ARMONK, N.Y., March 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- A new study by IBM (NYSE: IBM), "Women, Leadership, and the Priority Paradox," polled 2,300 executives and professionals and revealed that the leadership gender gap in the global workplace continues to persist because organizations have yet to make advancing women a formal business priority. The study also provides guidance on how to drive change.
The global study, conducted by IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) in cooperation with Oxford Economics, surveyed an equal number of women and men from organizations worldwide across multiple industries to better understand why a large gender disparity in the leadership ranks persists and what can be done to drive progress toward gender equality. In addition to the qualitative survey, IBV conducted a series of one on one interviews with executives and professionals across six global regions.
The study revealed that within those organizations surveyed, only 18 percent of senior leadership positions are held by women. This is due to three key factors:
"The past year has heightened the world's focus on diversity, and the business benefits of inclusive teams are now well-documented," said Michelle Peluso, Senior Vice President of Digital Sales and Chief Marketing Officer. "The opportunity now is to move from inclusion being interesting to being imperative - just like we treat other top business priorities."
Despite these hurdles, there was a set of organizations — dubbed "First Movers" in the report — that stood out as being dedicated to achieving gender equality within their leadership ranks. Comprising 12 percent of the total sample, these organizations share characteristics and values that foster a more inclusive environment and provide a roadmap of how to create progress for other organizations:
"What we have learned from First Movers is the importance of setting measurable goals and defining a systematic approach to inclusion across the organization. This means everything from recruiting to rewarding, developing, retaining and promoting women. And, then, we must ourselves accountable to meet these goals," said Peluso.
The study also provides guidance on key steps to creating a culture that fosters gender equality in the workplace. Organizations looking to drive change need to implement concrete initiatives that directly impact performance goals and incentives at every level of the organization. The study lays out a roadmap for change that includes the following imperatives:
Access the full study findings here.
About IBM Institute for Business Value
The IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV), part of IBM Services, develops fact-based, strategic insights for senior business executives on critical public and private sector issues. Follow @IBMIBV on Twitter, and for a full catalog of our research or to subscribe to our newsletter, visit: www.ibm.com/ibv
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SOURCE IBM