The previous cases, which happened during his glory days at Infosys, were settled out of court in the US with the women getting hefty sums – $3 million for his then-secretary Reka Maximovitch and $800, 000 for Jennifer Griffith. Roiz’s charges will also be heard in the US and huge sums of monies are likely to be involved, given that Roiz is pregnant.

Would Murthy have gotten away with his behaviour in India? While it’s difficult to hazard a definite reply, the answer is likely to be affirmative given that there’s no history of a high-profile CEO being convicted for sexual harassment in the country. Does that mean that India Inc has no affairs or that there are no cases of inappropriate behaviour between seniors and subordinates? Of course not. Then how come employees do not go public with cases of sexual harassment in India? Cultural and social mores are the culprit, say human resource experts.

In India, plenty of women face sexual harassment in various forms at the workplace, but the matter often gets swept under the rug. HR consultants claim that over 50 per cent cases of sexual harassment at workplaces in India go unreported and don’t even make it to the HR managers of the company.

“In India our cultural and societal norms have a huge impact when such instances come to light, ” says Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, vice-president and partner at executive search firm Stanton Chase International. She adds that unlike in the West, in India we try to sort out an issue rather than address it head on.

India’s $108 billion IT-ITeS industry, a sector that gave Murthy his rockstar reputation, accounts for the highest percentage of women employees at 40 per cent as compared to other industries. Fundamentally, the workings of the industry require a lot of travel, and there does come a point where men and women are out of their homes for months in a foreign land. Proximity often leads to liaisons – mainly consensual, but not always – when lines between work and play get blurred.

“The nagging questions in the minds of women are ‘What happens if I speak out? Will I be singled out?’” says Sangeeta Lala, senior vice-president at TeamLease Services, a Bangalore-based HR consultancy company. She adds that there is little awareness among women about what constitutes sexual harassment at the workplace.

Family pressure to maintain a “clean image” – and thus stand a better chance in the matrimonial market – also stops women from raising an alarm when they are sexually harassed. “Even if a woman endures some form of sexual harassment at the workplace, if she talks about it in public, it is perceived negatively by most middle-class families, ” says a senior HR consultant in Bangalore.

Sunil Goel, MD of executive search firm Globalhunt India, says “Women fear retaliation and don’t want to put their reputation on the line. ” He says that since women are grossly underrepresented at the top, there is very little room for them to even consider going public with a claim, leave alone filing a lawsuit.

HR consultants are of the opinion that there is a funnel-like pattern in the way women in India deal with sexual harassment cases at their workplace. At the top of the funnel, constituting a large percentage of women, sexual harassments cases are dealt with on a personal level, with perhaps just a few close friends in the loop of things.

Going further down the funnel, there’s a segment of women who build-up the strength and courage to fight harassment. Women who can’t take the immense psychological pressure of the battle reach out to various support groups in the company or outside. Very few women actually go the distance and report cases but get cowed down by questions like: “Are you OK with it because more details are going to come out about you as well?”

“Companies have to work towards building an un-gendered workplace and a stress-free environment, ” says Chetty-Rajagopal.

India’s IT capital, Bangalore, has reported startling statistics on sexual harassment cases in the IT-ITeS and biotech sectors, with over 700 complaints ‘unofficially’ registered with the Karnataka labour department last year. Sources in the labour department say they have scratched only the surface. “In most cases, women have been subjected to punishment transfers for rejecting sexual advances of male colleagues or superiors, ” says a senior official at the state labour department.

Given the number of women in the sector, Nasscom says that it is creating awareness about workplace sexual harassment through workshops and seminars.

Priya Chetty-Rajagopal

Principal Consultant
Business Excellence – Corporate Initiatives
cr.priya@stantonchase.com

Priya is a very well known industry figure in Bangalore. As the head of Corporate Practice, her focus with Stanton Chase Bangalore is to implement a non IT focus in a completely IT-oriented city. A member of Stanton Chase International’s Business Excellence Committee, Priya has also played a large role in establishing its Global Diversity Practice. She has successfully led Chief Executive Officer level search assignments for a diverse selection of companies in India.

