Are women’s routes up the corporate ladder different from men’s? Do women have an authenticity problem? Are successful women in traditionally male areas generally disliked? Or are men and women getting more similar? These were among the questions discussed at a business forum in The Hague, Holland, entitled “Women Leaders: The Changing Context of Business Organizations”.

Ginka Toegel, Professor of Organizational Development and Leadership, was the main speaker of the event, attended by close to 100 women. Ms. Josefine van Zanten, Global Head Diversity & Inclusion at Shell, also addressed the participants, shared insights and introduced Professor Toegel.

Today only three percent of the senior leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies are held by women globally. The number is as low as 1.6 percent in European FT companies. At the board level, a diverse and interesting pattern is arising.

Thanks to government actions in Scandanavia, women comprise 44% of the boards in Norway, while Holland comes in at 12 percent and Portugal has less than one percent.

“I feel that we are not moving fast enough. If I look at what the situation was like at my mother’s time and I now see where things stand for me, I would like us to increase the speed to make faster improvements for my daughter’s generation,” said Monique van der Meer, Managing Partner Berg & Van der Meer.

What is influencing this reality and what can be done in the future? For this interactive event, Professor Toegel asked the attendees to share their views and experiences with each other in smaller groups.

“The discussions were lively. As I was walking around to listen in at the different tables I heard people sharing many personal stories,” said Josephine Schoolkate, one of IMD’s Executive Directors.

“It is tough for women,” Professor Toegel explained. “Often times women find themselves in situations where they are in a minority situation (less than 25 %), sometimes even in situations where they are the sole female member of a team. This does not only bring high visibility but also isolation and it is not really until women make up more than 35 percent of a group that they become less salient.”

How do women’s routes up the corporate ladder differ from men’s? Interestingly men and women are often selected for different types of assignments. For example, women are far often considered great performers in crisis situations while men are more likely to be associated with growth strategies and risk taking.

Eleanor Roosevelt once said: “Women are like tea bags – you don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.” Though this leadership positioning may look quite attractive, especially in current times, there is also a downside associated with it if women only are called on in times of crisis, but men in times of growth.

Another career path differentiator is the reason for why women take time out of their jobs. Women take leaves to take care of children or older parents, men to develop and reposition themselves. This not only leads to less linear career paths but also poses challenges for re-entry into the market place.

However, companies are starting to respond to this dilemma and Ms van Zanten shared a very tangible effort by Shell referred to as “Stay in touch.” Through a lunch or phone call on a regular basis, managers were encouraged to keep a steady connection with talented women. To really understand why women left the organization, Shell always organizes exit interviews.

Maybe one of the more important take-aways from the event, was the importance of finding and working with internal mentors or sponsors. It is an area where women lag behind their male counterparts and they truly need to become better. “If you do not have an internal mentor today ladies, think of getting one,” Professor Toegel advised.

Are women and men becoming more similar or different? Apparently, research shows that the gap between personalities of men and women in the more prosperous and egalitarian societies is widening.

“We have to accept that we are different,” one of the participants commented. And what about stereotypes - do males have stronger stereotypes about women’s leadership than women do about men’s leadership? Interestingly, based on the discussions at the Forum , women tend to have a stronger bias about men’s leadership.

To maintain their authenticity, Professor Toegel offered the following suggestion to participants: “Know yourself, accept yourself and if possible even be open about your weaknesses. Talk about your weaknesses with the people that work for you, as there is a definite chance that they otherwise will discuss them without your presence and you thereby will have less control. Also, people hate ideal leaders and by discussing your weaknesses openly you come across as a confident manager.”

Is there an ideal style to aspire to? If women in some way were to find a balance between being agentic and communal then we would be on to something. Balance is the key, as can be seen in PepsiCo’s CEO Indra Nooyi, who is known to be a tough negotiator on the one hand and to give fashion advice to her employees on the other.

The evening also offered the perspective of the corporation and a strong female leader within a company, as Ms. van Zanten shared her extensive experience in working with diversity and inclusion in general and in particular within Shell. What does one do at an organization like Shell about these issues?

What does success in diversity and inclusion look like and how do you measure success? Is it only hard targets or are there also other issues to consider? These were among the questions she covered.

Specific examples and good ideas were shared. Participants concluded that it is important for a global corporation like Shell to know and respect the differences between countries and regions. For example in the United States, often times diversity relates to treating men and women alike while in Europe differences are more often accepted and encouraged.

Ms. van Zanten also shared an interesting model called “the diversity and inclusion house framework” which is centric in the Shell diversity and inclusion strategy (please find the model in Ms. van Zanten's presentation posted to the right). And as the model shows, there is not only one aspect to consider. Therefore, “when you get the house going a great deal of things start to happen,” Ms. van Zanten explained.

On why diversity and inclusion are important, Ms. van Zanten referred to IMD Professor Martha Maznevski who often says: “marking a company for women is making the company better for everyone.”

International executive Anna Maria Born concluded that: “It was a great event with excellent presentations and discussions. I do however really feel that it is only the beginning and we need to create a continuation.”

One way to create a continuation is by opening up this blog for individuals to share their thoughts on the topics covered in the article. We look forward to reading your analysis and continuing the learning on this subject.