A gender enabler

Digital is helping build a winning proposition for both women and the organisations they work for

Digital and mobile technologies are allowing more productive and efficient collaboration within and across teams. They are blurring boundaries by enabling dynamic access to talent inside or outside the organisation. Companies are rapidly adopting digital technologies due to increased accessibility, relevance and lower costs. Technologies have helped transform business models, cultures and operations to gain a competitive edge. Innovative mechanisms of managing an increasingly diverse "workforce of the future" are fast becoming the norm.

Organisations are increasingly becoming aware of the benefits of a diverse workforce, and as a result are witnessing a growing number of women at every level. The pressing need to increase the representation of women in leadership and board level roles has also become evident, as they help bring in a fresh perspective and holistic decision-making. In addition, regulatory requirements from Sebi have mandated that all listed companies should have at least one woman director.

The problem is that organisations are experiencing significant "pipeline leakage" of women talent in the middle and senior levels. Women require flexibility in terms of workload, presence and work timings at certain times during their career. This is compounded by social pressures, organisational policy and greater organisational demands. When these issues are not addressed, mid-career women may prioritise other aspects of life and the organisation could lose a skilled employee.

Organisations, therefore, are actively looking for opportunities to stem and recoup the loss of women from the workforce. Digital technologies are presenting a phenomenal opportunity to unleash the potential of women. The key is to apply digital technologies to various aspects of the employee experience to better the value proposition for women across life stages.

The digital is enabling organisations to use the services of women in sales and marketing that have historically been dominated by men. For example, big pharma companies are tapping into the skills of more women marketing representatives (MRs), who may be intrinsically suited to certain therapy areas or connect with female doctors. While women MRs have been a small proportion of the field force, the added visibility that digital provides through real-time travel tracking and flexibility through virtual collaboration is allowing companies to diversify. Product and behavioural training, ensured through mobile learning, is eliminating the need for these women to "come into a central training institute" while still ensuring critical skill upgrade.

In the pharma and FMCG/wellness industry, research indicates that the last point of product delivery is more often than not executed by the women in the household. These companies can explore women market researchers connecting with the women to derive insights on wellness product outcomes or drug delivery mechanisms which then feed back into product development. IT and management consulting companies in India have been at the forefront of flexible work arrangements. Digital is allowing work to be carved into micro-tasks and shaped into projects that can be taken up by "agile squads", members of which are highly skilled women who work from anywhere or part-time.

Another important development among companies is digitisation of the "last point of operations". The strategy function of most firms requires deep industry expertise, strong problem solving abilities and diverse thought. Again, flexible work arrangements combined with virtual collaboration is allowing access to a skilled talent for limited yet extremely productive time slots. Some companies are also introducing on-the-job e-learning modules at multiple levels of the company, allowing women to access virtual training sessions and keep up-to-date with functional expertise and industry development. This is particularly useful for women on a break from work due to maternity.

Digital is helping build a winning proposition for both women and organisations. While the benefits of going digital are by no me ans exclusive to women, there is no denying that it becomes a bigger enabler for the gender. This digital convenience has ushered in a wider women talent catchment, even if on a part-time basis. It has enabled them to keep abreast of new learnings and trends even on a break. Using digital to create and manage a diverse workforce has become a "must-do" for a company. The question, therefore, is not whether, but how soon companies adapt their mindsets and systems to tap into this opportunity.

Samina Vaziralli
Executive director and global head, strategy, M&A and New Ventures, Cipla

Jayesh Pandey
Managing director, talent and organisation, Accenture Strategy