5.1 Assess diverse talent pipeline health by identifying talent and leadership development needs through gap analysis
Content
Description of Best Practices
Conduct gap analysis and root cause analysis based on company leadership model and leadership values addressing:
- Future supply and demand for talent
- Needs for skill development based on leadership model and values, and on future demand
- Assessment of current talent pool and potential for promotions (sex-disaggregated) and benchmarking against total workforce, industry benchmarks and non-industry benchmarks
- Evaluation of previous efforts to develop talent and leaders
- Training and development needs analysis focusing on knowledge, skills, and abilities
Challenges of Implementation
Resistance from leadership to question status quo and current practice
Company may not have a strong leadership model or clear values in place, or values may have changed in the past resulting in disregard for values
Talent pool may be based on weak criteria and selection process
Talent selection may be strongly biased, or the process may lack transparency, making it inaccessible for women
What Success Looks Like
Gap analysis identifies current talent and leadership models, with redress mechanisms developed to address gaps
Company leadership demonstrates commitment to a healthy talent pipeline with equitable representation of male and female candidates for different positions and departments
Resources and Tools
Report/Study: Cascading Gender Biases, Compounding Effects: An Assessment of Talent Management Systems (Catalyst)
Tool: WEPs Gender Analysis Tool (UN Global Compact)
Example: How One Biotech Company Narrowed the Gender Gap in Its Top Ranks (Harvard Business Review)