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To gain a better understanding of the gender diversity issue in the TMT industry, Accenture interviewed senior executives at the BBC, BT, News UK, Openreach, Sky, Virgin Media, Vodafone and the Royal Television Society and combined this with our wealth of survey data to examine:
The challenges that the UK TMT industry faces
The initiatives leading executives have already put in place to try to address the diversity gap
The ways in which companies can bridge the gender diversity deficit
WHY GENDER DIVERSITY MATTERS
IN THE UK TMT INDUSTRY
The senior executives we interviewed identified three key challenges, specific to the UK TMT industry, which are posed by a lack of gender diversity.
A LACK OF
‘DIVERSITY
OF THOUGHT’
Although there is biologically little difference between male and female brains, there are clearly differences in the way we use our brain and skills in social situations. The benefits of ‘diversity’ of thought do not require perfectly equal numbers of men and women to be involved: it is the blend that is important, not who brings certain skills to the table.
WHY GENDER DIVERSITY MATTERS
IN THE UK TMT INDUSTRY
The senior executives we interviewed identified three key challenges, specific to the UK TMT industry, which are posed by a lack of gender diversity.
A NARROWER VIEW OF THE CUSTOMER
Companies often conduct market research to gain a deeper understanding of what delights and frustrates their customers, but can organisations truly understand who their customers are without being them?
WHY GENDER DIVERSITY MATTERS
IN THE UK TMT INDUSTRY
The senior executives we interviewed identified three key challenges, specific to the UK TMT industry, which are posed by a lack of gender diversity.
AN IMBALANCED PIPELINE
The global economy is changing at an unprecedented rate, driven by rapid technological advancement. The TMT industry is the driving force behind this change, but that does not make it immune from its consequences. If companies are to attract tomorrow’s best and brightest talent, then they must reimagine how they attract women into the industry.
Industry leaders agree that the lack of gender diversity in the industry is a hugely complex issue to solve—but also that it is critically important to keep trying. We identified three ways in which companies can reap the rewards of a more gender balanced organisation.
USING GENDER DIVERSITY TARGETS WISELY
Organisations need to take a carefully considered approach when implementing gender diversity targets and should not try to enforce these in all departments—looking instead for a complementary balance of skills.
MODERNISING ANTIQUATED WORKING PRACTICES
Through opening up their working practices and considering policies such as Flexible Working, Returner Apprenticeships and Shared Parental Leave, companies can give their employees the flexibility to deliver.
EXPANDING THE FUTURE TALENT PIPELINE
Companies could do more to attract young talent by reimagining the recruitment process and breaking down the stigma around women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) to ensure there is a balance of feminine and masculine characteristics in the workplace.