Kvinnor i styrelser - AIMS International presenterar sin globala studie om "effektiva kompetenser i styrelser i storföretag" - nu med fokus på kvinnliga styrelseledamöter

May 10th, 2013 – Vienna, Austria – AIMS International has launched the second issue of the international study about the most efficient competencies of Board Members, including one focus section with the results of the analysis of women on Board.

The results of the study regarding Board competencies lead to believe that women and men do not view any differently the most important and critical competencies. This very aspect matters the most, therefore it can be concluded that no gender bias should exist between them when assessing the top five competencies for efficient Board members.

The only competency showing a significant difference is “Communication”. Women and men are the complete opposite. Men tend to express themselves boldly, keeping sensitivity to others aside while women use more tact and diplomacy and adapt their message. Therefore, the gender gap in Boards is mostly created by the inability of both genders to communicate.

Today, the current code of communication in a Board setting is male-dominated, and the difficulty for women is to adopt a masculine code of communication to be perceived as efficient or at the very least to fit in. To have more women present on Boards, men will need to learn to appreciate and understand the female code of communication and stop assessing Board members solely through their own male code of communication. Then, men will start to appreciate the real business value that women have to offer, beyond the communication style.

This study was conducted by AIMS International, Leaders & Co, the College of Corporate Directors in Canada and Gauthier Murtada & Partners. The following is a summary of a study which includes remarks and comments from members of the Research Committee as well as their constituents and some professional board directors. We want to foster a discussion on the topic of desired and efficient behaviors of directors, while creating a practical guide for chairmen of boards, directors, members of Governance Committees, CEOs and any other person involved in the recruitment and the evaluation of a board director. The team was headed by Richard Joly, AIMS International and Leaders & Co.

Analysis of the results

After completing the original research on Board competencies in 2012, AIMS International was interested in analyzing the differences lying between women and men regarding how they see competencies. An effort was made by the participating AIMS Partners to identify and interview more women to reach a significant number of respondents. The total number of women interviewed represents 33% of all respondents. This is a valid effort, especially if we reckon that within the ground population of all Board members, women are only representative from 10% to 15% in most developed countries.

For more detailed information, please go to:

www.aimsinternational.se

Daniel Ekberg

MD AIMS International Sweden

+46 (70) 2672188