The Role and Nature of a Women’s Leadership Network

NHS Employers Strategic ForumMay 28th 2015

Margaret Davies, Occupational Psychologist & Kaye Welfare, Managing Director www.theglasslift.co.uk Twitter@TheGlassLift

Leadership is still masculine

The Glass Lift March 2015 3

UK: Less than 1 in 5 senior managers are women

The Board

ExCo

One below ExCo

Two below ExCo

Three below ExCo

Four below ExCo (Executive Committee)

77%

Cracking the code (2014)

23%

82% 18%

59%

71%

72%

77% 23%

41%

29%

28%

Gender Gap

UK Total work-force

All NHS staff

NHS Boards

Chair CEO Finance Director

Medical director

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

WomenMen

“Female stereotypical attributes, including the positive communal qualities of warmth and niceness, tend to be

inconsistent with the attributes believed to be required for success in many key organizational positions...

“The conditions that deter stereotyping are often absent in work settings because of decision makers’ cognitive overload

and motivation to maintain the status quo”.

Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1 (2008), 393–398

“Drawing upon stereotype threat theory, we further find that perception of women as unequal board members may limit

their potential contribution to board decision-making.”

European Management Review (2010) 7, 16-29.

Just a few implications• Women are less likely than men to think they

have the skills and attributes required for a job.

• Women are less likely to put themselves forward for promotion.

• Women may be labelled as lacking confidence.

• Women may be protected from ‘tough challenges’.

• Women as seen as ‘less competent’ and/or more likely to fail.

There is no silver bullet to breaking the glass ceiling!

KEY ENABLER 1: Understand the barriers faced by

aspiring women in NHS Employers

• Women need permission to speak.

• We need to understand what’s getting in the way of women’s progression in NHS Employers.

KEY ENABLER 2: Raise awareness of the barriers to

women’s progression

KEY ENABLER 3: Senior leaders championing change

Edward Colgan Chief Executive

Somerset Partnership NHS Foundation Trust

Commitment role modelled from top down.

Communicate the vision & expectations to the entire organisation.

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KEY ENABLER 4: Develop inclusive leadership cultures

Women leaders will only develop and thrive in open & supportive cultures that encourage

diversity & inclusive leadership

• Unbiased recruitment & selection – balanced shortlists.• Encourage career engagement among women working part

time/on maternity leave.• Sophisticated work–life balance policies. • Positive action against role stereotyping.• Access to career progression opportunities.• Monitor performance reviews.

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KEY ENABLER 5: Support talented and aspiring women

There is a need to ensure that aspiring women develop the skills, knowledge and attributes to lead authentically

• leadership development programmes for female employees

• coaching and/or mentoring programmes • sponsorship/advocacy schemes for women -

especially male sponsors

The Glass Lift NHS with the South West Leadership Academy Programme Structure & Delivery

THE MEETING ROOM

Workshops

Face to face workshops present you with the chance to learn and collaborate with other members in your cohort, to meet critical friends and Glass Lift Directors:

·At least 4 one day workshops at six monthly intervals.

·Expert facilitators and guest speakers.

·Experiential learning format.

THE BOARDROOM

Elevator Events

The Glass Lift Elevator events are held regionally in the evening. Members may attend all events.

•Inspirational guest speakers from a wide range of industry sectors.

•Meet other Glass Lift members and potential new members.

•Bring along colleagues and sponsors.

THE CAFE

News and Conversation

The Member Area cafe is the place to meet, collaborate, share and learn online with other Glass Lift members and invited colleagues.

·Start or take part in a conversation.

·Collaborate on a project with other members in your cohort.

·Comment on news.

·Share your story with fellow members.

THE CONFERENCE ROOM

Audio Visual Resources

The Conference Room is the place to watch and listen to bite size audio visual resources. These form an important part of the programme.

·Videos by guest experts.

·Relevant audio clips.

·Skype or Google hangout discussions with facilitators.

THE BREAKOUT ROOM

Personal Support and Development

The Breakout Room is the place to go for your personal support and development.

·Contact your critical friend for support and guidance.

·View and discuss Psychometric profiles and data.

·Write and store your reflective logs.

·Raise questions and comments about the Glass Lift Programme to The Glass Lift Member Support.

MY DESK

Personalised Member Area

My Desk is the place to organise and move forward with your learning and development throughout programme:

·Work on your projects.

·Access your learning resources

·Store your files.

·Register for events.

The Glass Lift NHS with the South West Leadership AcademyProgramme Content

LEVEL 1Leadership & me

Intra-personal effectiveness My purpose & guiding principles My preferences, strengths & hazards Resilience and confidence Career planning Inclusive leadership & gender difference Visibility and knowing my ’brand’ Networks, role models & sponsors

LEVEL 2Leadership & others

Inter-personal effectiveness The key responsibilities of leadership Emotional intelligence Relationship management & influencing Leading high performance Coaching & mentoring. Social stereotyping & unconscious bias Fitting in and finding voice Raising awareness of gender barriers

LEVEL 3 Leadership & my organisation

Intra-organisational effectiveness. Leading identity & community Collaborative & distributed leadership Leaders as connectors Functional skills vs. leadership skills Stewardship & succession planning Flexible working patterns Managing work life balance Maintaining engagement during career

breaks

LEVEL 4Leadership & positive change

Inter-organisational effectiveness. Women on boards Introduction to board governance. Shaping vision & role modelling Assessing organisational systems Discerning trends, complexity, uncertainty

and leading change Strategic leadership – “the 33%” Power and politics The external ambassador & building

reputation

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Glass Lift NHS Members Cornwall to Wiltshire

Clinicians• Consultants• GP’s• Radiographer• Lead physiotherapist• Speech and language

therapist.• Clinical psychologist

Managers• Finance director• HRD• Health and justice

commissioner• Head of quality and

patient safety• Head of locality• Programme leads

The Glass Lift March 2015 16

The Glass Lift

Members in action

NHS Women’s Leadership Network

Organisational Champions

Senior level contact for enabler teamsDriving change in NHS EmployersPromoting the NHS WLN

5 Enabler Teams

ResearchCommunicationChampioning changeDeveloping inclusive culturesDeveloping and supporting women

An NHS Women’s Leadership Network with ‘teeth’!

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Working together

NHS Employers/Regional

Leadership Academies

SUPPORTING AND DEVELOPING

TALENTED WOMEN

• Glass Lift tailored programmes

RESEARCH

• Academic in field• The Kings Fund

COMMUNICATION

• NHS IT systems provider

• NHS/Glass Lift conferences & events

CHAMPIONING CHANGE

• NHS England• NHS Boards• Senior NHS

sponsors

DEVELOPING INCLUSIVE

LEADERSHIPCULTURES

• Strategic HR partner /link to relevant academics

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The Role and Nature of a Women’s Leadership Network

NHS Employers Strategic ForumMay 28th 2015

Margaret Davies, Occupational Psychologist & Kaye Welfare, Managing Director www.theglasslift.co.uk Twitter@TheGlassLift