Lee Hecht Harrison And HR People + Strategy Research Reveals Key Behaviors Of Leaders That Advance Women In Business Organizations
Findings shed new light on the chronic problem of how to advance more women in leadership and what successful organizations are doing differently to make real progress
MAITLAND, Fla., Nov. 29, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The catalyst for elevating women in business organizations comes down to what managers and leaders do every day according to a new study published by talent development and transition firm Lee Hecht Harrison and HR People + Strategy, the executive network of the Society for Human Resource Management. The daily behaviors of the people managers who are known champions of female talent have the greatest impact on an organization's ability to get and keep women in their leadership pipelines.
The research points to the frustration organizations are experiencing in their ability to address this issue and achieve results. The new study from LHH and HRPS highlights what's required to create the inclusive workplaces needed for women to advance. The findings show companies that identified as "unsatisfied" (82%) in their efforts to advance women outpace self-identified "satisfied" (28%) companies when it comes to demonstrating behaviors day-to-day, and displaying the individual actions, organizational practices and cultural attributes that cultivate gender diversity.
The top five behaviors that people leaders demonstrate to champion female talent are:
- Create opportunities to network informally that are inclusive of interests and schedules
- Give females exposure and profile to senior leaders and decision makers
- Provide coaching and feedback that builds business acumen
- Have career and coaching conversations that challenge negative self-perceptions
- Challenge self and others around unconscious biases
Tammy Heermann, Senior Vice President, Leadership Transformation Practice for Lee Hecht Harrison, said, "Champions of female talent were twice as likely to demonstrate these behaviors to a very high degree as compared to other people managers. We know that leaders shape culture. And when you need your culture to shift, you need to hold your leaders accountable to act in the desired ways."
Heermann added, "Organizations have been investing in women and in organizational practices for decades with little results. The catalyst for elevating women, in fact, is the behaviors of people leaders, the champions of female talent, who shape an inclusive culture, making it possible for women to thrive."
Learn more about our research and download the full report here.
About the research
In 2017, Lee Hecht Harrison partnered with HR People + Strategy to explore what's working, what's not and what has the most impact to help companies create the inclusive workplaces required for women to advance. The research was compiled from an online survey of more than 230 individuals in the United States, representing senior human resource executives and leaders who are responsible for helping their organizations build stronger leadership pipelines. There was a cross section of over 20 industries represented and organizations that ranged in size from under 250 employees to over 10,000 employees. A copy of the full report can be downloaded here.
About Lee Hecht Harrison
Lee Hecht Harrison (LHH) helps companies transform their leaders and workforce so they can accelerate performance. In an era of continuous change, successfully transforming your workforce depends on how well companies and their people embrace, navigate and lead change. Change within the organization, and their career. At Lee Hecht Harrison we use our expertise in talent development and transition to deliver tailored solutions that help our clients transform their leaders and workforce so they have the people and culture they need to evolve and grow. We are passionate about making a difference in peoples' careers and building better leaders so our clients can build a strong employer brand.
About HR People + Strategy
HR People + Strategy (HRPS) is the executive network of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), the largest professional society representing 285,000 members in more than 165 countries. HR People + Strategy provides members access to forward thinking exchanges, research and publications and executive level networking opportunities.
For further information contact:
Helene Cavalli
VP, Marketing
Lee Hecht Harrison
P 267.322.1300
E [email protected]
SOURCE Lee Hecht Harrison
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