Leading Women Releases White Paper on Gender Dynamics, Corporate Talent Pipeline Constriction

Feb. 27, 2012 - PRLog -- PROVIDENCE, Rhode Island - If the top levels of an organization contain very few women, talent management and development programs may be contributing factors. Although the need for the best talent is at an all-time high, disproportionately small numbers of women at the top can be an indicator that a talent development model has built-in gender bias, thereby constricting the movement of top talent advance to senior positions.

Many well-publicized factors contribute to smaller percentages of women at the top. These include women stepping onto the mommy track, gender-related expectations of career decision-makers, such as maternity, child care concerns, family commitments, and the fact that women do not go into line/operations management positions at the same rate as men. These and other critical influences warrant attention and remediation.

Recent research conducted by Leading Women indicates an additional factor - one that is rarely recognized and seldom discussed. Leading Women calls it “The Missing 33%” and it is an issue in large corporations from Fortune 50 to Fortune 500. According to many corporate human resources directors, the white paper on developing female leaders is making a significant impact with timely and appropriate messaging.

According to one Organizational Development Manager at a Fortune 500 company, the white paper provides a great illustration of the fact that companies fail at developing the business part of leaders. A lack of business acumen is a barrier for women even though it is required it for almost all positions.

Leading the research behind the white paper is Susan Colantuono, chief executive officer and founder of Leading Women. A renowned expert on leadership, an in-demand speaker, Providence Business News “Ally and Mentor for Business Women” and a Vision 2020 National Delegate, Colantuono is also the author of No Ceiling, No Walls: What women haven’t been told about leadership from career-start to the corporate boardroom.

"Stereotypes, child care burdens and many other well-documented barriers make women's advancement difficult, more so in certain countries,” said Susan Colantuono, founder and chief executive officer of Leading Women. “Not as widely discussed is the 33% of leadership development and career advancement advice missing from most performance management and talent development systems in today’s corporations."

To receive a copy of the Talent Development and Women’s Advancement: 4 Ways Gender Bias Constricts Your Talent Pipeline or to discuss the ways Leading Women assists companies in opening their pipeline of talent, email info@leadingwomen.biz or call +1-401-789-0441.

About Leading Women

Leading Women’s innovative solutions, based on proprietary research, uncover and address hidden gender bias in talent management and development systems and help companies achieve their goals for women’s advancement. Each solution delivers a unique perspective and practical tools for overcoming the common barriers to women’s advancement. To fit the reality of today’s workplace, Leading Women's solutions are delivered live, virtually, online and in combination. Leading Women is a certified woman-owned business - WBENC. Partner with Leading Women to advance your supplier diversity goals.

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Leading Women offers unique live, online and Self-Managed Solutions™ to help women succeed from career-start to the C-suite and onto corporate boards and helps organizations meet their goals for advancing and retaining women at all levels.