Saxton Bampfylde’s Leadership Services team works as an extension of organisations across the UK to help them recruit and develop the very best leadership. With the benefit of many years of industry experience, we explore the key considerations for higher education institutions seeking to ensure their leadership is balanced, diverse and offering equal opportunities.
The UK’s Higher Education sector is woven deep into the fabric of our society. Its institutions are known and admired across the globe, yet there are some aspects of the sector that require further work for it to truly thrive in a modern world. One of the most crucial of these is the gender diversity of its leadership.
According to an analysis of THE World University Rankings data, just 19 per cent of the top 200 universities in the 2020 ranking have a female leader. And while this is an increase on previous years’ data, it is still a long way from an equal gender split. The data is more encouraging when considering roles more broadly across the leadership functions in higher education.
This is a step in the right direction, but clearly much more work is still to be done. The question as to why females are not equally represented at the highest levels of educational institutions is something that Saxton Bampfylde’s team of occupational psychologists has recently been exploring.
Reviewing the data
As part of a study on leadership traits in HE, we began with a longitudinal review of all those leaders Saxton Bampfylde has assessed over the last ten years as part of our candidate assessment process. This includes many people who had been shortlisted for roles in the higher education sector such as vice-chancellor. This research established that common traits shared by those candidates who were successfully appointed included ambition, drive, and a rational way of processing data.
While the team set out expecting that differences would be apparent between those candidates who were appointed and those who were not, they also noted significant differences between males and females who had been successfully appointed.
Is the bar held higher for women?
Evidence found that successfully appointed females typically value communication and making connections more than their male counterparts as well as profiling as more strategic. Curiously, those females who shared the same traits as successfully appointed males were less likely to be successfully appointed.
There was an indication in the data that if women present to panels as too driven, too ambitious and task or results focused – traits typically associated with dominant male leaders – they were often overlooked for the role. It seems many people still associate leadership with masculinity, and would rather see a man at the top, even if a woman could excel at the job.
Research into unconscious gender bias has shown that prejudice is not exclusive between genders but exists within genders too: it is something that has been societally embedded into the way each of us thinks. As such, it is highly likely to play a role in influencing a panel’s decisions as to who to appoint.
Navigating a path forward
There is, then, a very existent challenge facing the many successful, skilled and ambitious women looking to take on leadership roles in higher education institutions. It is vital that we are able to sustain the progress that has been made in advancing women into senior roles, to quicken its pace and to ensure that every institution realises the benefit of diverse leadership.
While systematic address may be required to resolve the gender imbalance, there are some short-term solutions which can help. For instance, there is value in conducting a full review of where biases and adverse impact might be occurring at key points of the hiring process. This data could then be used to establish controls such as using gender neutral language in the wording of role profiles and job specifications. Another useful intervention can be to conduct unconscious bias training for all those involved in the appointment, including committees.
At Saxton Bampfylde we work closely with our clients, firstly to present a candidate list that is as broad and diverse as possible, then supporting them to select a leader who embodies the right behaviours, skills and motivations to successfully drive forward their organisation. From board reviews and target setting to succession planning and leader coaching or mentoring, we have a wealth of experience in supporting leadership teams to ensure they deliver optimally.
Watch our video with Consultant Dr Jennifer Barnes, who discusses gender diversity in higher education leadership.
Contact us
If you are interested in hearing more about how we could work in partnership with you and your organisation, please do get in touch with Hamish Laing, Head of Higher Education Practice at Saxton Bampfylde: hamish.laing@saxbam.com
