Virginia Rometty is new Chief Executive of IBM. Since 1st of January she took over her new responsibilities and therewith, is the first female CEO of one of the largest technology companies in the world. This example is a rarity – not just for Corporate America. Currently there are only 12 female CEOs/Presidents in the Fortune 500.
Archive for the ‘Women in Business’ Category
Best Practices, Women in Business
Working Model of the Future
Monday, January 9th, 2012 by Astrid BostenThe younger generation, the GenY’s or so called digital natives, has different expectations and attitudes regarding their careers. This is what companies had and have to learn. They want to work mobile and digitally cross-linked, because they are used to it. They have a look at a good work-life-balance and fathers also want to take an active part in raising their children. In return, women want to pursue in their career.
Women in Business
First Women on the Deutsche Post Management Board
Friday, December 16th, 2011 by Astrid BostenThe supervisory board of the Deutsche Post AG appointed on Wednesday for the first time a woman to their management board. The organization was already one of the leaders concerning the topic of international diversity as four of the seven board members do not even have a German passport. But diversity is not only about internationality. Also the gender mix is an important success factor, which has to be taken into consideration. The top management is often still just men’s business. Although, already 37 percent of the Post employees worldwide are women, no woman has ever managed to get into the board before – until now.
Women in Business
Kathrin Menges announced as one of the 25 Top female Managers in Germany
Monday, November 28th, 2011 by Astrid BostenRole models always help in the orientation of others. Their success is exemplary and provides a vision for all those who are still on the way to the top.
Now, for the fourth time, the Financial Times Deutschland honored the best 25 female Managers in Germany. Amongst them: Kathrin Menges, Henkel’s Executive Vice President Human Resources.
Women in Business
Gender is no argument for business success
Thursday, November 17th, 2011 by Astrid Bosten
The arguments for women in top management from an investor’s point of view sounds quite reasonable: Women are less likely than men to suffer self-esteem. They also do not suffer from activism, so make fewer transactions and thus save costs. Furthermore, bringing new ideas and perspectives as well as more empathy for the staff and a family-friendly attitude towards the needs of employees are other positive effects correlated with female managers.
Best Practices, Women in Business
Overcoming the Gender Gap by being an “Ideal Worker”?
Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 by Astrid BostenWhat picture do you have in mind when you think about the “ideal worker”? Is he or she ambitious, passionate and hardworking? And is it a man or a woman? And what do you think are their secrets of success?
But the study clearly showed that there is no one-solution-fits-all approach that women can adopt to advance their career. Among the studied high potentials the Catalyst could observe that even if women are using the same career advancement strategies as their male counterparts, the gender gap between them and their male colleagues is still emerging.
However, there are particular actions that pay off more than others as the study could proof. Greater career satisfaction as well as greater compensation growth was identified if women proactively made their achievements visible. Furthermore, among the 3,345 high potentials an opposed result concerning the influence of leaving the organization on the compensation growth could be recorded. While male “leavers” have a higher compensation than those men staying with their first employee, for women it is more beneficial to stay where they have already proven what their work is worth.
One newsworthy best practice for this result is Virginia Rometty. She recently was named the next chief executive of IBM. In this ear of frequent job-hopping and layoffs, Rometty stayed up 30 years at the same company and finally made it to the top. She is the first woman to hold that job in the company’s 100-year history. As Rometty’s career shows climbing the career ladder within a single company can lead to more success because women can thereby prove themselves and develop sponsors who can help to proceed in their careers.
That loyalty can certainly pay off, Kathrin Menges, the youngest female board member of Henkel also proved. She began her meteoric career in 1999 at Henkel and is another example of how Henkel is developing the next generation of leaders from within the company.
You can read the complete Catalyst study here:
The Myth of the Ideal Worker: Does Doing All The Right Things Really Get Women Ahead?
Women in Business
Zu mehr Frauen in Führungspositionen verpflichtet
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 by Astrid Bosten
Am Montag, dem 17. Oktober 2011, haben die Personalvorstände der 30 Dax-Unternehmen bei einer gemeinsamen Konferenz in Berlin mit den Bundesministern Schröder (Familie), von der Leyen (Arbeit) und Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (Justiz) eine Selbstverpflichtung zur weiteren Erhöhung des Anteils von Frauen in Führungspositionen abgegeben und erläutert, welche konkreten Ziele sie sich dazu gesetzt haben. Auch Henkel war dabei mit Vorstandsmitglied Kathrin Menges vertreten. Sie erläutert in diesem Interview die konkreten Ziele und Maßnahmen von Henkel.
