Promoting a Culture of Equity in the #MeToo Era: Moving Beyond Responding to Gender-Related Workplace Issues to Tackling Root Causes

by Kellie A. McElhaney, Genevieve Smith, and Margi Goelz


The #MeToo movement brought global awareness to the magnitude of gender-related inequalities in the workplace, including unequal pay and the lack of women in the C-suite and boardroom. As awareness has grown, some companies are proactively tackling the root of inequality, trying to prevent sex-based harassment from occurring in the first place, and promoting a culture of equity. Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a global management consulting firm, has a history of success in developing equity fluent leaders. The firm is a private sector leader in implementing progressive gender-equitable policies and procedures, building a company culture that recognizes the benefits of a diverse workforce and shifting employees' individual attitudes. BCG demonstrates best practices in achieving gender equity in recruitment and hiring, pay, and flexible work options. The case outlines how the company engaged all genders to create a culture that translates policy to action at every level in the workplace.

Learning Objectives


1. Introduce and describe the concept of equity fluent leadership as a new construct, developed by one of the case authors here at Haas. 2. Show how companies are addressing the explosion of #MeToo plastered across the global screen exposing the magnitude of sexual harassment issues in the workplace, as well as other diversity-related issues such as unequal pay and the lack of diversity in the boardroom. Right now, gender is the prevalent topic of focus. This case goes beyond a focus on white women to address people of color writ large. 3. Ensure that current and future business leaders understand where these issues come from, how to prevent gender-related issues, and how to promote a culture of equity. This knowledge enables leaders and organizations to attract and retain the best talent, and to protect one's organization from ongoing financial and reputational costs that can come from equity-related issues. 4. Convey groundbreaking research and knowledge that is critical for any business leader today.

Details

Pub Date: Feb 28, 2019

Discipline: General Management

Subjects: Global corporate cultures, Profitability, Performance measurement, Leadership, Teams, Social issues, Compensation, Executive compensation, Diversity, Women in business, Job satisfaction, Recruitment, Families & family life, Competitive advantage, Gender

Product #: B5930-PDF-ENG

Industry: Consulting services

Geography: United States

Length: 21 page(s)


Berkeley Haas Case Series
Berkeley Haas Case Series The Berkeley Haas Case Series is a collection of business case studies written by faculty members at the Haas School of Business. Cases are conceived, developed, written, and published throughout the year, on subjects ranging from entrepreneurship and strategy to finance and marketing. Each case includes a teaching note for use in the classroom.

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