Women in Top management

Role Models from around the Globe share their Paths to success

Bettina Al-Sadik-Lowinski

• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Year: 2020
• Topic: Business
• eBook ISBN:
  9783110715194
• Subtopic: Leadership
• Index: Business

Ask 110 top female executives from five nations to reflect on their careers and leadership as part of an international scientific study and you will uncover a set of recommendations for women who want to become and remain international business leaders. There is also invaluable advice for corporate managers wanting to recruit skilled women into executive positions.

This book is based on the authentic experiences and original words of the interviewees - all of whom are senior female executives - and on the author's analytical insights, all set within a qualitative, scientific framework. In this international research project, the Global Women Career Lab, the author analyzes what motivates these fascinating role models, how they plan their career trajectories, what mechanisms they use to overcome obstacles and what leadership strategies have enabled these women to reach senior management positions.

The book offers the reader a remarkable insight into the experiences of women in top business positions in Russia, China, Japan, France and Germany.

About the author:

Dr. Bettina-Al-Sadik-Lowinski is a researcher, author and certified international mentor-coach (MCC). Following a long management career in multinational companies, she has worked as an international executive coach and expert on diversity in Germany, France, Japan and China.

Reviews:

"A wealth of testimonials from female role models from all over the world, with valuable advices for women pursuing professional development as well as for companies leveraging diversity for competitive advantage."
Hong Chow, China CEO Roche Pharma, Member of Supervisory Board Beiersdorf

"Women need other women as role models in management in order to plan their careers more strategically and understand that the sky is unlimited for them. In this book, 110 role models from various countries share their experiences and I was especially impressed by the examples from Asian female leaders."
Mari Nogami, President Takeda Consumer Healthcare Japan, Ex (the first) Chair of Women in Business AmCham Japan

"As a big advocator for global diversity I recommend this book to all women who want to rise up their careers globally and to corporate leaders who support diversity in their companies worldwide!"
Rosa Lee, Executive Vice President of Bosch China, Member of the Board and Corporate HR Head APAC

"It's not right to think that business is a man´s world. Women are more sensitive and calmer - this makes us different, helps us to balance and makes ladies the best partners for men."
Natalia Ryzhkova, CEO Gulliver&Co Int., Russia

" International, authentic reports from female top managers from different countries combined with a sound scientific analysis of the growth factors for women in management. Insights across countries. Highly recommended!"
Professor Dr. Jutta Rump, Managing Director, Institut of Employability (IBE), University of the Economy and Society Ludwigshafen, Germany

"Women need to understand the country specific codes and create their best image as topmanager- using language, their look and body postures. This books shows us the similarities and the differences of female images in top positions in the five nations. Great findings!"
Muriel de Saint Sauveur, President Women Masterclass France, former International Marketing, Communications and Diversity Director, Mazars Group, France

"Les femmes doivent oser prendre leur juste place dans l'economie, que ce soit en tant qu'entrepreneure ou en tant que cadre dirigeante. C'est une question d'equilibre social mais plus encore de potentiel de performance. Plus de femmes signifie plus de croissance et plus de diversité dans les choix stratégiques. Osez, osez, c'est le maitre-mot à mettre en pratique!"
Marie-Claire Capobianco, Ex membre du Comité exécutif du groupe BNPParibas, Membre du Haut Comité de Gouvernement d'Entreprise, France

"Chinese female executives have many strengths. Great learnings also from women around the world. A treasure book!"
Shelley Chen, Senior Director Human Resources, Communications and Public Relations, Saint-Gobain Pipe, APAC, Head of PAM-LAN- Diversity Institute, China

" Top managers from five nations provide insights into how they strategically plan their careers, and break down barriers. The author Dr. Bettina AL-Sadik-Lowinski has managed to work out the cultural differences and similarities between these women. Very educational, worth reading and scientifically sound."
Prof. Manuela Rousseau, Deputy chairwoman of the supervisory board and Author, Germany

" Finally. International role models report what women need to advance further. The quotes contain a global fund that helps women successfully overcome barriers."
Christine Rittner, former Global CHRO, Executive board member, Lidl, Germany

" A journey through the career worlds of women of different cultures. Solidarity from women for women. Highly recommended."
Dr. Marion Welp, Attorney at Law, Chief Human Resources & Legal Affairs Officer, Member Executive Management Team, Board member, Esprit, Germany

"Women in top management positions speak plain language. A great initiative. "
Sonja Mechling, Head of Global Marketing, UX & Digital Innovation, Schindler Group, Germany

"This world deserves more ladies in the leadership positions as a driver of positive changes. Dr. Bettina and her ladies had found their way to the Top and generously shares it in the book."
Evgeny Bazhov, Chief Representative, Russia, Financial Association of EuroAsian Cooperation

"Full of valuable insights. A must read to understand how women career paths work. Read it. Implement it."
Christine Hesse, CEO Hesse Design, Germany

Check out our two webinars on this book!