Around the world, the debate around women and work-life balance has never been more urgent, strident and engaging, and TOI decided to bring this debate to life on our pages through a panel discussion featuring three smart, opinionated, and articulate achievers whose arguments combine a global viewpoint with keen cultural understanding of the Indian scenario.

To begin with, is work-life balance a ‘women’s issue’ at all? The discussion started off with that counter-intuitive question from Priya Chetty-Rajagopal, partner and global VP – Corporate Initiatives, Stanton Chase International. “Policies friendlier towards women tend to be family-friendly, and benefit men as much as women,” said Chetty-Rajagopal. “They work out in everyone’s favour. Around 40-50 % of these solutions are used by males in the office,” she said.

Sunita R Cherian, VP & Global Head, Human Resources, Wipro, agreed. “Most of these solutions tend to be gender-agnostic. It’s not a women’s issue,” she said. “It is also true that women don’t need these solutions at each phase of their lives. For a young executive just out of college – male or female – they probably don’t make much sense. These young people are eager to prove themselves and to spend all their energies at work. Who are we to tell them what they should or should not want?” asked Cherian, quoting the example of a young worker at Wipro who did not want to be moved out of night shifts as part of an HR endeavour to ensure safety. “She said she joined the company because she wanted to work nights! Who are we to argue?”

Yet, Cherian feels, the knowledge that policies that enable flexibility exist and can be availed of by any employee create a sense of well-being and empowerment.

As someone who has been an employee at busy hospitals as well as an employer at Teleradiology Solutions, a clinical processes outsourcing firm she co-founded, Dr Sunita Maheshwari says she worked hard to create an environment that would offer women much-needed flexibility. “As a doctor, I can admit that my life had no balance. It was only when my daughter, then seven or eight years old, asked me if I loved the babies in the hospital more than her that I was brought up short,” said Maheshwari. One of the changes she made at that point was to tell her boss that she would take Wednesday afternoons off – a small change that made a world of difference to the quality of her relationships. “Often, women are scared to ask. They don’t want to be seen as unprofessional,” she added. “We’ve got to admit that women face a number of issues that men simply don’t, or which they know their wives are handling. The nanny didn’t come in, the mother-in-law fell sick – these are everyday issues the working woman has to face and we must acknowledge that.”

It is a fact that in the IT sector, women constitute around 40% of the workforce at the entry level, 25% at mid-level roles, and only 8% at the top level. Why are these women falling through the rungs and not making it to the top in larger numbers, as they logically should given their neck-to-neck performance with men at the starting block? The panelists were of the view that the surge in the numbers of women joining the corporate sector is less than a decade old, and given time and nurturing by their employers, the numbers at the top will begin to match those at the gates. “One theory is that the decision to hold back is a choice some women make. As long as the organization they work with is inclusive and doesn’t have discriminatory policies, we should accept that with grace,” said Cherian, who created a moment of shared laughter and empathy when she said the one piece of advice she always gives young women is to do with the kind of man they marry. “I tell them they have to choose the right spouse, someone who will support and respect their career, who will share duties equally and be a real partner,” she said.

An interesting – and often ignored – insight that came from the discussion was about the quality of work, which often tends to be forgotten in the desperate quest for a better quality of life. Some experts are of the view that when work is designed for maximum productivity, employees enjoy both work and life without needing any intervention.

“Flexibility and work-life balance shouldn’t end up as words that get lip-service because it’s fashionable or because in a global firm, memos from headquarters dictate that you do so. Many brilliant, successful women, who would have been excellent role-models, have stepped back from this kind of debate because they are suspicious of this element of tokenism. The changes have to come from an organisation’s heart and soul,” said Chetty-Rajagopal.

Priya Chetty-Rajagopal

Principal Consultant
Business Excellence – Corporate Initiatives
cr.priya@stantonchase.com

Priya is a very well known industry figure in Bangalore. As the head of Corporate Practice, her focus with Stanton Chase Bangalore is to implement a non IT focus in a completely IT-oriented city. A member of Stanton Chase International’s Business Excellence Committee, Priya has also played a large role in establishing its Global Diversity Practice. She has successfully led Chief Executive Officer level search assignments for a diverse selection of companies in India.

