By Adam Quinton - Cartier Awards jury member for North America
The business case for gender diversity in business leadership is simply that having a higher proportion of women in senior positions drives stronger business performance.
I believe, however, that the business case argument is part of the problem, as much as it is part of the solution…not least because it doesn’t seem to be changing things in proportion to its claims (and that, as a result, “the business case fatigue” is settling in).
Let’s face it, if the business case was getting traction, we wouldn’t be asking the “why have we stalled?” question in the first place.
Why might this seemingly well-constructed edifice be built on less firm ground? My thoughts:
• It is based on research that is vulnerable to the “correlation is not causation” critique. Hence, as a matter of fact, it is not as robust and persuasive as its proponents suggest.
• It unintentionally validates the status quo. Most companies in the US have leadership teams dominated by white guys. Rather than challenging that reality, the business case seeks to explain why the status quo should be modified to let outsiders in, as opposed to questioning whether we are at the right start point.
• It fails to confront the pervasive “myth of meritocracy.” If you believe your organization to be meritocratic, then you, and all the other white guy leaders like you can rest easy that you got where you are because of talent and hard work, not luck or a system biased in your favor! Privilege is invisible to those that have it.
• It confuses numbers with real inclusion. Inclusion is hard to define and harder to measure but is the key factor that will determine if an organization with diverse representation gets the best from its people. As my colleagues Ripa Rashid and Laura Sherbin at the Center for Talent Innovation have explained: “Diversity Does Not Stick Without Inclusion.”
• The business base needs to be pitched by MALE leaders, not to them. Avivah Wittenberg Cox, CEO of 20-First, makes the point that the power of the business case as a persuasive tool is greatest in the hands of men making the case to their direct reports, teams etc. Women, minorities and other under-represented groups don’t need the lecture. And, if they give it, they can be dismissed (unfairly) as being self-serving.
In my view the “business case” argument, is an answer to the WRONG question. Rather, we should be trying to challenge the start point – namely the assumption that men ‘deserve to be there.’
Rather than asking what the rationale is to let outsiders in, the business case question(s) should be:
• “What is the business case for corporate leadership dominated by mediocre white men?
• Why does that produce better results?
• Why is that meritocratic?”
It is true that moving towards more gender-balanced leadership is complicated and hard. But it’s not impossible.