In this panel discussion with female senior executives from different nations USA, China, Japan, Russia and Germany, the subject is what women in top leadership positions in different countries have in common and what makes them different: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-HN5VT64Aw

In this video, Dr. Bettina Al-Sadik-Lowinski and her guests, all in high leadership positions themselves, read the authentic quotes from the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcbSiQ7pK9Y&t=1265s

1 Forging careers around the world – role models for women in top management from five leading economies

The subject of women in senior management positions is one which is discussed the world over. There are vocal calls for greater numbers of women in top management positions who can act as female role models. Despite the fact that these days women in many countries have better educational qualifications and are an integral part of the global economy, their low participation at the top of the executive ladder is still a reality. Although the proportion of women in middle management positions has increased worldwide, equality between men and women in senior management has yet to be achieved. A variety of different analyses and views exist as to the causes. The continued dearth of female role models is well-recognized and the number of women in senior corporate positions is still low.

And yet they do exist: women who have managed to work their way to the top of companies all over the world! They are everywhere; fascinating women who, with their extensive knowledge and experience, have the potential to serve as role models for other women and so support them in their careers. Role models like these can also provide an important source of information for other corporate managers as to which factors their companies should consider if they wish to attract qualified women to their senior management ranks. This book is devoted to addressing the following questions: How do women get into top corporate positions in a globalized economy? Which talents and characteristics make them stand out? What steps have they taken to develop themselves? And which recipes for success have worked for top female managers in different countries over the course of their careers and when dealing with the challenges that, typically, only women face? This book will take you on a journey to meet women in top management positions in Russia, China, Japan, France and Germany.

Having more women in management positions delivers greater benefits for companies and more economic power for countries

Why should women around the world continue the struggle to escape middle management? And why is it important for companies to promote qualified women to senior management? A simple Google search on the benefits of gender balance in top corporate positions yields nearly 18 million results. A number of these illustrate key findings for companies aiming to do better at having both women and men in their top positions. A Peterson Institute for International Economics survey of 21,980 listed companies in 91 countries found that a higher proportion of female managers in a company equates to higher profitability. Research by McKinsey and Women Matter (2012), Catalyst (2016) and Noland at the Petersen Institute (2016) shows that higher proportions of women on company boards delivers higher profits and better overall company performance. These examples alone highlight what other research around the world confirms. Pioneering companies everywhere already have greater numbers of women in top management positions and are convinced that the presence of all genders increases corporate success.

Women are the world's least used natural resource (CARE)

So having the right mix of women and men in top management positions brings measurable advantages for companies because the strengths of males and females can in this way be blended and targeted to achieve corporate goals. Companies that support women obtain the best managers globally for their top jobs and benefit from the best mix between the experience of male managers and those of successful women. The promotion of talented women signals to employees and customers alike that women are treated equally and provides role models for young female talent. Ultimately, the promotion of qualified women guarantees that all levels of the corporate hierarchy are filled by the best people. The benefits to both national and international companies of promoting female managers effectively is obvious, considering the worldwide shortage of skilled personnel. In the global battle over the coming decades as to who gets the best managers, women will become increasingly important. It makes little sense to neglect half of the world’s leadership potential. Women already have enormous economic power as consumers and control a substantial chunk of consumer spending around the world. In many industrial sectors, such as the automotive, tourism and housing markets, it is women who make the main purchasing decisions. Women are thus the largest segment worldwide. There is also ample scientific evidence that companies with an equitable proportion of women in top positions are more competitive and achieve better results. Although these findings have been widely communicated, especially in recent years, there is still a lack of parity between women and men in top management positions worldwide. This means that all over the world companies continue to underutilize the potential for success which comes from mixed gender management teams. There is still no country in the world where women have achieved real equality and the barriers that women have to overcome in management are real. A first step towards more parity might be to identify and better understand the particular barriers to women attaining top positions and to develop strategies for successfully overcoming them. There are various possible approaches to achieving greater numbers of women in top management positions. In addition to the necessary political and legislative measures, an important step would be to assist companies worldwide in their efforts to promote more women.

