NEW APP AIMS TO REINVENT
QUOTAS SEEN AS EQUALITY SHORTCUT COUNTRY: Spain SCHOOL: Esade Business School Changing views on gender equality among more than 1,000 female professionals are highlighted in a new report from Esade Business School’s Esade Women Initiative (EWI). The report – the seventh edition of the EWI’s Esade Gender Monitor – finds that more than half of female professionals are now in favour of quotas as a means of combating inequality. This proportion “reveals an important change of opinion as time goes by,” according to Patricia Cauqui, co-author of the report and academic director of gender balance and D&I programmes at Esade. “A few years ago, eight out of every 10 women would have said they were against quotas. Today, 28 per cent are still against quotas, but 51 per cent demand quotas as a temporary measure and shortcut to equal opportunities,” Cauqui continued. Another shift comes in the way female professionals view companies’ attitudes towards tackling gender inequality. Back in 2016, 65 per cent of the Esade Gender Monitor ’s respondents said they felt the issue was seen as “a women’s problem” or a “trend”. However, the equivalent proportion is just 23 per cent in 2023. While this fall is undoubtedly a positive, 56 per cent of this year’s respondents still believe that their company does not treat gender equality as a strategic priority. What do female professionals want most? The top measure cited here is more visible female role models in the media and world of culture, followed by the normalisation of care at home being provided by both members of a couple. A further finding in relation to this last point: 42 per cent responded to a question regarding sacrifices made in pursuit of careers by saying that they had delayed or ruled out motherhood to advance in their profession. The report also polled respondents on where they currently experience day-to-day barriers, with unconscious bias (cited by 45 per cent) topping the list. The most popular measure for eliminating obstacles, meanwhile, is mentoring programmes (cited by 48 per cent). TBD
LIFELONG LEARNING COUNTRY: France SCHOOL: Insead
As the world becomes increasingly complex and the business landscape changes faster than ever, being successful in the workplace requires continuous lifelong learning. This means that executives are increasingly looking for solutions that blend learning into the flow of work. To this end, grande école Insead has launched the Insead Learning Hub, described as “a first-of-its-kind subscription-based mobile app” for lifelong learning. The Learning Hub is the latest step in the process to shape the future of education, built to respond to the changing needs of executives and leaders who are navigating disruption in today’s exceptionally turbulent times. Through the hub, learners will be able to tap into the global Insead community and explore curated and personalised thought leadership content from the school’s faculty, leading Insead alumni, as well as other practitioners and academics. The hub is designed to be a complement to the school’s existing programmes: its multi-format, bite-sized content and rich communities will transform the Insead experience into a continuous lifelong learning journey. Commenting on the initiative, deputy dean, dean of innovation and strategy professor at Insead Peter Zemsky said: “From pioneering the first one-year MBA programme to launching the first company-specific programmes as well as customised online courses, the spirit of innovation is an essential part of Insead’s DNA. “True to that entrepreneurial spirit, we have set up a learning innovation team dedicated to keeping Insead at the forefront of management education practice. The Insead Learning Hub is its first major new oering to reinvent lifelong learning.” He concluded: “By putting Insead in their pocket, learners will have access to impactful tools to reinvent themselves, create opportunities for engagement and empower themselves to think, act and work dierently. The hub’s unique design is an excellent fit for busy executives looking to build the skills and competencies needed to thrive and drive impact today and tomorrow.” CD
10 | Ambition APRIL 2023
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