According to SwissCham China’s annual business sentiment survey, the Swiss business community’s two biggest concerns are both HR related – namely“increasing wages and rising cost of people”, followed by “finding and retaining talent”. Surprised?

Ivo A. Hahn: The rising cost of people in China will not surprise decision makers who live and work in China. In fact, the “writing has been on the wall” ever since China introduced its new labour law. The Chinese Government aims to narrow the gap between white and blue collar workers, people in coastal and inland areas, rich and poor – as well as shift the social welfare costs, previously absorbed by the Government, to Western employers. Yet, concerns regarding the rapidly rising labour costs are both understandable and justified. It is meanwhile obvious, however, that China can no longer be considered as a cheap manufacturing location. Foreign investors are unlikely to shift their productions in China completely to other locations as these other countries often lack the positive attitude of the Chinese workforce, China’s good infrastructure, particularly along the coastal areas, and the relative political and economic stability, which China offers. Also, Western companies no longer view China merely as a manufacturing location, but also increasingly focus on China’s domestic consumption. Thus, cheaper manufacturing cost elsewhere is not the sole consideration of foreign investors.

You have been at the frontline of China’s “war for talent” for more than 30 years. What are the developments and trends in your industry?

Localization of talent and senior executives continues, albeit sometimes based on the wrong perceptions or for wrong reasons. Many Western companies believe that local candidates are cheaper than Western candidates. In fact, the best paid talent in China today is local talent; typically with overseas education and in-depth practical MNC-working experience gained in China. In the past, mainly Western headquartered companies with operations in China were competing for local top talent. But nowadays, also state-owned and formerly state- owned enterprises compete for the same talent pool. This means, local top talent in China continues to be spoiled for choices; which continues to drive up salaries and remuneration packages. Western talent therefore is often less expensive than local top talent. This is also attributed to the fact that many Western candidates who have worked in Asia for several years, have been “localized”, meaning expatriate terms have often been eliminated. Lastly, the economic crisis in Europe is driving ambitious Western talent to look East – particularly to China – for their career advancements, new opportunities and to make money. If you go 15 years back in time, most Western companies in China were led by Western managers. Today, Western experts more often report to Chinese decision makers…and this trend continues…

How can companies respond to the cost increase? Can you give some practical advice?

Companies which pay salaries below market level will sooner or later lose their talent; it’s merely a question of time. Yet, loyalty is not only measured in terms of money. Chinese talent, like any other people, appreciates to be recognized for its achievements. Investing in people by means of training and coaching is a good way to connect. Moreover, longer resignation periods, deferred stock options and bonus schemes appear to deter talent from leaving their employers, and from being hired by competitors. However, there are no statistics to prove the effectiveness of such measures.

Do productivity gains keep up with the increasing HR cost? What are your observations?

Productivity can compensate for some of the increased HR cost, but not completely. Companies may also want to increase their total business by putting more focus on the domestic China market itself, thereby increasing volume and revenues.

What can China do the address these issues?

Irrespective of China’s huge market size, China is still a planned7 economy, as well as a developing country. Moreover, there is no other developing country in the world comparable with China’s size, from which China could simply “copy & paste” experiences. China looks at other countries and tries to learn from them. But as is the case most often, learning by doing is more important.

Do you see a slowed down “hiring activity” due to higher cost?

No doubt, hiring activities are directly linked with and impact cost. Hence, companies monitor labour cost very carefully. However, we have not seen a reduction in the engagement of top talent – neither last year, nor in the first quarter of 2013. On the contrary, the global executive search business in 2012 returned to the same high pre-crisis level of 2008.

What are the differences between Hong Kong and the Mainland?

China continues to grow at a faster pace than Hong Kong. For multinationals (MNC’s), this means that China takes a “centre-stage, not only in the regional but also global strategy, and has become – or should be – a corporate strategic priority. Even products in which Hong Kong’s market share is substantial, and where Hong Kong records healthy growth rates (e.g. premium brands in fashion, luxury and lifestyle and Swiss watches), this business in Hong Kong is now fuelled by Mainland Chinese consumers. Consequently, many MNC’s have meanwhile shifted their operations and relocated their key operational decision-makers for Greater China – or even Asia in general – to China itself. This trend will continue unabated. This is substantiated by the fact that the previous income gap between Hong Kong and China has not only narrowed, but key talent in China today often command higher remuneration packages than their counterparts in Hong Kong.

