Insigniam Quarterly – Diversity: Mindset Matters More than Numbers

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Insigniam Quarterly – Diversity: Mindset Matters More than Numbers

Despite a widespread consensus that diversity is a talent imperative, many women board members are reluctant to claim causal links between board makeup and a company’s financial performance, reports Insigniam Quarterly. “You have to be very cautious about the chicken and egg,” agrees Egon Zehnder consultant Kim Van Der Zon. “It’s very difficult to say that just because a board has three or more women it will perform better,” she warns. In her opinion: “It’s more about the mindset of the overall board and the company itself that makes them more financially successful, which means that they are more inclined to see diversity in the boardroom as a positive.” She also worries that 30 percent targets female board representation are too conservative. “Shouldn’t it be 50 percent?” she asks. In her view, “helping companies move toward that should be our goal. It’s not just in the boardroom. It’s throughout the executive ranks because that’s where the pool of board members comes from.”

Full story: Rebecca Rolfes: Facing a mix of government and competitive pressures, many corperations are redoubling efforts to bring more women onto their boards in Insigniam Quarterly (April 2016).