Employers Worldwide Lack a Strategy for Developing Women Leaders, New Mercer Survey Shows

New York — March 7

Despite efforts by organizations around the world to achieve a diverse workforce, the majority – 71 percent – do not have a clearly defined strategy or philosophy for developing women for leadership roles, according to the new Women’s Leadership Development Survey conducted by Mercer in conjunction with Talent Management and Diversity Executive magazines.

The survey, conducted in December 2010, includes responses from more than 1,800 human resource, talent management and diversity leaders at organizations throughout North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific. The survey included a broad cross-section of industries with for-profits, high-tech/telecommunications, financial/ banking and durable manufacturing organizations representing the largest segments. Responses, which addressed current commitment and support for women’s leadership, plans for the future and obstacles to success, were fairly consistent across regions.

According to Mercer’s survey, almost half (47 percent) of employers surveyed globally indicate that their organizations do not offer any activities or programs targeted to the development needs of women leaders. While 21 percent of organizations said they offer some activities or programs, another 6 percent of organizations said they are planning to add programs and activities in the future.

“Although many multinational organizations value gender diversity in leadership, they are focused on broader diversity objectives and not specifically on accelerating the development and pipeline of qualified women leaders,” said Pat Milligan, president of Mercer’s Human Capital consulting business.

As a result of not having a clearly defined strategy, the climate of support for developing women leaders is mixed. Less than half (44 percent) of survey respondents said their organizations support development to a moderate extent, while just 19 percent said their organizations support development to a great extent. Organizations in the U.S. and Asia Pacific showed a higher than average response with 27 percent supporting the development of women to a great extent, while organizations in EMEA were below average at 14 percent.