Tom Lloyd

A woman’s touch

The John Lewis Partnership (JLP), one of the UK’s largest, oldest and most durably successful retailing groups, is an oddity. It is so different from its rivals (see box) that it seems very likely that its success is because of, rather than despite, its many distinctive features.

The unwritten rules

Imagine you’re climbing the vertical element of a “T.” There comes a point, a “hinge moment,” when you emerge from the vertical and enter the horizontal. This is what happens when you emerge from the top of your functional silo into the board milieu. Your horizons abruptly broaden.

Any other business

It will surely not have escaped the notice of the reader that we believe that the boards of our large companies would be more effective and create more value for shareholders if they included more women.

The customer is queen

The directors of Cisco Systems were assembled in the boardroom waiting for their new CEO, John Chambers. They knew the boss was in the building, because he had been spotted. Had he forgotten? Didn’t he realize the importance of his inaugural board meeting? Chambers turned up half an hour late. He said he was sorry, but he’d been busy sorting out a customer’s problem.

Women and the new business leadership

Introduction The New World The Implications of The New World For Leaders and Leadership Engagement of the Genders Lessons from the FTSE 100 Cross-Company Mentoring Programme The International Perspective Nurturing Tomorrows Leaders Quotas and Pipelines From Leaders to Leadership References Bibliography

The Big Project

The ascent of women up the hierarchies of organisations, to boards and their equivalents, has accelerated in recent years, thanks in part to the stimulus provided by targets set by Lord Davies in his 2011 Women on Boards Review.

The Political Environment

In western societies on both sides of the Atlantic gender-balanced large company boards are increasingly being seen as symbols of the new enlightenment. Politicians of all colours and persuasions have become convinced that male-dominated leadership of large companies and other organisations is an anachronism in a modern democracy. It violates the principle of equality of opportunity and leads to sub-optimal allocations of talent, skill and ability.

Beyond the Davies Review

In the grand scheme of things 31 December 2015, the date by which Lord Davies wanted FTSE 100 companies to have boards consisting of at least 25% women, is a milestone on a journey, the destination of which remains unspecified.

The Story so Far

In a joint foreword to Cranfield University School of Management’s Female FTSE Board Report 2015, Vince Cable, UK Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Nicky Morgan, Secretary of State for Education, and Minister for Women and Equalities, struck a positive, verging on a celebratory, note: ‘Since the publication of the Davies Review in 2011, we have made huge strides in gender diversity in our top companies. We have almost doubled women’s representation and ended all-male boards in the FTSE 100. This is a credit to the leadership and determination of so many business leaders … With women’s representation at 23.5% in the FTSE 100, we are so very close to the 2015 target.’

The Pipeline Challenge

Imagine a time many years from now, when the ‘settings’ at the top of organisations have been adapted to accommodate a wider range of ‘sets’, the ge nder-balanced board is unremarkable and women occupy roughly half the board seats of the average large company, year in and year out.