Introduction
The 21st May 2013 roundtable discussion at the American Centre involved an exchange of views about diversity in leadership, with a focus on women leadership in the ICT (information and communication technology) sector. The discussions centered on the progress of diversity in India, existing cultural biases, problems faced by women, the possibility of diversity metrics, values of organizations and future career transitioning.
Diversity in Leadership – India
“In India, the diversity story is just beginning. Leadership is still primarily masculine.” As such, points were raised as to how women can receive more support in the workplace. It was mentioned that support from the immediate boss is crucial in helping women progress. Support for women can come in the form of stress management and after which, mentoring should take place. Systemic women networks also provide support for many women across India. Most importantly, as Rajesh Padmanabhan, Head HR of Capgemini India, pointed out, male advocacy has to be highest for a more diverse and inclusive workplace.
Nevertheless, India has made progress in this aspect. Vidya Srinivasan, VP, Genpact, commented that India is much better in the area of diversity as compared to what it was ten years ago. Anita Roy, VP Business Development, TATA Housing, concurred, believing that she never faced a disadvantage being a woman in the workplace. Conversations and networks around this issue are reaping rewards, as women are better able to identify and support one another.
Cultural Biases
Another issue brought up was that of the entrenched cultural biases that exist in India. These biases include some that disadvantage women in the workforce. To cope with them, the first step will be to correct the prevailing system. A good idea brought up suggested that a protective rating be given to women on maternity leave, as they are likely to suffer in a forced-ranking, bell-curved system. According to Jane Chwick, Managing Director IT, Goldman Sachs, one of the best ways to overcome such biases is having senior men set a positive example. Leadership should look for a diversity of skills set (including gender) to create stronger teams that will benefit companies.
Problems faced by Women
It seems that women workers lose out to their male counterparts in terms of networking and “tooting their own horns”. The forum participants believed that women should go beyond their work during office hours to meet new people and establish useful relations. Also, women were encouraged to “toot each others’ horns” so as to benefit each other in a culture where it is not common for individual women to show off their achievements.
Diversity Metrics
Participants discussed the use of metrics linked to diversity goals in the workplace. KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) could be tied to diversity goals to push for a more diverse workplace. However, many participants expressed caution as these metrics or quotas could lead to tokenism. The onus is still on women to volunteer for more responsibilities and assignments to succeed on the basis of merit. It was agreed that such a merit-based system should be the eventual outcome.
Values of the Organization
Discussions moved towards the values that should be present in an organization. Shawn Covell, VP, Qualcomm, remarked that “women need to support other women”, especially within the same organization. The organization should also advocate more mentoring for women so as to help them break through the “glass ceiling” that they face in the corporate workplace.
Career Transitioning
Lastly, statistics on career transitions were given as well. For those born after 1995, they will likely go through 5 career transitions. For those born after 2000, they will likely go through 17 career transitions. It means the future business model might require more diversity in leadership to find solutions to accommodate this trend in rapid career transitions.
Moderator
– Sarika Gupta, Founder – Altavis, Biz Divas Foundation
Women Leading Women in ICT Delegation
– Alyssa Ayres, Deputy Assistant Secretary – U.S. Department of State
– Ann Mei Chang, Senior Advisor for Women and Technology, Office of Global Women’s Issues – U.S. Department of State
– Jacky Wright, Vice President, Strategic Enterprise Services – Microsoft
– Kumud Srinivasan, President – Intel India
– Shawn Covell, Vice President – Qualcomm
– Dana Contreras, Senior Engineer – Twitter
– Jane Chwick, Managing Director IT – Goldman Sachs
– Pearly Chen, Office of the Chairman – HTC
– Julie Baher, Director – Citrix
– Trish Tierney, Executive Director – IIE
Indian Industry Representatives
– Paroma Roy Chowdhury, Director and Country Head, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs – Google India
– Gulshan Khurana: VP & Head of Practice FBC – Ericsson India
– Rajesh Padmanabhan, Head HR – Capgemini India
– Cecy Kuruvilla, Global Director, Leadership Development/Diversity – Sodexo
– Vermeen Kapoor, Vice President, Technology & Planning – Shinsei Bank
– Dimple Arora, Vice President & Quality Leader – Genpact
– Swati Sehgal, Human Resources Business Partner – Jones Lang Lasalle
– Divya Jain, Director – American Express
– Anita Roy, VP Business Development – TATA Housing
– Geetha Gulvady, Associate Vice President – WNS Global Services
– Ranjana Deopa, Founder – Biz Divas Foundation
– Priyanka Awasthy, Founder – Biz Divas Foundation
– Vidya Srinivasan, VP – Genpact
– Shilpi Singh, Executive Coach and team member – Biz Divas Foundation