Will wages continue to soar and talent concerns continue to rank top, or do you see any light at the end of the tunnel?

In Hong Kong, salaries are likely to be adjusted by around 4 to 6% in 2013. Taking inflation into account, the “real increase” is therefore minimal, whereas salaries in Mainland China continue to be driven by the talent shortage. Top people still command 20–30% increase when approached by a new employer…and mostly get it.

Hahn and his team of seasoned industry experts form the headhunting firm most preferred by discerning companies around the world, wherever and whenever the need for quality talent arises across a wide range of industries.

As one of Asia’s most respected headhunters, Stanton Chase serves old guard and new blood alike, with an enviable mix of clients including established Hongs and trailblazing newcomers. Hahn’s ability to bridge East with West is well regarded, and as a resourceful, sharpshooting headhunter, his network is legion. Today, social networks are modernizing a somewhat traditional industry, bringing him unprecedented access to the finest talent and mind-blowing market intelligence.

“It’s Not All Clicks, It’s People!”

LinkedIn has revolutionized headhunting. Since it triggered the era of online networking, the world has transformed into a global village, with information being shared 24/7. But quality assessment remains at the very heart of the industry, for which you need human resources. After all, it takes people to understand people. Social networking may complement this fundamental function but it cannot replace it.

“Social networks bring people together across boundaries but you need an experienced professional to act as the synapse across which the magic can happen. You need an expert whose experience transcends cultures, who understands cross-border professional relocation issues, has a broad understanding of competitive compensation trends, and is conversant with an array of corporate cultures. For that you need more than bricks and clicks. You need people to help people and fortunately, that’s where we got it right from day one. Today, the Internet is enhancing, not replacing, the foundations of our business.”

Greater China Prospects

The Greater China region is the new arena for global business. Not only because of China’s own growth, but also thanks to the humungous potential of the developing Asian markets, the stagnating American and European economies, and the progress of industry in giants like India and China.

Social networks can help identify new opportunities like never before, for firms like Stanton Chase to cash in on.

“The trick is to cope with this swelling wave of business without compromising the quality of our service simply because every new mandate is seen as the first of many.

Sectors like banking and finance, logistics, law, manufacturing, IT and industry are experiencing exemplary growth in emerging Asian markets. This means increased demand for local and foreign talent to soak up the glut, but it is for our industry to remember that we are about more than mixing and matching for a profit.

We must ensure each mandate continues to be seen as a reflection of our ability to bring about lasting, perfect matches between employers and employees,” says Hahn.

Growth Assured

“Yes, LinkedIn is certainly boosting business and with its anticipated multi-lingual capabilities, the sky is the limit. Thanks to resources like LinkedIn we have more transparency, the greatest possible reach, and the ability to collect and share insights like never before. It has contributed vastly to the efficiency and agility of the industry and I am delighted to see just how well this has worked for us at Stanton Chase. Social networking not only exposes opportunity but also showcases quality headhunting experts on a global platform and that is hugely encouraging,” says Hahn.

Stanton Chase’s four regional Greater China offices (Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Shanghai) are staffed with experienced Asian and Western Consultants speaking over fifteen different languages.

Hahn says, “Using cutting-edge online MPA psychometric assessment tools, we ensure timely and effective evaluation of the ‘best’ candidates from defined target markets whilst focusing on retained, long-term partnerships.”

Stanton Chase specializes in board level appointments (including independent non-executive directors) and other senior functional positions in management, sales, marketing, finance, human resources, operations and IT, with a focus on:

• Consumer Products / Retail / Services;
• Life Sciences and Health Care;
• Industrial (including Automotive, Natural Resources/Energy);
• Logistics and Transportation;
• Technology
• Professional Services
• Financial Services

“The fun has only just begun,” says Hahn rubbing his hands playfully. With Stanton Chase’s international presence, the power of social networking, and the demand in Asia, good times have arrived! It’s up to us to make the most of it and we will,” concludes Hahn.

