Women Matter 3 - Women leaders, a competitive edge in and after the crisis

April 2010 - Georges Desvaux, Sandrine Devillard, Sandra Sancier-Sultan - McKinsey & Company

The Women Matter 3 survey findings underline once again the conclusions of our previous studies: companies need to make gender diversity a strategic priority, even more in the context of the current crisis and looking forward.

In 2007, Women Matter 1 established a correlation between the proportion of women on executive boards and how well companies perform.

Women Matter 2 published in 2008 identified that some of the reasons behind this improved performance were to be found in the leadership styles most frequently adopted by female leaders than by male leaders. We also found out that some leadership styles more frequently adopted by women leaders were the most appropriate to manage companies’ future challenges.

Women Matter 3, conducted in September 2009 revealed that the crisis has not changed corporate priorities for gender diversity. On the other hand, gender diversity is seen as a priority by only a third of those surveyed and the positive impact of gender diversity is not recognized by all managers. This survey confirms that the leadership behaviors most often adopted by women are key to the process of surviving the crisis and performing successfully in the post-crisis world. Lastly, Women Matter 3 suggests companies should adopt a variety of programs beyond flexibility measures. [...]