5 things you can do to accelerate gender equality

As with any other change programme, there are key success factors that will enable a positive, engaging process for gender equity transformation that can be implemented, accepted and sustained.?

But it’s not always a simple exercise to make impactful change and the number one issue we see in organisations is the result of well-intended, gung-ho initiatives that seek to address the inequality and then invariably fall over. Why? As with any other business opportunity, a solid strategy must be in place with critical success factors such as executive buy-in, leadership engagement, alignment with business objectives and an ordered, measurable execution – just to name a few!??

The fundamental goal for an EDI initiative is for it to be aligned to business objectives and championed at the exec and leadership levels. Without this strategic alignment and support, any initiative is unlikely to get long-term traction or engagement.?

Bringing gender equity to the centre of business strategy can be achieved through five important steps:?

1. Diagnose the barriers and create a plan. The goal here is to define the starting point and the gap between where you are and where you want to be. Using a combination of qualitative (interviews, focus groups) and quantitative (survey, data collection) approaches you can identify the priority issues to address in your gender equity plan.?
2. Ensure alignment between the business goals and gender equity approach. This step is about ensuring clear line of sight between the business strategy and gender equity approach. Having honest and robust discussions across the top team is critical to ensure everyone is aligned on the organisation's gender equity ambitions and the approach to achieve these.???
3. Engage the organisation. Here you want to engage all genders in the change journey, help individuals at all levels develop inclusive behaviours and ensure your employee resource groups are aligned and optimised.?Awareness raising events and discussions, inclusive leadership programmes, allyship development activities, and ERG optimisation all have a role here in ensuring efforts don't just target women to the detriment of other genders.
4. Remove bias from processes and practices. Here it is important to review and adapt people processes? - such as recruitment, promotion, performance management and salary reviews - to ensure inclusive talent management practices.?Bias lurks in many processes, mostly invisibly, so doing a meaningful audit of these practices can help identify where there are opportunities to create a more level playing field.
5. Accelerate and develop women. This step is about accelerating the development of women by creating safe spaces to unlock women’s potential and equip them with the knowledge, tools and support to maximise their careers.?Women's acceleration programmes, sponsorship programmes, creation of bespoke development plans, and coaching are all powerful ways of driving women's development.

At Shape Talent we are about accelerating gender equality. We provide a range of services and programmes to assist organisations with building impactful gender equity strategies that are aligned to business goals and applying a gender equity lens throughout the organisation. Please get in touch if you would like to know more about how we can help you to assess your current state and provide a framework for positive gender equity change.?

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Sharon Peake is the founder and CEO of Shape Talent Ltd, the diversity, equity and inclusion experts for complex multinational organisations who are serious about gender equality – and what it can achieve for their business.?

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