Case Studies
Lessons LearnedThree key lessons from the Heidrick & Struggles experience are that support from the top is critical when it comes to advancing gender-related initiatives, research and data are important to embed the business case, and women need to help each other if the boardroom door is to open wider. When the women partners leading the firm's efforts are asked whether this could have happened without their personal interest and extra attention, they acknowledge that it does still rest in large measure on them and their female colleagues. But with the full and active support of the CEO, they are operating in an environment that is encouraging them to push the envelope. Alicia says the firm's leadership and approximately 80 percent male partners "don't doubt the value of what we are doing but they are a little bit uncertain about what we can do to change things." It is a matter, she says, of doing things that are meaningful and won't take women back a step. As she puts it, "We don't want to be promoting women just for the sake of promoting women." Hence, research, partnerships, information sharing, and education are critical. If a major barrier to women entering the boardroom is corporate culture and gender stereotyping, then arguments for gender balance need to be put into the language of that culture and disseminated as widely as possible. Many companies do respond when they understand the opportunity cost of under-valuing women's skills. The more people and organizations make these arguments, the better.
According to Alicia, finding the time to keep advancing is the biggest challenge. While the gender work is important to the business, it competes with many other issues and priorities. As more women are placed and the global knowledge base on diversity gets stronger, however, the female pipeline and network will grow more easily on its own. She adds with a laugh, "We also are trying to find ways to get men involved so this is not seen as just a women's issue, but obviously the women are most inclined." The message does seem to be getting through. At a recent meeting of the Global Private Sector Leaders Forum in Poland, Heidrick & Struggles was eloquently represented by a male managing partner, Matthew Tebeau, who heads the Warsaw office. Matthew talked about a 2004 survey of the Warsaw Stock Exchange that found there were just 5 women on boards of the top 40 companies, and 100% of CEOs said they needed no more women. Presenting female candidates in such an environment has not been easy, but Matthew added encouragingly that the situation is changing, as companies realize that excluding women is not smart. Cross-pollination across different countries and regions is also important. Multinational companies often have targets and ideals that they apply across the world when it comes to talent management. Companies also watch their competitors. If some are attracting a greater share of talented women because of more open practices, including the existence of female role models on the board, then others will take note. Likewise, if local businesses in some countries are less interested in diversity, eventually they will become aware that best practice multinationals are operating in a different way – and with good reason.
As far as corporate boards are concerned, Elisabeth is hopeful. "I am actually extremely optimistic," she says, "because I think the current economic crisis will accelerate the whole issue of diversity on boards in the broader sense. It is putting the spotlight on board composition – and when we're looking at how the most effective boards are comprised, there is no doubt in my mind that it will be those boards who are more international and with more functional, sector, and gender diversity." New research is certainly supporting that view. |
Heidrick & Struggles does not have a budget line specifically dedicated to gender issues and so the overall level of effort is hard to quantify. Alicia says that she, Matrice Ellis-Kirk, and Elisabeth Marx have monthly calls to coordinate their activities. They and other female partners also spend quite a bit of time attending events and keeping the women's network going. In Asia, the firm is putting together a website to share best practices on gender diversity and to collect all their intellectual capital in one place. In Europe, the firm has been developing gender-related materials. Meanwhile, Ellis-Kirk is working with Heidrick & Struggles' own board and legal department in the U.S. on how to describe and position the firm's new diversity practice. 
Finally, for companies wishing to explore and capitalize on gender opportunities, an important lesson from the Heidrick & Struggles experience is to take a comprehensive, long-term approach. Heidrick & Struggles had to first uncover why board-ready women have been harder to find and then do something about it. Other companies – in consumer products, for example – might discover that poorly selling products are actually preferred by women consumers, but are not purchased by them for reasons unrelated to preference. The reasons could be women's lack of transportation, or a lack of access to banks where they can safely save their money to buy just such a product. In other words, it takes time, open inquiry, and effort to initiate and benefit from change. 