The other key step would be to support talented women in developing and strengthening their own leadership capabilities with an eye on international job opportunities. Women who want to move up the career ladder and companies that want to promote women need a greater wealth of insight from female role models in order to be able to draw on their experiences and learn from them. This book, with its international research into female top management role models in five leading economies, is intended to help contribute to this goal.

Proportions of women in management positions differ around the world

According to a global study by Grant Thornton (2017, 2018) which has been underway for several years, the average proportion of women in senior management positions worldwide was 25 percent in 2017 and has changed only marginally since 2014. The study focuses on so-called C-suite functions, which comprise the senior management levels. Researchers have observed a worldwide increase in the proportion of women in management and the American researcher Eagly (2007) even goes so far as to say that the proportion of women has skyrocketed in recent years. This, however, only relates to the lower and middle management levels, where the participation of women has increased in most countries. Women remain under-represented at the top of the corporate hierarchy around the world. In many places, “pioneering female CEOs” continue to be celebrated and this highlights the growing stagnation. Even in the second management tier, i. e. corporate executive teams, there are big differences between individual countries when it comes to the presence of women in management and some are more advanced, going by the statistics, than others. The economies considered in this book – China, Russia, Japan, France and Germany – represent the upper, middle and lower portions of the global rankings for numbers of women in managerial positions. According to the data presented in the following chapters, Russia and China are at the top of this ranking, France occupies the upper middle ground and Germany and Japan are at the lower end of the scale of female participation in senior management among leading economies. A glance at the world map shows that not many of the leading industrial nations are frontrunners, but that smaller countries such as Poland, Lithuania and Georgia, and also some Asian countries such as the Philippines, are particularly strong in this area. Nevertheless, statistics are just numbers which, depending on the initial conditions and the interpretation given, can be presented in different ways. But one thing seems certain. Progress in lower and middle management has been remarkable when one considers that historically women have only been involved in management roles since the mid-twentieth century. In the top echelons, companies around the world continue to fare badly. Or is it that women themselves in the various countries give up their careers? This book covers that aspect too.

Various political measures, such as quotas for supervisory boards in Germany and France, are hotly debated but have shown promising results, especially recently. At the Global World Women Forum in Paris in 2019, the success of quotas was publicized and their approval was sought from all the women present. Women in France and Germany prefer not to get their jobs because of quotas, but to be at the top through their own achievements. Women who have already made it, in particular, often refuse to accept quotas as a means to an end. In China and Russia there are no quotas for women in companies, but there are other measures that tend to increase female participation. And in Japan, the response to the continuing logjam has been for the government to make clear statements of intent, combined with the setting of targets. It is also interesting to note in this context that greater female representation in top political posts does not automatically lead to more women in top business roles. An example of this is Germany, where, despite having a female Chancellor, little has improved at the industrial helm over the past 15 years.

Companies and women themselves would benefit from more research into role models of women in international management

Looking at the available research on women in senior management, it is striking that career research in the field of management has for a long time focused exclusively on the experiences of men. One reason for this is surely the fact that the numbers of women in top management worldwide have historically been limited. Management and career research that focuses exclusively on women has only been around for a few years. Well into the 1990s, studies on women in management positions were, according to Powell (2011), still based on a male perspective. To this day, academics continue to debate whether specific theories and concepts are needed for examining women's careers against the backdrop of their own experiences and challenges, or whether the concepts developed on the basis of male patterns of experience should continue to be applied to women. More and more international researchers, such as O'Neil (2013) and Lepine (1992), are developing women-specific approaches because they believe that women's careers follow different patterns than those of men. Other researchers argue that women are already exhibiting career patterns reflecting changes that will occur in the labor market in the near future. The researcher Rump (2017) describes how growing globalization, changes brought about by the digitalization of entire industrial sectors, artificial intelligence, the aging of entire populations and ecological issues, will all influence and continue to change, if not completely reshape, corporate careers. Global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic show how fragile traditional work patterns can be. Even if conventional, hierarchically structured careers still predominate in many companies around the world today, career patterns other than the purely traditional ones can already be observed among women. This is reflected in the career paths of the high-flying women surveyed here. International research on women in top management positions is rare compared to within-country studies. While several researchers have compared the situations of women in management between, for example, two countries, multinational observations are rare, partly due to the complexities of data collection.

The Global Women Career Lab: A research-based analysis of female role models in five leading economies

For the research-based, empirical study on which the book is based, over 110 top female executives from five countries were interviewed in qualitative, in-depth interviews. What is distinctive about the findings in this book is that we hear from the top women managers themselves. Original quotes provide very personal insights into their experiences, approaches and mindsets. The women in China, Japan, Russia were interviewed and quoted in English. Quotes from the women interviewed in Germany and France have been translated into English, as needed. When signing up for the research, the women interviewed were aware that the primary goal was to support other women.

