New report shatters assumptions about
‘glass ceiling’ 

New
research by the Academy for political intelligence suggests that women’s
underrepresentation at a senior level may be due to their unwillingness to
enter into workplace politics.

In an online survey taken by 422
managers from the public, private and third sector, of whom 94% were women,
results clearly indicate that women are less likely to behave politically in
the workplace, and that an unwillingness to enter into politics at work is
perceived as a barrier to career progression. In the organisations in which
they worked, 63% of respondents stated that they believed women were ‘less
politically active’ than men, but an overwhelming 99% of respondents believed
that women needed to be ‘more political’ (52%) or ‘as political’ (47%) as men
to be equally represented at all levels.

The
Academy for political intelligence, which published the research, is a
forward-thinking HR consultancy that has built an international network of
accredited trainers based on their innovative approach of ‘positive
organisational politics’, a philosophy that challenges conventional attitudes
towards politics in the workplace. Commenting on the results, joint Managing
Director David Bancroft-Turner states that: “These findings are
significant because for the first time we have identified what appears to be a
genuine difference between the way in which men and women view and use
political behaviours; and a lack of willingness by many women to leverage
‘positive politics’ as part of their influencing practices could be a
significant contributory factor that can hamper their career progression.”

Catrina Hewitson, a facilitation
specialist in the development of political behaviours for women,
comments: “Too many times in the past have women relied on changes in the
external environment to help us with the ‘glass ceiling’ and other inequalities
in the workplace. I am really excited by the outcome of this research as it
puts the power right back into the hands of women.”

7 January 2010

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