What’s Really Holding Women Bac
Robin J. Ely and Irene Padavic
page 088
Ask people to explain why women remain sodramatically underrepresented in the senior ranks of most companies, and youwill hear from the vast majority a lament that goes something like this:High-level jobs require extremely long hours, women’s devotion to family makesit impossible to put in those hours, and so their careers inevitably suffer.
Not so, say the authors, who spent 18months working with a global consulting firm that wanted to know why it had sofew women in positions of power. Although virtually every employee the authorsinterviewed related a form of the standard explanation, the firm’s data told adifferent story. Women weren’t being held back because of trouble balancingwork and family; men, too, suffered from that problem and neverthelessadvanced. Women were held back because they were encouraged to takeaccommodations, such as going part-time and shifting to internally facingroles, which derailed their careers.
The real culprit in women’s stalledadvancement, the authors conclude, is a general culture of overwork that hurtsboth sexes and locks gender equality in place. To solve this problem, theyargue, we must reconsider what we’re willing to allow the workplace to demandof all employees.
HBR Reprint R2002C
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A More Sustainable Supply Chain
Verónica H. Villena and
Dennis A. Gioia | page 098
Increasingly, multinational corporations(MNCs) are pledging to procure the materials and services they need fromcompanies committed to fair labor practices and environmental protections. Butthe reality is that their suppliers—especially those at low levels of thechain—often violate sustainability standards, exposing MNCs to seriousfinancial and social risks.
To explore this problem—and identifysolutions—the authors studied the supply networks of three MNCs deemed to besustainability leaders. These companies engage in behaviors that are worthemulating; for example, they have established long-term sustainability goals,and they try to cascade good practices all the way down to lower-tiersuppliers, using a combination of direct, indirect, industrywide, and globalstrategies. But all MNCs have more work to do to develop sustainable supplynetworks. They must emphasize social and environmental responsibility, alongwith economic considerations, at every level of the supply chain. They mustgive their procurement officers better training and incentives to pursuesupplier sustainability. And to encourage widespread dissemination of bestpractices, they need more direct contact with the procurement people at theirfirst-tier suppliers.
HBR Reprint R2002F
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Creating a Trans-Inclusive Workplace
Christian N. Thoroughgood, Katina B.Sawyer, and Jennica R. Webster page 108
Trans people often experience stigma anddiscrimination, hostility from others, and pressure to “manage” theiridentities in social settings, including the workplace. These experiences canset in motion a host of psychological responses that have devastatingconsequences for trans individuals’ job satisfaction, turnover intentions, andemotional well-being.
Despite growing public awareness of thestruggles that trans individuals often face, many employers remain ill-equippedto create policies and workplace cultures that support their trans employees.Fortunately, a growing body of research suggests how they can more effectivelyattract, retain, and promote the health and success of these workers.Interviews with and surveys of more than 1,000 trans people over the past sixyears reveal four key areas of intervention that can cultivate a moretrans-inclusive workplace: (1) basic signs of trans inclusivity involvingbathroom use, dress codes, and pronouns; (2) effective support for gendertransitions; (3) trans-specific diversity trainings; and (4) interventions tobuild resiliency.
HBR Reprint R2002J