Nina Burokas on Better Living Through Brand

Women's Networks that Work

Business Week’s article What Works in Women’s Networks is a must-read for anyone with a human resource, innovation or revenue mandate. The authors’ statement - that corporate women’s networks “rarely provide the skills or exposure that women need to rise in the ranks” - often applies to association and regional events, as well.

What’s at stake? Women represent the fastest growing segment of the labor market and are, potentially, the dominant economic and political force. A few U.S. statistics (1):
* Women account for over half of the gross domestic product
* Women make up over 50% of undergraduates, earn 50% of the bachelor's and master's degrees and over 40% of the doctoral degrees
* Women make up 50% of the workforce
* Women represent the majority of voters

In order to achieve their potential, women’s organizations and events must serve as more than social gatherings or PR - they must be designed, financed and managed as critical business initiatives.

Three practices that work:

1. Get customers in the act.
Case in point: GE Women’s Network
Key success factor: Using the network as a regional connection hub for key stakeholders

2. Tackle real business problems.
Case in point: Best Buy’s WOLF
Key success factor: Tapping the network to address core business issues such as women-centric innovation and the retention of women employees

3. Bridge the gender divide.
Case in point: Deloitte’s WIN
Key success factor: Provide a benefit to both women and men; for example, using "Women as Buyers" study results to improve internal communications and sales effectiveness

1 - Sources: Catalyst Research and Lusk-Moore & Associates

Google Goes to Harvard

The first interactive Harvard Business Review case study is - a sign of the times - "We Googled You" (via fellow Reach strategist Miguel Coelho).  The fictional case:

Hathaway Jones CEO has found a promising candidate to open the company's flagship store in Shanghai. Should a revelation on the Internet disqualify her now?

What's on page 9 of your Google results?

Technology Adoption Upside

The good news is that more than 70% of the women business owners surveyed in a recent study (1) leverage technology to achieve profit, innovation, quality and efficiency goals. Indeed, the study found that women business owners are as likely as men business owners and more likely than women in general to be willing to adopt new technology (Center for Women’s Business Research; via Lena West, guest blogging at Lipsticking).

However, in her Women & Technology Battlecry post, Lena highlights the upside potential: only 24% of women business owners consider themselves advanced or leading edge technology adopters. The remaining respondents fell into one of the following categories:
    51% : “average” rate of technology adoption
    15% : technology adoption laggards
    10% : trailing the adoption curve

The key takeaway, as West notes, is the opportunity for 76% of women business owners to improve their business performance through better use of technology. Her challenge: let’s step up our collective game.

What’s the action item?
Join Lena and women business owners for a discussion of how to leverage technology to improve your visibility, credibility, impact and revenue potential.

What: Women & Technology Brass Tacks Roundtable Discussion
When: Wednesday, July 11th, from 4:00-5:30P Pacific
Dial-In Information: + 1 218 486 1300
Bridge Number: 405772

1 - Solutions and Sophistication: Comparing Women and Men Business Owners' Use of Technology was conducted by the Center for Women's Business Research and commissioned by IBM.