Water for Swans & Landings for Eagles
Book

Water for Swans & Landings for Eagles

The Definitive Guide to Designing Successful, Inclusive Cultures

Maureen R. Healy
Amari Press, 2013
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Innovative

Recommendation

This intriguing, original book tackles a major and persistent problem: the underrepresentation of women in corporate leadership. Maureen R. Healy argues that the structures of corporate culture exclude women and make them feel out of place. These structures are linguistic, symbolic and conceptual as well as literal – such as the shape of a table. Healy integrates material from the social sciences and humanities. Some readers will find that her suggestions need testing and her supporting data seem selectively gathered, but Healy offers interesting tips along with PR for her consulting firm and discussion-worthy opinions. She has great information and sees great possibilities, but may lack scientific rigor. getAbstract recommends her imaginative, readable essay to anyone interested in gender equality, corporate culture and creative solutions.

Summary

Women in Business: The Paradox

The gender gap persists in business. Women occupy more than 53% “of entry-level positions in the US laborforce,” but men are twice as likely to be promoted and four times as likely to move from the executive committee to CEO. Half of all law school graduates are female, but women represent only “15% of equity partners.”

In the health care industry, the gap looms larger: 73% of health care managers are women, but they make up only 4% of the CEOs at health care organizations. In Canada, women’s positions on executive boards went up only 0.5% from 2009 to 2011. This is problematic, and not simply in regard to gender equity. Companies with more diverse boards have “53% higher” returns on equity (ROE), and their “earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) margins” were 14% higher.

Most companies address this question by examining their “corporate cultural practices.” They check their metrics, make sure they give women proper chances to network, and so on. These attempts fail because companies define culture too narrowly. The fallacious “‘Beliefs and Behaviors’ equation” states that, “beliefs plus behaviors equal culture.” A crucial element...

About the Author

Maureen R. Healy founded Signature Cultures Inc. She has a law degree from Northwestern University and is certified as an integral coach.

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