Interviews are presented with the heads of three Australian financial services firms, where the Chief Executives discuss the actions taken within their companies to encourage gender diversity. The interviews examine issues such as pay parity, flexible working arrangements, provision of parental leave, mentoring and career resilience programmes, tracking against targets and overall compliance with the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX) diversity guidelines.
This bibliography is a quick reference of abstracts on ways to improve women’s career paths within organisations. We have referenced 117 items, organised them into seven topic areas, and provided a brief summary of each item. Articles covering more than one topic have been included in each relevant area.
Building on the research used on Realising the opportunity, we have included other papers which contained significant data or analysis. We have also added in reports which contain concrete proposals for action or recommendations, and information on New Zealand.
We hope Inspiring Action will make it easier for human resources practitioners and managers, Chief Executive Officers and leadership teams, to identify practical steps to take to improve women’s career pathways in organisations. To find articles, use the search function below or download the full report.
2012
Area of focus:
Action
This report summarises McKinsey & Co.'s research into women's leadership pipeline. It identifies three globally applicable principles which underlie successful change towards gender diversity, these being a wholly-committed senior leadership, active talent management, and effective efforts to change individual and institutional mind-sets. Four priorities are provided for leaders committed to transformation.
2012
Area of focus:
Action
This paper discusses the business case for gender diversity, as well as the barriers, or "leaks", undermining the female leadership pipeline in business. Following a workshop held by the OECD, where business representatives shared their experiences implementing a range of diversity programmes, the report outlines a toolkit of "gender diversity best practice" for organisations, which addresses the separate levels of leadership commitment, measurement and accountability, alignment of human resource and operational policies, education and training, change management and communication, and addressing the broader social context.Business recommendations are set for governments in terms of public policy which would facilitate change. An annexe contains relatively detailed case studies of 16 companies from around the world, examining the programmes they have implemented; amongst these is New Zealand bank ASB.
2014
Area of focus:
Action
This study surveys the attitudes of female managers and human resources leaders towards women's advancement from middle to senior management in UK companies, finding discrepancies between the ambitions of female middle managers, and human resources' perceptions of the same.The paper presents recommendations for human resource leaders wishing to improve gender diversity within their companies, or female middle managers seeking to advance their career. It highlights the perception that female senior executives fail to act as role models for women in middle management, and the need for female managers to assume a higher level of responsibility for determining their own career paths.
2013
Area of focus:
Action
This publication from an Australian government agency accompanies an online resource located at www.wgea.gov.au, which assists users in setting gender diversity targets within their organisation.The paper presents a brief discussion of women's current representation in management across Australian sectors, and of the business case for increasing gender diversity.Key principles for target setting are outlined, and a checklist is provided to allow users to measure the degree to which the prerequisite management commitment, resources and systems are in place within their organisation. A seven-step target setting process is described in detail, with accompanying examples of a large- and a small-scale business which have progressed through the steps. Instructions are then provided for completing the online tool, a spreadsheet which uses historical information to create future projections of diversity statistics for organisations, allowing users to manipulate the information to test the outcomes of proposed targets.
2013
Area of focus:
Action
This white paper describes a new framework of women's career progression developed by the Kenexa High Performance Institute. The framework identifies key behaviours or factors at the "individual", "immediate work environment" and "organisational context" levels which can strengthen or accelerate the progression of female staff through the leadership pipeline. An example is provided of how this framework was used to assess policy and processes at a major financial services firm (Deloitte), enabling the company to identify failings in its gender diversity programme.
2013
Area of focus:
Action
The results of a survey of 78 UK business leaders, asking for their response to the diversity challenge, are used here as the basis for a comprehensive and practical guide to building a successful diversity programme.Despite significant investment in gender diversity programmes, change is slow and ineffective initiatives risk creating fatigue or backlash. The authors recommend utilising an effective mix of balanced initiatives, and present a five step model for implementing and monitoring such a strategy. The steps are illustrated with case studies from the survey results. Definitions are provided and processes described for key strategies such as formal sponsorship programmes and leadership development, and three sample action plans are provided as examples of how different companies may have different requirements.
2013
Area of focus:
Action
The Male Champions of Change are an initiative of CEOs, department heads and non-executive directors from the Australian business and federal government sectors. This paper provides a comprehensive toolkit for senior business managers wishing to achieve gender balance in their organisation and assist women in moving into leadership roles.The issue is broken into the four themes of leadership commitment, creating accountability, changing organisational culture, and removing the negative career impacts of parental leave or caring responsibilities. Three actions are recommended for each theme; each action is described in detail to assist implementation and is accompanied by case study examples from the authors' own organisations. Sidebars and diagrams illustrate several diversity-related issues in greater depth, from the "Leadership Shadow" theory of management, the processes and mind-sets relating to each stage of the parental leave cycle, best practice guidelines for diversity reporting, and a three-phase model for elevating women's representation in leadership.
2013
Area of focus:
Action
As a continuation of this management consultancy's research on gender diversity, this report summarises findings from studies of US Fortune 1000 companies which have succeeded in building good gender balance at senior levels.Four principles that assist in achieving this are identified. Broadly these are: leadership which believes in making the change; moving the issue beyond gender diversity programmes and into the organisation's core values; a systematic approach over time, including adapting HR processes and measuring results; and female representation at board level, which can assist in role modelling and sponsorship for female executive candidates.A profile interview is provided of a senior staff member at the Wall Street Journal, who accepted promotion to a role in China while a parent.
2013
Area of focus:
Action
This substantial resource was prepared by the Australian Human Rights Commission as a toolkit to industry. Women have typically been deterred from entering male dominated industries due to lack of family role models, negative perceptions of the sectors,gender stereotypes and bias, workplace culture and structural issues. This report makes the business case for the benefits of gender diversity then outlines strategies for the attraction, recruitment, retention and career path development of women in the Australian mining, construction and utilities industries. It presents an introduction to building a workplace gender diversity strategy, then outlines actions in chapters dedicated to each of thefour stages; each stage is separated into three key areas, with multiple actions for each area. The actions are illustrated with practical examples from case studies.A final chapter presents lists and descriptions of available resources, both Australian and international, for each industry as well as more general diversity resources.