All of the women interviewed here are employed as executives in leading positions in mainly international companies and were selected through a process based on theoretical sampling. The data collected forms the cornerstone of one of the most extensive research projects in the world involving women in senior management positions, the Global Women Career Lab. Evaluation and analysis of the empirical data was carried out using a scientific approach with the help of qualitative content analysis and parts of the project formed a dissertation supervised by the University of Burgundy in France. So why China, Russia, Japan, France and Germany? The aim was to survey successful women in leading economies. The selection was also influenced by the fact that in those countries the author had access to women suitable for the study and, with the exception of Russia, had lived and worked in all the countries herself.

Women's careers exist in the area of tension between society's view of what roles women should play, the opportunities for women in companies and the goals and constraints of the women themselves. A variety of contextual factors influence the progression of a female manager’s career. Researchers face the challenge of doing justice to the complexity of women's careers while taking these various influences into account. The analysis in the Global Women Career Lab is based on a framework called the FemCareer-Model (Al-Sadik 2017, see also annex) in which important determinants of women's careers are encapsulated. The focus is on external influences on women's careers and the individual factors that the female managers describe, in other words, the career profiles and paths of the women is affected by the various determinants. The context of the home countries and cultures is central to all areas of the model described in this book. The model is based on, and supported by, current international research which has been used to place the interviewed women’s experiences into perspective. The model was the guiding principle for the interviews with the top female managers as well as for the evaluation and analysis, and serves as a sort of road map for the book. All 110 women were interviewed using a set of guidelines based on the model, in other words, the interpretation and results pertaining to the careers of women in China, Russia, Japan, France and Germany were viewed through the lens of the model parameters.

The country chapters: Information and learnings from the experiences of women in top management across different cultures

Within the country chapters the insights gained from the interviews, which were conducted according to the FemCareer-Model as described, are organized into sections as follows:

• Socio-cultural and political conditions in the country and the proportion of women in senior management positions
• Characterization of the female senior managers interviewed
• Career strategies of the women in the given country
• Particular preconditions which women in the given country need if they are to reach a top management position
• Factors promoting the careers of women in senior management
• Factors which hold back the careers of senior women managers and how they handled them
• Any outstanding questions

This overview section provides a brief chapter-spanning summary of what the research findings tell us so far about these factors. Readers can switch between chapters or read the book in sequence. At the beginning of each chapter there is a depiction of the varying socio-cultural and political contexts in which the women executives find themselves. The focus varies from country to country so as to highlight the differences and this provides the basis for subsequent analysis. For China and Russia, for example, the restructuring of the economic system and its effects on women's careers are presented. Germany's cultural heritage and the partition and reunification of the country provide a unique framework for the development of women's participation at senior management level. France is often praised for its leading, vanguard status concerning gender equality in Europe. And the difficulties faced by women in Japan are described as they attempt to operate within the country's traditional employment model.

The senior women managers' own assessments of the perceived degree of gender equality in their country are recorded on a ten-point scale and this serves to illustrate their experiences in the context of the sometimes contradictory figures published in their respective countries. The executive women were asked, from their individual experience and perspective, how they assess the gender situation in their country when it comes to a management career. The book thus serves as a comparison with the published data on the participation of women in management positions, albeit qualitative. It is interesting to note that in some circumstances, even in Japan – the country with the lowest proportion of women in senior management positions – high ranking female managers give top scores. Contrary to the high scores reported in numerous publications, Russia falls short of expectations. And Germany and France are not as drastically dissimilar in their scores as one might assume if looking at them from a German perspective.

L. General Manager, France: I would probably put France on five. To be honest, I think there is gender equality up to middle management, so I think middle management is probably eight. The top management falls to three or now you could say two. I think the average is five.

Senior women executives operate in very diverse labor markets, some of...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• 1 Forging careers around the world – role models for women in top management from five leading economies
• 2 Chinese women: Strong through flexibility and global mindsets
• 3 Chinese women in Europe: The conflict between fitting in and meeting their own performance targets
• 4 The French women: Intellectual warriors against role conflict
• 5 Japanese female executives: Beating the system
• 6 German women: Shaping strategists in the middle of men′s clubs and motherhood stereotypes
• 7 Russian women: Succeeding through intuition and forging opportunities
• 8 The ideal female executive: A résumé based on the global analysis
• 9 Recommendations for the next generation of female executives
• Annex