Our Vision To enhance the well-being and prosperity of humankind

1. Our Vision To enhance the well-being and prosperity of humankind

2. Partnership of men and women in business: corporate challenges and personal solutions Adrian Kielhorn, EBBF National Representative Switzerland Part 1 of 3

3. “The world of humanity has two wings -- one is women and the other men. Not until both wings are equally developed can the bird fly. Should one wing remain weak, flight is impossible. Not until the world of women becomes equal to the world of men in the acquisition of virtues and perfections, can success and prosperity be attained as they ought to be.” ("Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá", sec. 227, p. 302)

4. “As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs.” ("Paris Talks: Addresses given by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in Paris in 1911-1912", 10th ed. (London: Bahá'í Publishing Trust, 1979), p. 133)

5. My key three points • Partnership of men and women in business is (slowly) becoming a business issue • Partnership is good for business but it requires (personal) effort to make it work • Progress towards a state of partnership will require the collaboration of both men and women

6. Where do we stand? Women account for • over 50% of university graduates • over 60% of PhD’s • around 20-25% of MBAs Women account for • Roughly 50% of recruited candidates (depending on the industry) • 15% of upper management positions • less than 5% of executive committees and officers (CEO, COO, etc.) Women • Receive a lower salary for equal work

7. In companies, partnership of men and women is part of a larger picture Diversity Age Religion Education Geography Culture Gender

8. Diversity - visible and invisible components like an iceberg Visible Invisible

9. Diversity Management and the two key elements for companies at present 1. Compliance • Legal orientation • To ensure companies comply with legislation 2. Diversity of workforce • How to make international / multicultural teams work effectively

10. Challenges linked to gender diversity in companies • Link to productivity is not a straight forward one • Hard to measure / quantify • Iceberg phenomenon: many aspects are invisible and thus hard to measure • How to manage things you cannot measure? • Diversity does not translate automatically in higher productivity • Is a state, not an attribute!! • Needs to be accepted / embraced • Needs to be actively managed (hard work!) The “secret” of diversity: different people contribute the different things. The “secret” of getting diversity to work: every contribution is valued equally.

11. Let’s assume men and women display a different set of values in business… Intensity male female Attribute Set A Attribute Set B

12. Leadership attributes - predominantly from one set of attributes Leadership attributes Intensity male female Attribute Set A Attribute Set B

13. Now a difference is “visible”: one set is preferred / higher valued than the other Leadership attributes male female Intensity Attribute Set A Attribute Set B

14. The real difference is on a value level: one set becomes more “desirable” Leadership attributes male female Intensity Attribute Set A Attribute Set B

15. Quote The “Women and Work Commission” in the UK in their final report to the Prime Minister concluded the following: „Women’s jobs are under-valued. The skills which women use in, for example, caring, cleaning or catering jobs, are not rewarded to the same extent as similar level skills in “men’s jobs” such as warehouse workers, labourers or transport drivers.“ Page vii

16. Partnership of men and women in business: corporate challenges and personal solutions Adrian Kielhorn, EBBF National Representative Switzerland Part 2 of 3

17. Commonly reported male and female traits “Taking care” “Taking charge” David Schneider, The Psychology of Stereotyping (New York: Guilford Press, 2005)

18. Core set of leadership behaviours / skills Rewarding Networking Supporting Delegating Mentoring Inspiring Problem-solving Consulting Team-building Influencing upwards

19. How leader behaviour connect to male and female stereotypes If women are associated with leadership skills, where is the problem? Catalyst, Women “take care”, men “take charge” (2005)

20. Quote “The world in the past has been ruled by force, and man has dominated over woman by reason of his more forceful and aggressive qualities both of body and mind. But the balance is already shifting; force is losing its dominance, and mental alertness, intuition, and the spiritual qualities of love and service, in which woman is strong, are gaining ascendancy. Hence the new age will be an age less masculine and more permeated with the feminine ideals, or, to speak more exactly, will be an age in which the masculine and feminine elements of civilization will be more evenly balanced.” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

21. Quote “The obvious biological differences between the sexes need not be a cause for inequality or disunity. Rather, they are an aspect of complementarity. If the role of women as mothers is properly valued, their work in nurturing and educating children will be respected and properly rewarded. It should also be acknowledged that the child-bearing role does not diminish one's aptitude for leadership, or undermine one's intellectual, scientific or creative capacity. Indeed, it may be an enhancement.” Bahá’í International Community, 1995 Oct, Turning Point For All Nations

22. Do gender differences in terms of leadership styles really exist? • Data quality is poor: anecdotal, small scale/underpowered to show differences, not adjusted for bias (race, family etc) • Results are conflicting: 2 reports = 3 opinions • Meta-analysis find very few / no differences • Looking at the performance of leaders today, gender differences disappear • “conditioning”: most executives display “norm” values that are uniform “O SON OF SPIRIT! The best beloved of all things in My sight is Justice; […] By its aid thou shalt see with thine own eyes and not through the eyes of others, and shalt know of thine own knowledge and not through the knowledge of thy neighbor.” (Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

23. So what is really different between men and women in top management? • Managing more than one career • 75% of executive women have a partner at home who is employed • 75% of executive men have a partner at home who is NOT employed • Between 60-70% of female executives have children, regardless of level of reporting • Taking care of children • 94% of male executives have a partner/spouse who has greater responsibility for kids • 20% of female executives have such a partner at home Catalyst, Leaders in a global economy - a study of executive women and men

