How Women Mean Business

Why Women Mean Business showed you why business needs to change. Now Avivah Wittenberg-Cox’s new book shows you how to achieve a healthy and profitable balance.

We know that business needs more women. Gender balance has been proven time and time again to lead to more innovation, better business performance and corporate governance. The only question is, how can business leaders make this happen?

Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, an acknowledged world authority on women and business, points the way. In four simple steps she provides guidance on how to bring about real change:

• Audit – where are you really at with gender balance now?

• Awareness – Opening your eyes to what better gender balance could mean for your company

• Alignment – Ensuring the buy-in that will bring about real results and change

• Sustain – Building gender diversity into corporate DNA

This lively, hands-on guide is packed with research and case-studies showing how some of the world’s biggest blue-chip firms have done it.

Women are most of the talent and much of the market – you need this book.

Dedication ix

Foreword xi

Acknowledgements xv

Introduction 1

Part I: Audit 15

Chapter 1: What’s the Balance? 17

Chapter 2: What Do Others Do? 49

Chapter 3: What Do We Say? 77

Part II: Awareness 95

Chapter 4: Why Should Business Care? 97

Chapter 5: Leading Gender Bilingual 129

Chapter 6: Working Gender Bilingual 159

Chapter 7: The Action Plan 191

Part III: Alignment 213

Chapter 8: Training 215

Chapter 9: Talent 235

Chapter 10: Markets 275

Part IV: Sustain 315

Chapter 11: Communicating 317

Chapter 12: Measuring 339

Chapter 13: Rewarding 355

Conclusion 369

Notes 373

Bibliography 387

Index 395

"... clearly and comprehensively documents how corporations can best implement strategies to achieve gender balance and attract the best...." (Women Mean Business, June 2010)

"The book takes the reader comprehensively through 4 stages to achieve a more representative gender balance in business." (ChangingPeople.co.uk, April 2010) Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, CEO of the leading gender consultancy, 20-first, and a world authority on leadership, gender and business, points the way in four simple steps: Audit, Awareness, Align and Sustain.
This lively, hands-on guide is packed with research and case studies showing how some of the world’s biggest blue-chip firms have profited by balancing their businesses. “Understanding the why of gender balance is easy, the real challenge is implementing the how across a business. This book shows the reader how to do it, step by pragmatic step.” – John J. Harris, Chairman and CEO, Nestlé Waters

“This book is the best overview of the extraordinary business opportunity women represent.” – Julie Gilbert, Founder and CEO, Wolf

“How Women Mean Business is a must-read for any manager.” – Emilio Umeoka, President, Microsoft Asia Pacific

“How Women Mean Business sets out a compelling blueprint for better business practices in the 21^st century.” – Cherie Blair

“A must-read for any leader wanting to use gender differences as a strategic lever to develop their business.” – Jean-Pascal Tricoire, President and CEO, Schneider Electric

Business Needs a Better Balance of Women and Men

All the evidence shows that balance leads to more innovation and better business performance – after all, women are most of the market and much of the talent. Leaders have now understood why it is important, but are still struggling with how to make it happen.