336 Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofi t Organizations
Exercise 11.1: Improving Leadership Prospects for Women at
Jewish Charities
Advancing Women Professionals and the Jewish Community was created
in 2001 to help eliminate the gender gap in leadership, open up executive
training programs to more women, and put pressure on Jewish groups to
adopt fl exible work schedules that help both men and women better
balance their work and family obligations.
A study in 2003 found that although women made up 70 percent of
Jewish federations ’ professional staffs, only two of the forty largest federa-
tions were led by women. One of the obstacles to women ’ s advancement
identifi ed in the study was the misperception that women are not tough
enough to lead, yet women who exhibit toughness are seen as too abra-
sive. Federation leaders also questioned women ’ s ability to solicit major
annual gifts from men. Another barrier was that weak HRM systems could
not give women enough support in balancing their work and personal
obligations.
Women working in Jewish organizations are recruited to participate in
an executive development program at the Mandel Center for Leadership
Excellence at Columbia University. The participants are full - time profes-
sionals working in Jewish federations in mid - to senior - level positions and
are a step or two away from CEO consideration. The participants are
required to complete a two - year program that connects Jewish values to
leadership skills, develops management abilities, and provides coaching
from executives from large federations.Question
- If a similar development opportunity were available to you, would the
organization you work for encourage you to participate in it? Would
you be willing to complete a two - year program in addition to your work
responsibilities and other personal responsibilities you might have?
Source: Siska (2007).