Future government leaders and senior business executives urgently need to adopt a more inclusive attitude towards women and to value their role in the workplace. That was the key message delivered at the launch today of the internationally acclaimed book Why Women Mean Business: Understanding the Emergence of Our Next Economic Revolution, by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, with former Financial Times writer Alison Maitland.
The event, held at the Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation, and sponsored by the Department of Civil Service with the support of the INSEAD Centre for Executive Education and Research in Abu Dhabi, included a presentation of the key evidence underscoring the economic importance of women by Wittenberg-Cox, an INSEAD alumni and one of Europe’s leading gender strategy consultants.
In Why Women Mean Business, Wittenberg-Cox argues that gender is - along with the internet and the environment - one of the key issues business leaders globally will face in the decades to come.
Studies by the INSEAD Centre in Abu Dhabi show that while female entrepreneurship is gaining ground in the Gulf Cooperation Council, and the situation is improving in the rest of the Arab world, the share of women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa region is far lower than elsewhere in the world.
Peter Jadersten, Executive Director of INSEAD Centre in Abu Dhabi, adds that the lack of data available on women in management and leadership in the Middle East is one of the reasons that INSEAD is engaged in researching and organising events on management issues in the Middle East, especially on women.
Joining other panelists to discuss the implications for the Middle East, Sana Al Neaimi, Manager of Strategic Planning and Performance Management at the Department of Civil Service, said the issue of women in the workplace would grow in importance and needed to be confronted.
’My own department has made significant strides in creating a working environment where women feel they can flourish,’ Mrs. Al Neaimi said. ‘It’s an important requirement for us under the Policy Agenda. While the statistics are not yet as dramatic as we would like, the trend of women finding careers in the public sector is definitely on an upward curve.’
Mrs. Al Neaimi pointed to an increasing number of women assuming managerial positions in government departments, and the emergence of a number of women as potential government leaders, as evidence of a cultural shift.
’We constantly need to remind women that government departments are equal opportunity employers, but we must back that up with recruitment policies that are based on merit but still take women’s needs into account,’ she said.
About Abu Dhabi Department of Civil Service: Delivering a skilled and efficient public sector
The Department of Civil Service has a pivotal role in managing the human resources management needs of the Government of Abu Dhabi.
Under the Emirate's Policy Agenda, the Department is charged with developing and implementing a human resources master plan that will create a highly-performing public sector, make the Government the employer of choice and support the Emirate in its stated aim of becoming a world-class administration.
The Department's focus is on people, performance and partnership: attracting, motivating, retaining and rewarding outstanding UAE nationals as the potential leaders of tomorrow; enabling our professionals by harnessing best-in-class systems, processes and technology to drive higher performance; and teaming up with world-class partners to ensure the highest standards of public administration
The Department is rolling out a series of initiatives – embracing transparency, accountability and best practice in the workplace – that will streamline the operations of the other Government Departments, decentralise power and decision-making and create the culture of performance excellence that is a prerequisite of a progressive, accountable public sector..
About Avivah Wittenberg-Cox
Avivah is CEO of 20-first (www.20-first.com), one of Europe's leading gender consultancies. 20-first works with progressive companies interested in building gender 'bilingual' organisations that capture the opportunities offered by the other half of the talent pool and the other half of the market - the female half. The firm's renowned Bilingual Leadership programmes help executives 'men and women' manage difference more effectively. Avivah is also the Founder and Honorary President of the European Professional Women's Network, a certified executive coach and was a Visiting Coach at INSEAD. She is a popular speaker on leadership and gender issues across Europe and has had articles and interviews published in publications such as the International Herald Tribune and the Financial Times. In 2007, ELLE Magazine recognised her as one of the Top 40 Women Leading Change. She lives in France with her husband and gender balanced children (a son and a daughter). For further information, please visit: www.AvivahWittenbergCox.com
