Article:
Insights into the future of women in leadership in Asia
Pacific – a BEAM Research
Singapore, June 2021:
As countries across the globe begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic and
with economic growth a key factor in enabling a return to ‘normal life’,
companies and workplaces are under time-pressure to help define exactly what
this looks like. With so many shifting parameters, how do we foster a workforce
that is happy, engaged and hopeful in order to achieve commercial success,
growth and evolution? This question throws a spotlight on leadership; on our
global leaders as they continue to grapple with vaccines, borders and trade
agreements and on the leaders of commerce and industry. We’re collectively
looking to them to navigate us towards a new way of working - potentially with
flexible home and office arrangements – and forward into a better future.
As we enter the second half of 2021, BEAM engages in conversations about
‘Conscious Leadership’, pulling sharply into focus the opinions and thinking of key
stakeholders in the Asia Pacific. Given the exponential, global impact of the
pandemic on everyone, yet disproportionately on the female population, the first
step was to conduct a survey of 87 professional women in senior leadership and
mid-management roles across Asia Pacific ((80% Asia-based, 20% Australia & New
Zealand).
With the majority spread across Generations X&Y), participants collectively
considered three key components as major hurdles faced by women today:
1. Work-Life balance
2. The Workplace
3. Self-development
Some of the findings are challenging to dissect in terms of what is simply ‘the
norm’ and how much is coloured by current circumstance, while much of it
remains reflective of topics that have been discussed for more than a decade.
Ultimately, it seems like not much has changed and women still notably feel the
impact of gender inequality in their careers.
Within Work-Life balance, 42% identified juggling their careers with family and
social expectations as significant hurdles, with the impact of more of the
parenting load falling their way adding to this. With home-schooling and kids
becoming our surrogate colleagues as the kitchen table became our workstation, the lines between work and home sometimes seem close to being erased
altogether. How will companies foster a sense of a better future when an
exhausted and Zoom-fatigued workforce emerges from their pyjama bottoms to
re-enter the building?
Exploring the Workplace itself highlighted the fact that some permeating issues
retain a strong hold, reported equally across generations. 71% of women surveyed
have experience exclusion, gender, race and age-based discrimination and
stereotyping. Almost 45% cited a lack of opportunities for development and
organisational limitations in advancing their careers.
So what is it we need to do differently moving forward? When will we stop asking
for this to change?
Turning our attention to the area of Self-development, it became clear that the
onus does not solely lay with organisations and leaders to help us find our way to
a more equal reality. 29% of respondents acknowledged that a lack of ambition,
drive and confidence was a major factor in limiting their success. How much of
this is attributable to the pandemic itself is impossible to quantify, but the
identified link between a lack of women’s networks and the experience of
stagnated development is undeniable. So how can the leaders of tomorrow
realise a different reality?
Asked what it would take to be an impactful leader who can effect necessary
change, respondents overwhelmingly cited Empathy, Compassion and
Authenticity as highly-desirable, followed closely by the ability to be agile, flexible
and adaptable. The more classic attributes of being driven, determined,
motivational and empowering were also identified as vital which reinforces the
thinking that being a good leader is quite simply, a very complex equation. The
big question is how do we hire leaders who have a strong sense of empathy and
compassion, are also ambitious and will doubtless need to make tough
decisions? Can we teach someone to have all of those things? Are these innate
capabilities or are they able to be learned?
BEAM’s “Conscious Leadership” conversations are intended to unpack and
uncover the key issues and ingredients needed for strong, effective leadership
not only coming out of the pandemic, but also for a future where we no longer
need to focus on gender equality or lack thereof. The key attributes needed to
move our industries and economies forward have not only evolved to skills that
require development, serious thought and a great deal of comfort with
vulnerability.
What will our careers look like? What do we want? What is possible? What makes
good business sense?
Redefining the parameters of success has never been such an open-ended and
necessary conversation and what is clear is that there is still much work to do. As
women know only too well, perhaps the only way to tackle this is to keep on
talking about it.