Despite considerable progress in the creation of more equal and fair workplaces, instances of gender equality are still sadly quite pervasive. It’s an issue that Harvard Business School’s Colleen Ammerman and Boris Groysberg have spent much of their professional lives examining, and they chronicle their findings in their latest book Glass Half Broken.
The pair explore why women’s careers continue to be limited and show how individuals, managers, and organizations can work to eliminate the gender gaps that endure to this day across the economy.
“Inequitable management doesn’t happen only in male-dominated industries or in regions with greater overall gender inequality, and it isn’t perpetuated only by men,” they explain. “The women we surveyed were working in public and private companies, nonprofits, family businesses, and government agencies. The vast majority were at least two decades into their careers, and over 40% were more than 30 years along.”
Key attributes of inclusive management
They outline five key attributes that go into making organizations more inclusive, fairer, and more effective:
- Develop an objective lens for recruiting and rewarding employees – While deliberate discrimination most definitely takes place still, the majority of discrimination is more subtle and is a case of unconscious biases preventing fairness from emerging. As such, objective measures of recruitment and rewarding employees are vital to moving past any biases that may exist.
- Provide developmental opportunities and feedback on an equitable basis – Sadly it’s still all too common for women to receive less feedback than men, while also failing to be offered mentoring, overseas assignments, or stretch assignments. For equality to be achieved this needs to change and such opportunities offered on a more equitable basis.
- Foster a culture where everyone matters – Far and away the most common form of discrimination at work is the marginalization of women whether from work engagements or social interactions. Hosting sporting events for the boys, for instance. An inclusive workplace overcomes this and creates an environment where everyone feels included and like they matter.
- Effectively leverage diverse perspectives – Of course, true inclusivity has to go further than simply making women feel welcome, as the value of diversity is the inclusion of multiple different perspectives in how decisions are made and tasks performed. If you’re not listening to women or involving them in decisions then your workplace isn’t an inclusive one.
- Champion diversity, equity, and inclusion as values and aspirations – While the value of a diverse workforce is rarely questioned today, it’s important that this doesn’t just become something executives say to appeal to modern sensibilities but is something that truly infuses throughout the organization. One way to do this is to ensure that activities aimed at improving diversity and equality are treated seriously and legitimately.
“Inclusive management isn’t feel-good fluff,” they conclude. “It requires self-reflection, awareness of the drivers of workplace disadvantage, and a commitment to changing the conditions, including your own habits and assumptions, that perpetuate it.”
