Corporate Partnerships: Activating The Woman Effect For Business Results

The Woman Effect refers to the documented phenomenon that a significant presence of women in any organization’s leadership contributes to higher-performance, as measured by profitability, performance and sustainability.[1]  Over the past five years numerous studies have linked the presence of women in leadership with higher performance and yet the past 15-20 years of women’s leadership development programs has largely failed[2] to vault women into the magical 30% participation rate,[3] which is where research finds the positive effects to appear on a company-wide scale.

But The Woman Effect really isn’t (just) about women in leadership roles – it’s about gender-partnered leadership cultures. The “why” behind The Woman Effect is that when there is general parity between genders in an organization’s decision-making group, men and women both act a little differently, improving decision quality.[4] The mix of their leadership styles and strengths creates a more productive and profitable culture and business takes off! Women leaders are the catalyst for much-needed culture change, but it’s women and men together that deliver results.

Want to bring the benefits of a gender-balanced leadership culture to your organization? Contact us now at InPower Consulting!

InPower Consulting is researching this phenomenon and has found the following:

• The business case for gender-balanced leadership is not well understood by hiring executives, stockholders or high-achieving women themselves – most of whom think women’s leadership efforts are a nice-to-have – thus providing little incentive for change.
• Blended teams of females and males are the optimal leadership mix and this requires a cultural change, not just for women but for the culture as a whole.
• Gender-balanced leadership is a strategic change management challenge,  requiring an integration with “the work” and business results important to the organization.
• Leaders – both established and upcoming – need support in developing new individual leadership and cultural management styles to fit this new cultural model of blended leadership.

In 2012 InPower Consulting will run several end-to-end change management programs with select corporate partners to validate this research and refine the change management framework designed to achieve gender-balanced leadership naturally and with measurable business results. The outcomes for our corporate partners will be measurable business improvement, a company-wide business case for gender balanced leadership and good publicity. Are you a potential partner? Contact us!