Female leaders are rated higher than their male counterparts in the logistics industry, according to a survey of over 1,800 supply chain professionals undertaken by organisational development company Novosensus.
The unique research reveals that, while only 13% of senior leaders in logistics are female, women score higher on six out of seven leadership competencies.
These include being empathetic, giving clearer direction and more constructive feedback, being more trustworthy, and enabling their people to feel confident.
“Female leadership is not soft, and not only about empathy,” said Henrik Kofod-Hansen, co-founder, Novosensus. “Female leaders offer a full range of competencies that bring their organisations forward and create results.
“Gender equality is a strategic business issue, not a nice-to-have Corporate Social Responsibility project. We need to be concrete about accelerating female talent into leadership positions, not with quotas, but by realizing the business opportunities in equality, diversity of thought, and inclusive behaviours.”
The findings, released in a new Novosensus White Paper on How Gender Balance Makes Business Better, also highlight the challenges faced by women in the logistics industry.
Female respondents rated their employee experience 10% lower than men’s and felt they are not treated equally, rating their experience of their leaders 19% lower than men.
“The research is clear – gender equality makes organisations and businesses better,” said Kofod-Hansen. Cultures become more open, creativity flourishes, collaboration is better and performance is higher.
“But most organisations are far from having a balance and they struggle with absurdly imbalanced workforces.
“We need to make equality, diversity and inclusion the new normal.”
Novosensus quizzed over 1,800 leaders from the supply chain management, shipping, logistics and forwarding industries, asking them to rate their experiences about leadership, experience at work and experience of their leaders for the research.
Singapore-based Novosensus works with companies worldwide to drive organisational change, team development, and leadership growth through training, coaching and business consultancy.
Novosensus’ White Paper on How Gender Balance Makes Business Better is available to download at novosensus.org/research.
