Your Organization's Gender Intelligence

There is a new book, Gender Intelligence: Breakthrough Strategies for Increasing Diversity and Improving Your Bottom Line  (Harper Business/Harper Collins) by Barbara Annis and Keith Merron. Both are business consultants who have branded the term "gender intelligence."

They describe their approach as:

In the past, we’ve operated from two fundamental beliefs. The first is that balanced gender representation should be achieved in business, government, and education. In order to achieve that goal, it requires viewing both genders as identical on the inside. The reach for equal representation has been a tangible and worthy demonstration of our search for gender equity, to be sure. However, we’ve found that equalizing the numbers doesn’t necessarily result in gender balance. Similarly, treating everyone the same would appear to help eradicate bias, but doesn’t result in gender equality.

Gender Intelligence is defined as:

Gender Intelligence is an understanding of and appreciation for the naturally occurring characteristics that distinguish men and women beyond the obvious biological and cultural, to include attitudinal and behavioral differences. Once we’re aware of how and why men and women think and act as they do, we can begin to understand gender-related tendencies, even our own, and we can engage more effectively in the workplace and in so many other areas of life.
A few of the claims from the authors include:

• incorporating women into all aspects of an organization is the only way a business to survive the modern economy.
• Women have trouble advancing in the business world not due to the lack of "leaning in" (borrowing Cheryl Sandberg's title to her recent book), but because the businesses of 2014 are inherently male systems.
• these systems were designed by male brains, male machines which are structurally different from female brains.
• the authors argue that these biological differences can best be exploited by integrating the workplace with both women's and men's strengths.
• quotas and retention programs are not necessary if the focus remains on simply capitalizing on each gender's abilities
• Bottom line: Integrate or perish!

The Women's Leadership Seminar
The Institute for Management Studies Dallas

Audrey,
I am very glad the seminar went as I suspected it would, excellent!  Your scores were 6.8 for speaker effectiveness and 6.7 for content value, both out of a possible 7, these are excellent scores for one of our veteran educators, let alone a first timer.  I have posted my evaluation on our private chairman’s page and look forward to sharing this with my colleagues at our conference next month.  Hope you had a pleasant trip home and thank you for an awesome day!
Best Regards,
Mike Godwin
IMS Chairman – DFW Region

International Association of Claims Professionals NYC
Your Generation or Mine?

Audrey, you were really on yesterday.  Great reviews and most importantly, you made me look good. :). 
Richard K. Traub
Traub, Liberman, Straus & Shrewsberry LLP

Federation of Defense Council Atlanta

I just wanted to say that I THOROUGHLY found you and your content fascinating. I could have listened to you for hours.  
Thanks..
Carlynn Goodman
Senior Claims Examiner
Markel - Claims
Scottsdale, Arizona