SPEARHEADS GLOBAL EXECUTIVE STRATEGY SURVEY

BALTIMORE – Stanton Chase International (www.stantonchase.com), a retained executive search firm with 73 offices in 46 countries, has launched its “2013 Global Executive Strategy Survey.” It has been distributed to senior industrial-sector executives and thought leaders throughout the world to highlight and identify trends, challenges, and market issues.

The survey can be accessed through:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/77MT3FB

The deadline for participation is June 28, 2013.  The survey data, conclusions and results will be compiled into a white paper that will be sent to all participants.

“Our goal is to compile thoughtful and value-added insights by soliciting responses from leading executives throughout the world,” said Mickey Matthews, Vice Chairman of Practice Groups and Global Industrial Practice Leader for Stanton Chase. “With our global footprint, we will be able to obtain valuable information from professionals on every continent to then allow business executives to make impactful, knowledge based decisions for their organizations.”

“Our global economy requires all of us to be aware of trends in other countries and cultures so that we can respond and adapt to this rapidly changing sector,” said Matthews. “We are confident that this survey will provide valuable content that will aid leaders in making thoughtful and strategic decisions while concurrently being a catalyst for further discussion.”

Aerospace & defense, automotive, chemical, engineering, construction, industrial components & equipment, mining, oil and gas, and pulp, paper & packaging are among the targeted sectors.

“Our aim is to offer seamless executive search services to premier financial institutions across Singapore and Greater China,” says Edwin Yeo, Managing Director of Stanton Chase International Singapore, “which, most importantly, benefit our clients with the right expertise in addressing their pressing talent acquisition challenges”, he adds.

Ivo Hahn, CEO Greater China concludes, “the key financial hubs in our region are already interlinked, and highly complementary in nature. Managing the FSI sector from one hub allows us to leverage on our expertise, facilitate cross-border market access and penetration into Mainland China, which adds tangible value to our clients in Singapore, Hong Kong and the Mainland.”

“I am delighted that Wayne Mason, who has been promoted to Managing Director FSI Greater China & Singapore, has meanwhile accepted this new challenge and will spearhead our landmark initiative. I have no doubt that Wayne, supported by his highly capable team in Hong Kong and Singapore, will succeed in this important mission by setting supreme client satisfaction standards.”

Mason Wayne – Managing Director FSI Greater China & Singapore, Stanton Chase International

About Stanton Chase International
Stanton Chase is ranked within the global Top 10 global retained executive search firms. Mediazone ranks Stanton Chase amongst Hong Kong’s Most Valuable Companies and Asia-Pac Victory places Stanton Chase as #1. With proven expertise in key sectors of the global economy, Stanton Chase has 9 international Specialist Practice Groups that operate as international teams. Stanton Chase is owned by its partners who take individual responsibility for delivering outstanding quality for each assignment. Stanton Chase is a member of the Association of Executive Search Consultants www.aesc.org. For all information about us, please visit www.stantonchase.com.

In a recent ceremony with the presence of more than  100 top HR professionals, Carlos received the award. The jury justified their choice based on his contribution to the growth of Stanton Chase Portugal in the areas of Executive Search, Talent Management and Executive Coaching and also on his commitment in civic projects and in the promotion of Human Capital Management in Portugal.

Carlos Sezões, 37, partner at Stanton Chase since May 2010, has been working for over a decade in the areas of Human Resources consultancy, particularly in projects of Executive Search, Talent Management, Executive Coaching and Employer Branding.

The announcement was made by Mickey Matthews, Managing Director of the Baltimore/Washington D.C. office and Stanton Chase International’s Vice Chairman of Practice Groups. Stanton Chase International (www.StantonChase.com) is a global leader in executive search with 73 offices in 46 countries.

“It is a distinct pleasure to announce that Matt will be heading up this important global sector for the firm,” said Matthews. “His search experience and expertise in these arenas coupled with his senior-level business and industry background with highly branded corporations give him a unique perspective on the search process and what major aerospace and defense corporations are seeking in today’s leaders.”

