Commercial Integrator 2023 - 16

MAKING WAVES
Why the Audiovisual Industry MUST
Close the Leadership Gender Gap
Diversifying your team will make your company stronger and more profitable.
It's also the right thing to do. Here are some tips to help you do it. By Gina Sansivero
RECENTLY, WHILE READING a post from
LinkedIn News called " The Leadership
Gender Gap, " I was saddened to realize
that the climate for female leaders in all
other industries is just as poor as in our
own. In fact, according to the author,
" Women hold about 38% of all leadership
roles in the U.S. - and there hasn't
been much progress in closing that gap. "
Additionally, overall, women hold 46%
of jobs in the U.S., but women only make
up 25% of C-suite roles (LinkedIn News,
March 2023). [Under]-representation has
remained steady (neither growing nor
falling) in the past seven years.
However, large corporations are making
some progress. Earlier this year, Fortune
wrote that, for the first time in history, women
CEOs run just over 10% of Fortune 500
companies. That might seem quite low -
it is! - but it is still a historic step forward.
If we were to survey our own industry,
the results might likely be worse, as
women make up only about 12% to 15%
(estimated) of the industry workforce.
Why We Should Empower Women
I want to focus on why we should continue
to support, empower and educate women
to grow into, negotiate and demand
a presence in the leadership team. There
are many ways that businesses benefit
from having women in executive positions.
Consider the following:
Diverse perspectives: Women bring
diverse perspectives to the table, which
can lead to more creative and innovative
solutions to business challenges. This can
help companies stay competitive in an
ever-changing market.
Improved decision-making: Research
has shown that gender-diverse teams
make better decisions than other teams.
This is because women tend to be more
collaborative and likelier to consider multiple
viewpoints before making a decision.
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Commercial Integrator JUNE 2023
Increased profitability: Companies
with a larger percentage of women in
executive positions tend to be more
profitable than those with fewer women
in leadership roles. This is likely due to the
fact that women tend to be more focused
on long-term goals and building sustainable
relationships with stakeholders.
Enhanced reputation: Companies that
have a strong commitment to gender diversity
and equality are often recognized
as more socially responsible and ethical.
This can enhance a company's reputation
and attract customers who are interested
in doing business with socially responsible
organizations.
Improved employee engagement
and retention: Companies that promote
gender diversity and equality are more
likely to attract and retain top talent, including
women. This can lead to increased
employee engagement and satisfaction,
which, in turn, can improve productivity
and reduce employee turnover. Let's
put it simply: Having women in executive
positions can bring substantial benefits
to businesses, and, ultimately, it creates a
stronger industry as a whole.
Building Your Diverse Farm Team
Many audiovisual executives express
that they " struggle to find and/or recruit
qualified women. " My suggestion is as
follows: If you think they don't currently
exist, or if you think they aren't willing to
give your company a shot, look internally
and make a plan. Change doesn't happen
overnight. View this as an opportunity to
build your farm team. Find talent, nurture
that talent and help empower those whose
skills, passion and priorities align with your
company's own. Next, I will share some
tips for building your diverse farm team:
Review current recruitment practices:
Identify any barriers that might
discourage women from applying. This
includes reviewing job descriptions, interview
processes and other recruitment
materials to ensure they're gender-neutral
and inclusive.
Partner with education institutions:
This can include sponsoring scholarships
or internships for women in relevant programs,
collaborating with universities to
create programs that prepare women for
the industry and hosting job fairs or career
events specifically for women.
Offer flexible work arrangements:
Flexible work arrangements, such as
remote-work options, can help attract and
retain women. There seems to be a preference
for remote work among women.
In fact, " 69.0% of women [applied] for
remote jobs as of January 2023, compared
to 66.4% of men " (LinkedIn News,
March 2023).
Create a supportive and inclusive
culture: This is crucial for attracting and
retaining female talent. These cultural
considerations include promoting gender
diversity and equality, providing training
on unconscious bias and creating policies
that support career-advancement opportunities
for women.
WAVIT is committed to providing
education opportunities for women in
the AV/IT industries, helping women
obtain the skill sets that will qualify them
to have a seat at the leadership table.
We are also prioritizing mentorship and
support opportunities because it's hard to
build upward momentum by yourself. We
understand that, for our industry to stay
relevant, strong and innovative, we have
to diversify on all fronts.
Gina Sansivero, who serves as vice
president of marketing and corporate
communications at AtlasIED (www.
AtlasIED.com), is a founding board
member and the current president of
WAVIT (www.WomeninAVIT.org). #LGM
commercialintegrator.com
http://www.AtlasIED.com http://www.WomeninAVIT.org http://www.commercialintegrator.com
Commercial Integrator 2023

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