Frage: Frau Menges, heute haben die Personalvorstände der 30 DAX-Unternehmen in Berlin konkrete Ziele für mehr Frauen in Führungspositionen vorgestellt. Die Unternehmen verpflichten sich dazu, den Anteil von Frauen in Führungspositionen in den nächsten Jahren deutlich zu erhöhen und bekennen sich zur Chancengleichheit von Frauen und Männern. Henkel hat die Selbstverpflichtung auch unterzeichnet. Warum?
Kathrin Menges: Im Rahmen des Diversity Managements, also der Förderung der Vielfalt im Unternehmen, konzentrieren wir uns bei Henkel vor allem auf die Bereiche Geschlecht, Nationalität und Alter. Für uns hat die Erhöhung des Anteils von Frauen in Führungspositionen schon seit langem eine hohe Priorität. Hier haben wir in den vergangenen Jahren große Fortschritte gemacht. Den Anteil von Frauen in Führungspositionen – bei uns sind das alle Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter im außertariflichen Bereich – konnten wir seit 2005 jährlich um rund einen Prozentpunkt auf knapp 30 Prozent erhöhen. Insofern war es für uns nur konsequent, diese Initiative zu unterstützen. Gemeinsam setzen wir auf die freiwillige Selbstverpflichtung als den richtigen und nachhaltigen Weg. In Zukunft wollen wir unsere Anstrengungen bei der Förderung von Frauen in Führungspositionen sogar noch ausbauen. Unser Ziel ist es, auf Konzernebene die jährliche Zuwachsrate zu erhöhen: von einem Prozentpunkt auf durchschnittlich bis zu zwei Prozentpunkte.
Frage: Sie verpflichten sich dazu, den Anteil von Frauen in Führungspositionen zu erhöhen, vermeiden aber gleichzeitig die Festlegung auf eine feste Zielgröße. Wie passt das zusammen?
Kathrin Menges: Wir setzen uns seit langem dafür ein, den Anteil von Frauen in Führungspositionen zu erhöhen. Wir nehmen schon heute unter den DAX-Unternehmen eine führende Stellung ein und wollen uns von dieser Position aus weiter verbessern. Unsere Ziele sind ambitioniert und konkret, wie ich an dem folgenden Beispiel erläutern kann: Ausgehend von einem aktuellen Anteil von Frauen in Führungspositionen von 30 Prozent und einem jährlichen Zuwachs von durchschnittlich 1,5 Prozentpunkten würden wir in sieben Jahren, also im Jahr 2018, bei rund 40 Prozent liegen. Auch damit wären wir unter den DAX-Unternehmen in der Spitzengruppe. Uns geht es aber nicht um eine fixe Quote, sondern darum, den Weg zu eröffnen für mehr Frauen in Top-Positionen. Das kann und darf aber keine starre Quote sein. Henkel will bei jeder Stellenbesetzung den am besten geeigneten Kandidaten finden. Bei der Auswahlentscheidung zählen allein Kompetenz und Eignung – unabhängig von Geschlecht, Alter oder Nationalität.
Frage: Mit welchen konkreten Maßnahmen wollen Sie diese Ziele erreichen?
Kathrin Menges: Unsere Zielvorgaben sind für unterschiedliche Bereiche im Unternehmen differenziert und umfassen sowohl quantitative als auch qualitative Ziele. Wir haben gemeinsam mit unserem Diversity Management und allen Unternehmensbereichen und Funktionen drei wesentliche Handlungsfelder identifiziert. Es geht dabei erstens um den Anteil weiblicher Kandidaten bei Neueinstellungen und Beförderungen, zweitens um moderne Arbeitszeitmodelle, die Frauen und Familien eine höhere Flexibilität ermöglichen sollen, und drittens um besondere Karriereentwicklungspläne, die den Erfordernissen von Frauen Rechnung tragen.
Zum Beispiel achten wir bei Beförderungen oder der Besetzung von Führungspositionen darauf, dass unter den letzten drei Kandidaten mindestens eine Frau ist. Außerdem werden wir die Angebote zur besseren Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Karriere weiter ausbauen. Dazu gehört auch die Verbesserung der Betreuungssituation von Kindern, wenn dies durch die staatlichen Einrichtungen nicht oder nur unzureichend gewährleistet wird. Des Weiteren wollen wir weg von einer Präsenzkultur, die gerade Frauen und Familien vor Herausforderungen stellt.
Women in Business
DAX-30 meets politics: Summit about the advancement of women in top leadership positions/ Spitzengespräch zwischen Politik und Wirtschaft zur Frauenförderung
Monday, October 17th, 2011 by Astrid Bosten
Today, on Monday, October 17, the preparation for business is over for the time being. After the first meeting between HR representatives of DAX-30-listed companies with German politicians in springtime 2011, the homework was clearly defined: The companies had to define specific and binding targets, how they want to bring more women into the top levels of management in their companies. Today, the results will be presented on the occasion of a top-level talk between politics and economy.
