Women managers bring diversity & innovation to problem-solving: Dr Sylvia Hewlett
In this interview, Dr Sylvia Hewlett, ranked at number 11 on the Thinkers 50 listing of the worlds 50 top business thinkers, shares her thought on talent innovation in emerging markets.
In the run-up to the MBAUniverse.com Round Table in Bengaluru on April 2, keynote speaker Dr Sylvia Hewlett, ranked at number 11 on the Thinkers 50 listing of the worlds 50 top business thinkers, shares her thought on talent innovation in this brief interview.
A host of Management thought leaders including Dr Sylvia Hewlett, CXOs & B-school Directors will address MBAUniverse.com Directors Round Table in Bengaluru on April 2. The theme for the 2nd annual Round Table is Doing the Doable! The New Models for Sustainability & Growth in MBA Education.
Other key speakers at the event include CXOs like Mr. Manish Sabharwal, chairman and co-founder, Teamlease and Mr. Abhijit Bhaduri, Chief Learning Officer, Wipro Group & Author of Dont hire the Best. Distinguished academicians who will address the forum include Prof. J. Philip, President, XIME Bangalore; Dr. Harivansh Chaturvedi, Alt President, EPSI & Director, BIMTECH; Dr Tapan Panda, Director, PGDM, Great Lakes Institute of Management and Mr. Sanjay Padode, Secretary, IFIM Business School.
Dr. Sylvia Ann Hewlett will speak on Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets: Why Women Are the Solution (the title of her latest book). Dr. Hewlett, who has taught at many prestigious universities like Cambridge, Columbia and Princeton universities, is an economist and the founding president of the Center for Talent Innovation, a non-profit think tank. She has authored nine Harvard Business Review articles and 11 critically acclaimed nonfiction books including Off-Ramps and On- Ramps and Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets (Harvard Business Press).
In this interview, Dr Hewlett speaks on the opportunities and challenges of hiring talented women in emerging markets.
Q: You have been deeply involved in bringing new ideas on Talent Innovation. What are your suggestions on talent innovation in emerging economies like India, China?
A: The surging economies of India and China owe their growth in no small part to the contributions of educated women. Ambitious and determined to use their newly minted diplomas, 76 percent of female Chinese university graduates we surveyed and 86 percent of their Indian counterparts aspire to hold a top job. CEOs say that finding top talent is their biggest operational barrier to growth in these markets; in fact, theres a rich pool of highly qualified women hiding in plain sight.
Despite their dedication, women are derailed from their career path by family-rooted pulls, such as childcare and eldercare, and workplace pushes like gender bias, extreme hours, and difficult and unsafe commutes. However, employers can answer many of these issues by creating conditions that allow talented women to flourish by implementing programs that make it easier for women to return to work after having a child, and that help with childcare and eldercare; by fostering connections between highly qualified women and mentors and role models; and by providing the management training that enables them to progress in their careers.
Women are a critical part of the high-echelon talent pool in emerging markets that no company can afford to ignore. By creating the programs and policies that tap into the vast potential of female talent, forward-thinking companies will gain a lasting competitive advantage and ensure continued growth.
Q. You have authored Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets: Why Women Are the Solution. What is your view on woman holding key managerial positions? What is the edge they bring into the working environment and overall growth?
A: Very simply, diversity drives innovation. Women bring different perspectives, experiences, and approaches to problem-solving to companies that have long been run by the same old managers who come from the same social class, the same schools, the same background, and the same gender.
Furthermore, emerging markets are increasingly dominated by women. As women move up the career ladder, a surprising number are earning salaries greater than their spouses. Women now control two-thirds of all global consumers spending, according to a recent Boston Consulting Group report. Married women are overwhelmingly the primary decision-makers for their familys purchases of food, clothing, health care, education, and household products. When translating product development and marketing strategy into emerging markets, the mandate to think global and act local in pragmatic terms means hire more women.
In short, gender diversity is not a social issue. Its a business issue that all companies can benefit from.
Q: How do Indian women leaders like Indra Nooyi, Chanda Kochhar, Naina Lal Kidwai make it to the top of Asian and global biz. Whats their secret?
A: While I cant speak specifically about Indra Nooyi, Chandra Kochhar and other female Indian CEOs career paths, I can say with utter conviction that none of them would have attained their top positions without a sponsor. What gets women to the executive suite isnt just that they have the smart track record: Its that they have the powerful backing necessary to inspire, propel, and protect them through the perilous straits of upper management. Those who succeed do so because of sponsorship. With a sponsor in her corner, women are more likely to ask for and receive a pay raise, get stretch assignments, and make the connections that will take them to the top.
Women make up half of the global workforce and half of the worlds talent, yet glaringly remain a minority of the global business elite. Sponsorship can unleash the female talent building up in the pipeline and offer women what exemplary talent and unflagging dedication alone cannot secure - the keys to the C-suite.
They also possess another invaluable attribute. They have executive presence. As we explain in a recent research study, the perception of being leadership material is composed of an amalgam of appearance, communication skills and gravitas.
The MBAUniverse.com Bengaluru Round Table aims to put spotlight on key challenges like Policy Conundrum, over supply, Shrinking Demand. The speakers will also highlight how B-schools can stimulate demand and develop strategies to effectively reach & engage with MBA aspirants in the Digital Era. Simultaneously, the forum will also focus on enhancing learning experience and increasing employability of MBA graduates.
More than 150 CXOs, senior Directors and Deans of leading Universities & MBA Schools from Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and other major cities across the country are expected to attend the forum. The venue for the forum is The Century Club at Cubbon Park, Bengaluru.
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for full coverage on annual MBAUniverse.com Directors Round Table 2013.
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