor or
role model on how to get there, they’re seeking more education opportunities.
And they’re using mentor relationships as a place to blow off steam or toss
around issues within their current role.
As the economy improves and more companies no doubt begin
the hiring cycle, considering the rising understanding that diverse voices
bring added value to an organization, companies would be wise to provide high
performing executive women they support they need.
As deJongh explained, “What we hope executives learn from
our research is that right now there is a huge opportunity to engage employees
– both men and women – in order to help them become more successful. Employees
are looking to reinvent opportunities at their current jobs and if executives
can listen to employees and provide them with innovative training throughout
every level of their careers, leadership development, flexibility, and
clearly-defined career paths they can better engage their employees and help
them be more successful.”
Simply claiming that women aren’t reaching the top ranks of
organizations because they want to define success for themselves is a cop-out.
There are institutional barriers in place, and organizations need to take steps
to remove them. If organizations aren’t providing women with critical career
growth planning and opportunities, women will go elsewhere.
Steps taken:
The next five years are going to be an
interesting place for senior women leaders in the corporate world in
India. We are going to see an increasing number make it to the top, and
more important, stay there, says Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, Vice President
& Client Partner, Stanton Chase International.
“No Glass Ceiling. Just Blue Sky’ I must
admit Marcy Blochowiak’s book title summarizes my thoughts well! It may
be an aspirational statement anywhere in the world, particularly n
India, but I would like to stay with the thought.It is well known that the focus on Women Leadership is driven primarily by two strong pillars, The Business (CEO’s Office) and The Function (HR). This imperative is moving due to pressure from the global ecosystem from a ‘good to have ‘to a ‘must have’.Diversity is increasingly a business imperative that is being watched by both the shareholders and the Board. With this hawk eye, it is not surprising that these pillars are focusing even more extensively on this space.
From adversity to diversity
India is relatively young as far as corporate Women Leadership is concerned but has played an excellent catch up, by moving quickly forward to be aligned to its global counterparts. India’s history with regard to women has been mixed – in the past women have been worshipped as goddesses, burnt for dowry, killed at or before birth in appalling cases of female infanticide - but things are changing so rapidly, we almost feel we are living in two Indias! From a cultural, social and economic angle, women have put up with much adversity in the past, and sadly some still face huge challenges today.From adversity to diversity now, however! The past is moving away, and the future is a dazzling catch up. Women are moving center stage as political, social and economic beings. While remaining conscious and wary of our history, looking forward and embracing our empowerment is critical. We have produced some stupendous women CEOs and CXO level leaders, but they are still not standard issue in India, as perhaps they are in the West. But things are getting better. The pressure on this space comes not only from the Indian set up, but the global headquarters as well, and the good news is that the level of internalization is taking place in the top ranks of management. Male stakeholders are one of the biggest supporters in the corporate structure of today.
I must clarify that I am focusing primarily on the larger corporations here - the MNCs or large Indian corporates, particularly the IT majors. A lot still needs to be done in the SME (Small and Medium Enterprise) space. The ‘Glass Ceiling’ is typically a phrase that makes most people , especially women (and I must say , that includes me) , roll their eyes and cringe, as it is such a cliché ! However, like many clichés, I must admit that it has a significant element of truth.
Pushing through the Glass Ceiling
In India, there are several factors that are impelling senior women leaders to break through the so-called Glass Ceiling- Governmental Initiatives- this ranges from education for women, better representation in educational institutions, and legislation on safety and empowerment.
- A larger funnel of middle to senior women professionals - this was just not there before. There was simply a limited pipeline and this obviously impacted the numbers reaching top management.
- Larger ambition by women to reach the corner office. Culturally and socially, women today are feeling the justifiable motivation and energy to push for the top job
- Family support - women aiming for leadership roles are being supported and encouraged by family members, who are far more focused on her happiness and success than perhaps the previous generations were
- Strong professional structure. At the workplace, the HR and company structure is gearing itself to incorporate and promote more women leaders than before. The results are already showing up in Corporate India
- A greater corporate sensitivity and acceptance of the woman as part of a larger entity i.e. the family, and therefore more openness to build this in to rigorous office structures and schedules
- Mentors and role models. Not enough has been said in this important issue and its impact on pushing women up the ladder. Without adequate role models, many of us would not be able to see a demonstration of the success we want! Mentors are increasingly used and depended on by many career-oriented women.
- Senior women leaders are getting more conscious of their impact on this space, and are willing to give time and direction to younger women leaders and the organizational process to attract and retain them.
- The development of technology has resulted in a more virtual world that is less dependent on presenteeism, and physical presence. This results in a greater span of control for women.
- Globalization has given more visibility and opportunity to today’s woman, and she is using this to her advantage
- Search Consultants and HR staffing leaders are under increasing pressure to source more women for senior roles so several talented women professionals who may have been below the radar so far, are getting the visibility that they need to make it to the top
- Diversity and Women Leadership initiatives by many corporates to create and sustain talent within, as well as by powerful industry bodies like NASSCOM and CII certainly help to mainstream this, and create critical mass
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