To bridge the gender divide at work requires a change in thinking about the glass ceiling.
At Deloitte & Touche USA, the Initiative for the Retention and Advancement of Women, known as WIN, has been lauded for its success in promoting women to the most senior ranks: 19.3% of partners are women, the highest percentage among the Big Four public accounting firms. That's up from 7% since WIN was started in 1993.
Two years ago, Deloitte came up with a new program, Women as Buyers, to specifically help men with what mattered to them (winning more clients) while improving understanding between men and women at the firm.
The four-hour sessions remind men of simple differences such as client entertaining (women prefer breakfast to dinner, since they often have more evening responsibilities at home) and communication styles (just because a woman is nodding doesn't mean she agrees with you). While male executives may prefer consultants or accountants to sit by their side, women are more visual than men and partners should face women executives in client meetings.
And because women tend to see leadership roles as positions of responsibility rather than power, partners should think carefully about whom they parachute in to help sell services. "If it's a guy, you might want to bring your big mucky-muck in," says Paul Silverglate, an audit partner who went through the training. "Women partners are more focused on who's going to do the work with their team day-to-day. That was very interesting to me."
"If you really want to make a difference for women," says Silverglate, "it has to make sense for all partners."
Source: BusinessWeek, June 18, 2007