Prior to joining Stanton Chase, Griswold was a Managing Director of an Atlanta-based boutique executive search firm focused on the Aerospace, Defense and National Security market space.

In his aerospace and defense industry career, he served as a business development leader for L-3 Communications.  Griswold was responsible for developing new markets and executing business growth with emerging land and air display technologies while growing the business with existing products and services in adjacent market sectors.

Additionally, Griswold was an integral member of the marketing and business development team for Honeywell Defense & Space, a global supplier of integrated avionics, engines, mechanical systems and service solutions for the U.S. Department of Defense, the defense industry prime contractors and the industrial supply base. At Honeywell, Griswold initiated, developed and conducted high profile, solution based commercial, aerospace and defense sales campaigns targeting companies with annual revenues of $10 million to $25 billion. During his career with Honeywell, Griswold was recognized often for his sales and marketing achievements including ten (10) Top Performers awards and twice being named to the prestigious Honeywell President’s Club.

Following graduation, Griswold began his sales and marketing career with Eastman Chemical Products where he quickly rose to become a Regional Account Leader responsible for sales and customer account management in Minneapolis. In that capacity he developed and managed key customer accounts throughout the United States and coordinated regional and national sales efforts.

Griswold graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering. He and his wife Tweedie have three sons and reside in Roswell, GA.

These puddles of success may not be pulling the weight of the whole business unit or the enterprise in the right direction — and only time will tell that.

Successful CEOs, however, focus their energies on bottlenecks, and not on areas which are already under control. They do not softpedal challenges which are staring at their businesses.

They start review meetings by diving into the discomfort zone and asking tough questions. They will take on the most delayed order, unfinished part of a critical project or the most dissatisfied customer for discussions, while the team is looking to hear generous remarks.

As VPs and GMs graduate into top jobs, their checklists should contain sticky issues and unresolved problems plaguing the progress and not run-ofthe-mill operational issues, which can be resolved by operating executives. High performers constantly attempt to remove bottlenecks, paving way for enhanced future performance.

They ask tough questions so that underlying problems can be solved.

Kitchens are messy, cluttered enclaves of creativity.  But a good chef knows how to enter a kitchen and in a short time produce a masterpiece which everyone appreciates.  If you’ve never prepared a particular dish it’s hard to create your own unique version, but if you have a recipe, you’re well on your way.  Creating a true “diversity and inclusion” program is much the same way.

Outside of North America and Europe, the issues surrounding D&I are unique for each country, or market.  But the corporate bench strength that diversity creates is just as strong.  It’s just that the paths leading to an inclusive environment are different in each location.

The somewhat sensitive areas such as age, disability, sexual orientation, religion and race usually follow initiatives for gender diversity.  For the most part, once a program for gender diversity has been established, other areas can easily be added depending on national and corporate cultures.

We’ll take a quick look at gender diversity.

Research has shown that women leaders are good for business. Companies with the highest representations of women in leadership roles show better financial performance.  What companies must do is make the organizational climate more welcoming to women by allowing greater flexibility in the way women are perceived and allowed to act.  Organizations do this by implementing programs and policies that support diversity and inclusion, women’s leadership, and work-life integration.

So what’s in our Diversity and Inclusion banquet?  Let’s look at what our checklist says:

Communicate the commitment to diversity. The commitment to diversity starts with the CEO and the board of directors. It needs to be obvious and undeniable throughout the organization, starting with the top leadership team and cascading outward and downwards.

The most visible way to begin is by finding placements for women on boards. Norway is meeting a goal set in a 2003 law for 40% of board seats to be held by women. D&I aware CEOs recommend women candidates to their boards of directors and recommend women candidates for other companies’ boards.

Generate diverse candidate shortlists for all positions being filled.  Starting with their direct report team, CEOs can demand and insist that selection teams generate gender-diverse candidate nominations, emphasizing that the quest for well-qualified candidates be made a priority.  This drive towards bringing diverse people into leadership positions should filter all the way down through middle management, professionals, and the shop floor where the cleaning lady does her job.  All are essential components of a successful business.