24. Company barriers affecting men (a bit) and women (a lot) • Un-flexible worktime • Part-time workers: not eligible for executive development programs • No “working from home” options • Networking in the “after hours” • Childcare facilities (normal and emergency) • Nanny / house cleaning facilities • Meeting culture: meeting begins at 0900 Monday morning … in Paris • Meeting culture: telephone conference starting at 2000 and lasting until 2300

25. Women Diversity workshops Increasing use of mentors to help and advise women on their career paths Formation of informal women networks Creation of more flexible work hours (ability to reduce number of hours worked) and work arrangements (flexibility of when work is done) Increase number of women in management positions Men Diversity workshops … What are companies doing to help men or women? But there is only so much legislation can do. You cannot force people to value each other equally.

26. Partnership of men and women in business: corporate challenges and personal solutions Adrian Kielhorn, EBBF National Representative Switzerland Part 3 of 3

27. Quote 'When we researched what "success" means to senior men and women, we came up with different definitions,' says Susan Vinnicombe. 'Men list the number of promotions they have received, their salary, their job title - traditional measures of career success. Women talk about peer respect, being able to use their knowledge, feeling personally fulfilled, and most importantly, being able to make a difference.' And women - even the most ambitious - are also more inclined to want what they have always had, a life that's bigger and wider than work. Weprioritise relationships, personal interests and families. Most of usdon't want to work 14 hours a day for years and years, no matter howinteresting it is. Maureen Rice, Sunday December 14, 2003, The Observer

28. What could men benefit from? Career advice • Career tunnel: you need only one CEO • Can you “be” successful and not having to move up every three years? • How best to match skills and company needs as one gets older • How do you adapt to seeing more women as executives? • How to you adapt to a change in leadership values? Work-life balance • How to engage in activities outside work • How to deal with responsibilities both at work and at home • Are you ready for the ultimate challenge: children? Counseling / advice • What is it that makes REALLY you happy (not finding things you do NOT want)? • What is important to you in terms of values?

29. What is a partnership? “Partnership is a voluntary and collaborative agreement between one or more parties in which all participants agree to work together to achieve a common purpose or undertake a specific task and to share risks, responsibilities, resources, competencies and benefits.” Jane Nelson (Building Partnerships: Cooperation between the United Nations system and the private sector, by Jane Nelson, UN Department of Publications, New York, NY 20010, pp 46 and 47): 29

30. Quote The significant problems we face today cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them. Anonymous (frequently attributed to Albert Einstein)

31. you don't score against your team, i.e. you do not undermine your partner's position by belitteling his/her intelligence, insight, feeling etc.. you're not in competition with your partner. You're working together and not against each other if you want the partnership to last you need to give in sometimes as the other should give in you dialogue and not debate (find out what is right, not who is right!) Partners are equal but not identical so you do not need to do the same thing or think the same. you cannot always rely on the other to take charge you are not your partner's father/mother, child, pet ,etc.. A partnership means...

32. Adrian's partnership guide for men and women – looking at equality in a partnership I Finance – take the “power” our of the income • Joint accounts (equal access to all income) • Does the income decides who can spend how much? • Joint checking of monthly expenses • Give and take, not haggling Household responsibility – you only learn to value something you have experienced yourself • Learn to serve at home, you will serve well in business: where and when to you actually serve people? • Can you set the table? Do you know where all the dishes are? • If you have children • Take care of children for 1-2 weeks • Can you find the clothes to dress your children?

33. Adrian's partnership guide for men and women – looking at equality in a partnership II Sharing household responsibilities For women (engaged in a paid profession) • Do you feel the ultimate responsibility for the household is yours? • Do you feel guilty when delegating household tasks? (What would your mother say?) • Would you support your partner in taking on additional household responsibility? For men (engaged in a paid profession) • Can you take over none / some / any household task e.g. washing, cleaning, cooking, shopping? If none, why not? If some, why not more? • Do you talk with your friends / colleagues about your household tasks? • If so, do you feel an urge to use humor when talking about it? • Do you know the “schedule of events” at home? If not, why not?

34. Adrian's partnership guide for men and women – looking at equality in a partnership III Talking at home • How much time do you spend talking to your partner? • How much time (roughly) do you talk, how much time to you listen? • Is there a balance (talking and listening) between you and your environment? • How does it feel to listen? Frustrating? Enriching? • Talking about problems can establish a bond between people. Can you simply listen or are you looking for a solution while you listen to a problem? How do you know when to listen, when to come up with a solution? Language awareness • Do you refer to the task of raising children as “not having a job”? • Do you refer to certain positions (e.g. doctor, CEO) always in a gender-specific way?

35. My key three points • Partnership of men and women in business is (slowly) becoming a business issue • Partnership is good for business but it requires (personal) effort to make it work • Progress towards a state of partnership will require the collaboration of both men and women

36. Thank you for you participation… For more information on the theme of “Partnership of Men and Women” please access the corresponding Knowledge Center on the EBBF website under www.ebbf.org. If you have comments or questions, please feel free to contact me under adrian.kielhorn@ebbf.org.