1. Develop Create Empower Lead Excel Why Women Leaders?
Women in Local Government Excellence Conference 2016

2. Women in Local Government
LGMA National Congress, Hobart, 2005

4. The Year of Women in Local Government 2010
“So what?”

5. The Year of Women in Local Government 2010
The primary focus for the year was to raise awareness of the opportunities for, benefits of, and the need for increasing the participation of women in leadership and management roles within local government, inclusive of both elected representatives and paid personnel.

6. Questions:
1. what has worked for you?
2. what hasn’t worked for you?

7. Redland City Council

8. Redland City Council

9. Redland City Council

10. Redland City Council

11. Queensland Local Government

12. LGMA Qld

13. Redland City Council
Life Styles Inventory Comparisons

14. Subject: Males
By Self By Others

15. Subject: Females
By Self By Others

18. Do men and women lead differently?
Do men and women lead differently?
Is leadership, leadership?
Deloitte ‘Human Capital Australia, July 2011

19. If we expect difference, we apply different standards and ‘see’ different behaviours
Can we rethink how gender can be taken out of the leadership assessment equation?
Deloitte ‘Human Capital Australia, July 2011

21. Getting back to basics – the difference between sex and gender:
these words are often used interchangeably
Deloitte ‘Human Capital Australia, July 2011

22. sex refers to biological differences, e.g. women can bear children
gender refers to differences that are socially constructed, e.g. women are more nurturing than men
social conditioning creates deep seated beliefs and attitudes about how men and women should behave – men act, women care – implications for how people view a good leader – often as ‘action-oriented’.
Deloitte ‘Human Capital Australia, July 2011

24. evidence supports the view that men and women have more similarities than previously thought, especially in relation to communication and leadership
Deloitte ‘Human Capital Australia, July 2011

25. that doesn’t mean that these are our values or beliefs
we are conditioned to think that men and women are different and are more suited to different roles
that doesn’t mean that these are our values or beliefs
it is important therefore to have a heightened awareness of the impacts of assumptions
Deloitte ‘Human Capital Australia, July 2011

26. practical steps organisations could take to advance women in leadership:
review talent management systems – to ensure that bias is neither overt nor covert
understand your female talent – ID female talent – ensure access to informal networks, influential mentors and stretch assignments
Deloitte ‘Human Capital Australia, July 2011:

27. practical steps organisations could take to advance women in leadership:
create a strong feedback loop – are their subtle filters arising from the design of roles, expectations of linear career paths, etc - feedback loop helps to identify if women are subtly encouraged to take up support roles and men line roles
educate decision-makers on potential impact of assumptions and beliefs on decision-making – helping managers understand when they are most vulnerable to the influences of gender stereotypes
resist stereotypes that appear to advantage women – e.g. women are better managers – reinforces unsubstantiated sex-based differences – in fact it is better to resist all stereotypes
Deloitte ‘Human Capital Australia, July 2011:

28. cultural bias, e.g. smaller orgs operating within local markets
existing obstacles:
natural sector bias, e.g. resulting from choice of tertiary subjects (science, tech, engineering, maths)
cultural bias, e.g. smaller orgs operating within local markets
workplace-related bias, e.g. pay gap
Credit Suisse – Women’s Positive Impact on Corporate Performance – Sept 2014:

30. cultural bias, e.g. smaller orgs operating within local markets
existing obstacles:
natural sector bias, e.g. resulting from choice of tertiary subjects (science, tech, engineering, maths)
cultural bias, e.g. smaller orgs operating within local markets
workplace-related bias, e.g. pay gap
structural/policy issues, e.g. parental leave and childcare
Credit Suisse – Women’s Positive Impact on Corporate Performance – Sept 2014:

31. Even though women outnumber men at most universities, the
global average of women in senior management positions remains flat

32. return on equity – outperformed by 53% return on sales – 42%
Fortune 500 companies with the highest representation of women board directors attained significantly higher financial performance on average than those with the lowest:
return on equity – outperformed by 53%
return on sales – 42%
return on invested capital – 66%
these figures are much higher than a comparable Credit Suisse Gender 3000 database which surveyed 3000 large companies worldwide, but still the results were positive on average
Catalyst Bottom Line Report 2016

33. Yet, Credit Suisse report shows that in Norway, the imposition of quotas since 2006 requiring boards of listed companies have at least 40% female membership has resulted in a 12% decrease in firms’ values for every 10% increase in female board members
Quotas don’t work? There must be a better way.
So, it’s not simple

34. Research in South Australia
Set out to understand the intentions of women working in SA local government
Focused on intentions to apply for promotion opportunities
Findings:
Similar beliefs are held about intentions to apply for promotion at next available opportunity by both men and women in second and third level management positions
this, despite the fact that at the time of the research, only 5% of LG CEOs in SA were women
Women, Executive Careers and Local Government: Jorgensen, Martin and Nursey-Bray, 2015

35. Research in South Australia
Report made several recommendations relating to five groups who need to take action to address gender inequity in the CEO ranks:
Elected members
Senior local government managers
The SA LGA
Local Government Professionals SA
The SA Government
Women, Executive Careers and Local Government: Jorgensen, Martin and Nursey-Bray, 2015

36. Research in South Australia
Report made several recommendations relating to five groups who need to take action to address gender inequity in the CEO ranks:
Elected members:
Open and transparent management of CEO recruitment processes
Develop and promote recruitment procedures that can be trusted by potential applicants ; and negotiate flexibly if barriers exist
Third-party recruitment and selection consultants be used as a matter of course for all CEO appointments
Selection panel members first complete the LGA’s course (see ‘3’ below)
Women, Executive Careers and Local Government: Jorgensen, Martin and Nursey-Bray, 2015

37. Research in South Australia
Report made several recommendations relating to five groups who need to take action to address gender inequity in the CEO ranks:
Senior local government managers:
Engage systematically with managers working for them as to their career aspirations
Establish strategies that give middle managers confidence regarding managing the stresses that come with executive roles
Encourage promotion aspirations and support with mentoring
Assist managers negotiate paths through to promotion
Helping managers to achieve competencies to match the personal abilities and skills that are important for promotion
Ensure performance management systems link individual managerial aspirations to vision, mission, goals, etc to ensure individual and organisational outcomes are achieved
Women, Executive Careers and Local Government: Jorgensen, Martin and Nursey-Bray, 2015

38. Research in South Australia
Report made several recommendations relating to five groups who need to take action to address gender inequity in the CEO ranks:
The SA LGA:
Publicise the results of the research to all SA LGs
Develop a one-day workshop for elected members closely involved in the selection of CEOs – ‘selecting the best possible candidate as your CEO’
Women, Executive Careers and Local Government: Jorgensen, Martin and Nursey-Bray, 2015

39. Research in South Australia
Report made several recommendations relating to five groups who need to take action to address gender inequity in the CEO ranks:
Local Government Professionals SA:
Continue to offer a range of courses and management development programs which prepare candidates for promotion to a CEO position
Women, Executive Careers and Local Government: Jorgensen, Martin and Nursey-Bray, 2015

40. Research in South Australia
Report made several recommendations relating to five groups who need to take action to address gender inequity in the CEO ranks:
5. The SA Government:
Active participation in annual programs that celebrate effective leadership and management in their system of local government
Women, Executive Careers and Local Government: Jorgensen, Martin and Nursey-Bray, 2015

41. Questions:
1. what has worked for you?
2. what hasn’t worked for you?