Measure performance on gender-related issues.  Surveys can be designed to measure results at all levels in an organization. They can be a useful tool to provide detailed analyses of outcomes and trends, and CEOs can use them to track the effects of diversity and inclusion initiatives, help them determine annual strategic objectives, and allocate resources for leadership development initiatives.

A qualified and experienced CDO (chief diversity officer) on your team will know how to structure such a survey.  But if this is too much to bite off, there are many consultants who can help.  It’s important to establish a baseline for D&I before interventions are put in place.  Without knowing where you’re starting from, it’s impossible to later know how far you’ve come.  Being able to quantify the impact of D&I is a tough but nonetheless important part of your efforts.

Many companies have “D&I” has a separate component on staff performance reviews – with the most senior level staff members having their scorecards published for all staff members to see.  What gets measured gets acted upon.  Think KPIs and performance metrics.

Sponsor women’s networks and leadership forums.  Encourage mentoring and provide opportunities for mentoring relationships to evolve that are based on chemistry and natural affinities between people.  Women need to learn more about how other women were successful in achieving their professional goals.

Provide external coaches and internal mentors for high-potential women. Coaching also accelerates the learning process and can be helpful for high-potential women by providing them with more feedback about their performance and how they are perceived within the organization.    Sometimes the best mentor is a man, sometimes the best mentor is a woman.

Truly responsible corporations will have a mentor / buddy program for all women though, not just the high-potentials.  There are many levels of creating, building, monitoring and super-charging mentor programs.  Again, consultants will be willing and able to help you out here if you don’t have the experience.

Hold decision-makers accountable for distributing advantageous assignments. In most organizations there are key jobs and experiences that are critical to one’s future success in leadership roles. Often these are line jobs with profit and loss responsibility; in many companies they are “must haves” for candidates being considered for leadership positions.

Provide external development programs.  Sometimes managers learn valuable lessons about leadership from roles they assume outside the workplace. External “stretch” assignments enable leaders to gain experiences not available within the organization. Loaned executives may work with volunteers to manage employee campaigns in businesses, government, and professional companies. These experiences expand women’s networks and give them valuable feedback about their performance. Stretch experiences also include roles requiring public speaking and serving on boards.

Provide internal development programs. Most people don’t understand the ramifications of diversity, and how they may be behaving in unconsciously biased ways that have micro impacts on the lives of others.  Inclusion is not an easy concept to understand or act in accordance with.  Consultants are in the best position to be able to provide diversity training both to senior leaders as well as those on the shop floor.  Diversity training is a new area of workforce management, but one where it’s possible to find plenty of well qualified professionals.

Allow greater work flexibility. Technology now erases the time and distance barriers around the globe and allows speeds of human communication never before experienced by previous generations. While this has had both advantages and disadvantages for individuals, it also permits us to restructure and reevaluate how we work. The measurement of tangible results and the overall value of an employee’s contributions now trumps “face time” at work as a criterion for performance.

Since the 1980s many companies have had flexible work arrangement policies: flextime, telecommuting, reduced/compressed hours, and job sharing.  With the never-ending development of new ways to increase productivity through the internet, companies should feel shame if they still require staff to punch a clock.  We don’t expect our teams to turn off their blackberries after they leave the office in the evening, and vacations are all taken with a laptop in tow.  Nine to five has long been relegated to history.

Women still hold the majority of household responsibility in all societies, and this isn’t going to change anytime soon.  Don’t force your top performers onto the “mommy-track”.  Not only is it unfair, but it’s not good for business.  Graciously allow more work flexibility.

Some of the ideas above may not be too enticing, but this will be the result of habits that are hard to break, not because the ideas are bad.  They’re all good sound business decisions, and this is from both the CEO’s perspective as well as the viewpoint of those outside the mainstream of your organization.

For CEOs and their organizations to remain resilient in the face of both technological and social change, it’s essential to have a systemic strategy for managing and motivating an increasingly diverse workforce.  Having a better understanding of how to create organizations that flourish in these difficult times benefits management, male and female employees, and all stakeholders.

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