Women and the Executive MBA: achieving is believing

Aspiring female executives are finding role models and support in the EMBA classroom

A recent survey by IESE Business School in Spain found that a majority of employees actually prefer working for women supervisors. Though this controversial preference has been noted in more than a few studies and reports, there is still a noticeable shortage of women in the world’s top C-suite positions. The root of this disparity may not be clear, but one thing is certain: gender-mix in management is healthy for both business and community. Without strong role models, women who are ready to step up into leadership positions and create a more equitable playing field, will continue to struggle in the process. Fortunately, higher education is working to create environments where women can not only learn the essentials of leading others, but find the colleagues and role models to support them in doing so.

The balancing act

The Executive MBA is often referred to as the ideal education scenario for women ready to move up the career ladder. The structure of the program is set up so that classes are offered on specific days, either on weekends or evenings, and spaced out in time increments so study does not have to be a full-time focus. Joan C. Coonrod, assistant dean, Admissions and Outreach, Executive MBA Programs at Emory’s Goizueta Business School explains: “An EMBA is particularly well suited for women who have multiple roles with family and career. The duration of the program is generally shorter than an evening or full-time MBA. In most EMBA classes, at least 75% of participants are juggling work and family, so women are in good company with their peers. I have seen a number of successful women juggle work and family, while excelling in the EMBA program.”

Cornelia Schreier, head of communications in Zurich’s public works service and a University of Zurich 2008 EMBA alumna, found a way to make it work when it came to the decision of stepping up in her career. “Many of my friends advised me against taking an [E]MBA, as I am a single mother of two small children and my job as head of communications is difficult to plan around. Thanks to the structure of University of Zurich’s EMBA course, and careful planning of my professional and private life, I was able to go for the EMBA - and enjoy it too!”Kerry Watts, Durham University 2009 EMBA alumna, and a former frontline clinical A&E nurse, also decided she was worth it: “The challenges I faced were in juggling the ability to give 100% commitment to both my studies and my work. During the two years, I worked a split-role between the pharmacy department and clinical commitments (at the Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust Foundation). This involved undertaking unsociable shifts. When I reflect back now, I wonder how I managed to fit it all in? My time now does not seem to spread as well! Once I had decided to undertake the course, I was focused in proving to myself that I could do it.”

When it comes to finding that true life balance and creating the time you need for your EMBA studies, Rachel Killian, MBA marketing and recruitment manager at Warwick Business School offers these valuable tips: “Get the support of your partner. They need to realise that there will be times (probably weekends) that you’ll need to study for a good few hours and you may not be able to do some of the things that you could before. Explain that it will be temporary, but that you need their understanding and practical help. Talking of practical help - get as much domestic help as you can afford. A cleaner, a gardener, whatever it takes. And if you have children, explain to them what you are doing. Tell them that you are learning like they do at school, describe what happens when you go to school and most of all, tell them why you are studying. You’ll be setting a great example for them - and there’s nothing so bonding as sitting down doing your homework together!”

Opening up to the possibilities

Statistics prove that women are still behind their male counterparts in both position and pay in the corporate world. Fortunately, continued education is one of the best ways to set the wheels of change in motion. Anne Nemer, assistant dean for executive programs at Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburg notes: “The Financial Times recently quoted a USA compensation survey that said ‘Higher average take-home pay for male chief executives appears to stem from the scarcity of female company heads, [and] women’s relatively recent arrival at the top...’ A masters degree is an essential tool that provides women the credibility and experience to surmount and surpass barriers to success. The challenges for women EMBA candidates who balance work/family/school are short-term, and can be reduced through weekend classes. But the life-long access to key leadership positions for women with an EMBA degree is unlimited.”

Francis Petit, associate dean for Executive MBA programs at Fordham University adds: “EMBA programs can be a wonderful opportunity for women to really accelerate their career trajectory. Oftentimes, we find that our female students earn less than our male students, which illustrates a level of salary discrimination that is real. The EMBA can certainly positively assist women in this area.”

For Joan C. Coonrod, the career opportunities truly open up when higher education is brought into the picture: “Women who want to advance within a company need to have a diversity of experience. In order to have that diversity, they need to have both the soft and the hard skills to manage and to lead. Most senior management roles require experience in line functions that have operations and P&L responsibility. An EMBA program prepares women for this type of role. In the end, it’s about career longevity – not necessarily the next promotion, but the next phase of a life-long career.” Diana Moldavsky, Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, 2010 Executive MBA alumna and director of Russia and CIS for OLX, Inc, a global online classifieds start up, couldn’t agree more. “I think it’s the best investment one can make. After being in the workforce for about ten years, I felt ready to go back to school and with all my industry experience I knew the [E]MBA was the program for me. I wanted to learn challenging subjects from renowned professors, study together with extremely bright and experienced classmates and have more opportunities open to me in the future. The experience was amazing and I will never be the same again.”

A bright future

It is in taking the very solid step forward of pursuing an EMBA that you are saying to all those around you, and most importantly to yourself, you are ready to take on a bigger role in life. Lindsey Nefesh-Clarke, ESCP Europe EMBA 2009 alumna and founder and managaing director of The women’s worldwide web team, certainly found this to be the case. “Of course, I could talk of the credibility that the EMBA affords and the rich social network that it gives access to, but I think, more importantly, it’s the sense of opportunity that the EMBA affords — it radically opens up one’s professional horizons — and the skills and confidence that it provides to embrace those opportunities.”

Then again, maybe being a leader is so much more than we have classically defined it to be. Clementine James, director of operations at Lillingston Limited and Imperial College EMBA 2011 alumna wisely notes: “Although I am naturally gregarious and enthusiastic, I have learned that these skills do not necessarily make a great leader. It has been a wonderful experience to be involved in lots of different teams for a variety of projects on the [E]MBA, and this has taught me to be a good listener, delegator and follower. I definitely think that I am now better at balancing lots of projects simultaneously, understanding how and when to hand over to someone else and knowing when my body simply needs to rest. I also have become good at self-critiquing my own approach to business. I definitely feel as though I am now prepared to be an international business leader.”

As the EMBA continues to gain in popularity for female executives, perhaps more and more women will believe they too are ready to take on leadership roles and in turn encourage others to do the same.