Women&on&Boards:&&Beyond&Quotas?&

&&&&&

Monica&Wirz&mw483@cam.ac.uk&

&&

Aims&and&agenda&

•  A&word&of&thanks:&ESCP,&KPMG,&David&Chekroun&&

•  Situating&myself:&background&and&interests&

–  “Global&citizenship”,&dual&role&in&management&and&academia&

–  Governance&and&sustainability&through&leadership&and&diversity&

–  Gender&quotas&on&boards&as&an&important&catalyser&in&this&debate&

•  Context&of&debate&

•  Framework&for&tonight’s&discussion&

Monica Wirz

The&gender&leadership&paradox&

Monica Wirz

!!!!

!High!awareness!

!Pro.parity!discourses!

!Social!&!corporate!

benefits!!

Persistently*low!par:cipa:on!of!women!in!high!powered!corporate!posi:ons:!!

global!phenomenon,!albeit!with!na:onal!varia:ons!

We’ve!never!had!it!so!good….!

Situating&the&debate&

Monica Wirz

!!!!

Representa:on!(par:cipa:on)!

Poli:cal!Arena!

Corporate!Arena!

Very%different%theore-cal%tradi-ons%&%discourses…%%

From&political&theory:&&Politics&of&ideas&vs.&politics&of&presence&

•  Politics&of&ideas:&bedrock&of&Western&democracies&

•  The&voices&of&all&its&citizens&must&be&accounted&for&in&such&a&way&that&there&is&a&random&and&somehow&proportional&reflection&of&the&diversity&of&its&citizens&in&its&assemblies.&

•  Proponents&of&politics&of&presence:&complementary,&aims&to&counterUact&exclusionary&effect&of&unequal&societies.&Rationale:&&

&

&

Monica Wirz

Role*Model* Jus2ce* Interests* Values*• !Availability!and!impact!for!other!women!in!society!

• !ShiIs!focus!and!burden!of!proof!to!men!

• !“Patently!and!grotesquely!unfair”!that!one!group!monopolises!representa:on!(unspoken*quota)*

• !!That!arise!from!women’s!dis:nc:ve!posi:on!in!society!

!!

• !Assumes!a!certain!ontological!difference!between!women!and!men!

• !Women!qua!women:!burden!of!representa:on!of!a!whole!(and!elusive)!category!woman!!

Key&dimensions&in&the&gender&&&leadership&debate&&

Monica Wirz

Gender!!!!!!assump:ons!Numbers!

Numbers:&critical&mass&

Monica Wirz

Premise:!numbers!maQer!regarding!voice!and!the!legi:macy!of!different!perspec:ves!!

&Gendered&assumptions&of&leadership&

Monica Wirz

•  Western!(US)!literature!

•  Stems!from!an!industrial!society!

•  Public/private!split!

•  Sexual!division!of!labour!

•  Leadership!prototype:!white,!middle.

aged,!well.educated,!male!

•  Heroic!leadership!bias!(“He.Man”!fallacy):!free!from!family!responsibili:es!(fully!commiQed)!

•  Gender!role!incongruence:!women!don’t!

match!the!leadership!prototype!and!when!they!“try!

too!hard”!they!also!fail!to!“do”!femininity!properly!

Explaining&the&gap&through&different&phases&of&corporate&culture&

Monica Wirz

1.*Denial*or*“No*Problem”*

• !Not!a!core!business!issue!

• !Absence!of!gender!diversity:!“natural”!programming,!individual!preference!!

2.*The*Woman*Problem*

• !Own!deficiencies!or!shortcomings!

• !Solu:on:!learn!to!adapt!to!(male)!workplace!norms!

3.*Incremental*Adjustment*

• !Pipeline!effect:!a!maQer!of!:me!

• !Solu:on:!usually!tokenis:c!and!through!isolated!ini:a:ves!

4.*Commitment*to*a*New*Culture*

• !Absence!related!to!deeper!symptoms!within!(organisa:onal!and!societal)!culture!!

• !!Solu:on:!‘inside.out’!cultural!change,!including!beyond!the!organisa:on!and!involving!various!stakeholders!!

Source:!!Sinclair!(2005:!19)!!

1.!depending!on!societal!expecta:ons/condi:ons!

&!!2.!appe:te!for!interven:on:!

.!legally!enforced!quotas!

.!codes!of!conduct!

Ambiguity&towards&intervention&(quotas)&

Monica Wirz

•  Poli2cal*tradi2on*of*country:*a`tude!towards!State!interven:on!in!business!life!

•  Social*norms:*a`tude!towards!gender!roles!in!the!labour!market!and!family!environment!

•  Discourse*level:*for/against!(binary)!vs.!more!layered!(beyond!the!business!case!or!solely!board!level)!

Societal!level!(structure)!

•  Stakeholders’*involvement:*regulators,!investors,!ac:vists,!consumers,!media,!unions,!leadership!team,!!employees!

•  Availability*of*organisa2onal*tools:*to!incen:vise!ini:a:ves,!measure!progress,!reward!success!and!sanc:on!non.compliance!

Ins:tu:onal!Interac:ons!(“doing”,!process!

level)!

• !Apprehension!about!being!labeled!a!“quota*woman”*• Individual!merit!and!competence!usually!seen!in!a!vacuum!• Unconscious*bias*by!individuals:!homogeneous!reproduc:on!of!elites!and!limi:ng!gendered!roles!(leadership!and!family!life)!

• S2cky*floors*&!golden*skirts*

Individual!Reac:ons!

So&what?&Where&next?&

Avoid!facile!&!dichotomous!thinking!

Keep!and!eye!in!the!bigger*picture!&!the!long*term*

Taking!different!players!into!account!

Long!term!sustainability:!companies!as!part!of!

society!

Bigger!picture:!more!than!the!boQom!line!

yes/no!for!quotas!+!quotas!for!

execu:ve/non.execu:ve!posi:ons!

Men/women’s!roles/jobs!

Monica Wirz

MultiUdimensional&framework&&

Macro!

Meso!

Micro!

•  Laws:!leadership,!mid.career,!parental!leave,!caring,!educa:on!

•  Norms:!merit!&!competence,!commitment,!“proper”!paren:ng/caring,!gender!roles!

•  !“Nudge”!effect:!symbolic/expressive!func:on!of!the!law,!signalling!where!we!want!to!go!as!a!society!

•  Company!policies!&!tools:!targets,!monitoring,!rewards!&!sanc:ons.!Mainstreaming!across!organisa:on!

•  Engagement:!efforts!from!shareholders,!investors,!employers,!employees,!customers,!!!media,!regulators,!unions,!grass.roots!ac:vists!

• Work!persona:!sponsorship/mentoring,!role!model,!unconscious!bias,!human!capital!development,!“lean!in”!

•  Home:!gender.neutral!division!of!emo:onal!labour.!

Monica Wirz