NEWS AND INSIGHTS UPDATE:
The 2012 Board of Directors Survey, which was conducted by WomenCorporate Directors (WCD), Heidrick & Struggles, Professor Boris Groysberg of the Harvard Business School, and researcher Deborah Bell, was released today. The study surveyed over 1,000 directors from around the world to identify strategic priorities and views on their own boards’ strengths and weaknesses.
While male and female directors were in agreement on most strategic and political topics, they did not agree on topics related to boardroom diversity. In a joint press release, the gender disconnect was explained as follows:
When asked to rank the most effective ways to build diverse corporate boards, women directors cited “board leadership serving as champions of board diversity” as the #1 factor. Men in the survey ranked this equally with “developing a pipeline through director advocacy, mentorship, and training.”
Forty-five percent (45%) of men vs. 18% of women surveyed believed that the “lack of women in executive ranks” is the primary reason that the percentage of women on boards isn’t increasing. As the top reason why there were not more women on boards, women respondents cited that “traditional networks tend to be male-oriented.”
Just over half the women directors surveyed (51%) believe that quotas are an effective tool for increasing diversity in the boardroom, but only 25% of men agreed. There is a relatively higher belief in the efficacy of quotas among directors outside the U.S. (38%) – versus 30% of directors in the U.S., combining men and women.
GET THE DETAILS: Men and Women Corporate Directors Remarkably Aligned on Strategy via www.prnewswire.com
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Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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