ing and mathematics (STEM) fields. A survey of
1,000 Indian executives by Jamnalal Bajaj Institute
of Management Studies revealed that in India’s
booming infrastructure sector—where the government has called for US$1 trillion in spending by
2017—women occupy only 10 percent of crucial
posts. In South Korea, women make up less than
15 percent of those working in the fields of engineering and technology.
Yet recruiting and retaining women should be
seen as a win-win. A recent study from BCS, The
Chartered Institute for IT, showed that nearly eight
in 10 U.K. IT professionals said they would benefit
from having more women in IT roles.
Businesses not nurturing women are missing
opportunities to streamline processes: Female
respondents to a 2014 Accenture survey reported
“efficiency in completing tasks” as their number-one skill.
CHANGE FROM THE TOP
So how have successful female practitioners bucked
The gender gap looms particularly large in engineering, technology and science. Google revealed
in May that only 17 percent of its global tech
workforce is female. Women hold only 13 percent
of all U.K. jobs in science, technology, engineer-
n a business landscape rife with challenges,
many companies bemoan the lack of
project management talent. But they
might be overlooking half the population
—the vast talent pool of women.
Source: As reported in Spotlight on Success: Developing Talent for Strategic Impact, PMI, 2014
The Right Ratio
On-the-job learning gives talent the chance to hone skills while gaining
the credibility needed to effectively lead a project team. Here’s how top-performing organizations allocate learning and development activities:
10%
Structured
learning
20% Social learning
(including informal
coaching and
mentoring)
70%
Workplace
learning and
performance
support