But, right before the summit takes place, discussions around a fixed or flexible quota for women in Germany already speed up. While Germany’s Federal Labor Minister, Ursula von der Leyen, still vehemently defends her idea of a fix quota, Family Minister Kristina Schröder continues to vote for her flexible rate, although she now has been starting to threaten with penalties of around 25,000 €, if the targets the companies had set themselves will not be achieved. And there are two other, new protagonists on the summit stage today, who could increase the diversity of political viewpoints: Germany’s Economics Minister Philipp Rösler (FDP) and Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger (FDP) who will also be present at the summit today. Their current position is against any kind of quota regulations.
But, regardless of how politics and economy, the CDU deputies and black-yellow coalition will agree, the discussion could experience an abrupt end: EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has recently reiterated her statement: If corporations not consider a binding manifest to allocate women in executive position more sufficiently until spring 2012, Viviane Reding will go for an EU-wide mandatory quota.
Best Practices, Women in Business
The perfect combination / Die perfekte Kombination
Friday, October 14th, 2011 by Astrid Bosten
Theory and practice go hand in hand – this is the ideal situation of dual education at Henkel. But is it really possible to apply everything you learn at university in your job? Yes, it is. This is at least what Eva Moos, one of our dual education students, told us. The Bachelor of International Management student and trainee for industrial business is in her second year of the dual education program at Henkel.
Currently she is working for six months at Henkel’s headquarter in Düsseldorf. Afterwards she will return to university again for three months. At the Department of Corporate Recruitment and Employer Branding, she selects the interns for Schwarzkopf Professional in Hamburg. A job that she really enjoys: “I particularly like that I can fulfill a lot of small tasks in my daily business life in addition to my major projects. Thus, I am in contact with different business areas. My duties are generally very diverse: I rate applications but I am also in charge of the whole process and answer questions of the candidates. This is definitely never boring.”
When she started at Henkel, she first worked in the cosmetics marketing. She immediately noticed that the combination of study and trainee program works very well: “We learned a lot of things at university which I could directly apply in my daily work.
The best example is Social Media Marketing. At university, Eva heard lectures about advertising opportunities on facebook & Co., and at Henkel she collaborated on the launch of the new skin care product “Aok Bio Expert”. The perfect combination.
When Eva Moss returns to the university after a practice period at Henkel, she has learned a lot: “I know how I am supposed to behave when I enter the company later. The ones who just studied run greater risks of getting a problem when entering a company.”
And she has another advantage: While her fellow students have to take care of internships over and over again, she can relax. She has her regular contact with Henkel:” The support is really very good. Here, nobody needs to be afraid to ask questions. This is very important, especially in the beginning.”
Women in Business
A Question of Style / Eine Frage des Stils
Thursday, September 29th, 2011 by Astrid BostenShould women refuse wearing make-up and having an attractive appearance to ensure that their intelligence is not overlooked?
With her new book, “Making the most of your erotic capital,” the sociology Professor of the London School of Economics (LSE) Catherine Hakim provokes discussions and defends her thesis that beauty pays off in business.
According to Hakim beauty and intelligence are no longer debarring from each other. Contrary to this, studies even show that both are connected: Attractive, charming people earn on average 20 percent more than unattractive and tend to marry higher-earning spouses. They are also viewed as more competent and convincing. However, men can still record a higher success than women with attractiveness. Men earn in average 17 percent more than men in general while attractive women earn 12 percent more than the base level.
But beauty is just one aspect of the erotic capital. It is a mixture of different components: beauty, sex appeal, and charm. Even vitality is important and the way people present themselves: clothing, hairstyle, makeup, the sociologist said in an interview in 2010 with Focus Online. Everyone has something that makes him or her attractive. With effort and commitment this can be turned out. Thus, the good news is: anybody can develop their own erotic capital to enhance their career success.
Women, however, tend to focus in higher management positions only on their career while disregarding their appearance. Ignorance and uncertainty are often additional aspects concerning this problem. The renowned stylist Katharina Starlay calls this phenomenon “Down-Dressing”. Women want to prevent insinuating glances and comments. For 150 years the dress code for men in management is the same: suit, light shirt, and tie. A man can not do much wrong if he adheres to these principles. Women, however, should not adjust the monotonous formality of men. She suggests, for the basics neutral colors – white, gray, navy, brown or black – which should be combined with light-dark contrasts and little accent colors. The woman should appear attractive, and sometimes also in a costume which emphasize her feminine figure. Important are styles that enhance the personal image, good materials, and an accurately fitting.
Katharina Starlay was already for two times guest speaker for Henkel’s internal Women in Leadership networking group. In December 2010 she gave an introductory speech on “Powerdressing” while in April 2011 she gave a “Styling Workshop” with individual styling tips for the participants.
