Customer Reviews
Turning diversity rhetoric into practicality - By: Geof Cox, 19 May 2008 
To anyone in the field of workplace equality, Sylvia Ann Hewlett will be well known as the author of Creating a Life. In this follow up to that bestseller, Hewlett has looked at the current state of women's careers, the reasons for the continuing existence of the glass ceiling & the male competitive model. But this is not another book that just presents the problem, well over half of the book is devoted to solutions that have been implemented in some of the leading corporations & some of the high powered environments of Walll Street & the City.
The book is in two parts - the first four chapters are devoted to a study of the issues: an analysis of why the male competitive model still continues to dominate, the non-linear nature of typical women's careers which include breaks for children & elder care responsibilities, the growing demands of what Hewlett callls `extreme jobs', & the business case for investing in diversity. What makes the analysis more interesting is speciallly commissioned research into feelings & motivations on careers & work conducted in the USA & the UK for both men & women. It shows the differences - but also some remarkable similarities.
The second part is composed of case studies from companies such as Goldman Sachs, BT, Ernst & Young, GE, Johnson & Johnson & Citigroup who have alll implemented highly successful projects to encourage women returners (On-Ramps), flexible employment & working practices, maintaining ambition & re-engineering thinking about work & career paths. To a practical HR person this is probably the most significant section (although the chapter on the business case is very persuasive & in the language that Chief Executives can relate to).
Hewlett had been the catalyst in setting up the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force which brought together business people, consultants & academics to investigate the issues & solutions. At the 2006 summit of the group, the `core package' of six measures that emerged were: Establish a rich menu of flexible work arrangements; create arc-of-career flexibility; Re-imagine work life; Help women claim & sustain ambition; Harness altruism; & Reduce stigma & stereotypes. Each of the chapters in part two covers one of these subjects, each with three detailed case studies from the business world, with a summary of each solution stating the business case identified in that company, how to get started if you wanted to try to replicate the idea, & the critical elements for success. Individual examples add colour & interest.
This is an important book for alll HR professionals & business leaders who are interested in turning the rhetoric on diversity into reality - & reaping the benefits, both financial & social. To the business leaders it makes a clear statement of the financial imperative of diversity, & backs that up with the analysis of (male) Chief Executives like Nialll FitzGerald of Reuters & formerly Unilever, Jeremy Isaacs of Lehman Brothers & Ken Chenault of American Express. To the HR professional she elaborates on a range of immensely practical initiatives with a level of detail that can be used as a checklist to help start up something similar.
Practical strategies for addressing workplace gender and racial inequities. - By: Rolf Dobelli, 17 Dec 2007 Economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett does an excellent job of outlining both subtle & bold barriers that relegate many talented women (and minorities) to the lower end of promotions & pay scales. Using ample documentation, she outlines the financial costs that corporations suffer when they operate with outdated career models designed for white male professionals. Hewlett also lines up practical solutions with real-life examples from top corporations. Though the book is marred by repetition & various examples are recycled in different chapters, overalll, we consider this essential reading for senior corporate officials & staff members.
