Case Study: Sponsorship and Its Effects on Workplace Gender Equality PT Vale Indonesia and PT Adis Dimensions Footwear
Summary
The case study of PT. Vale Indonesia and PT. Adis Dimension Footwear examine executive sponsorship practices and their impacts on workplace gender equality (WGE). It was conducted as part of a series on WGE changes in Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, and was facilitated by the Indonesia Business Coalition for Women Empowerment (IBCWE).
Sponsorship is a common corporate practice to promote gender equality as women professionals are put into the pipeline for C-suite positions, which are over-represented by male. This approach was adopted by PT. Vale Indonesia and PT. Adis Dimension Footwear in succesion planning to recruit women for the CEO positions. Through four in-depth interviews with key persons including sponsors, sponsees, HR personnel, and IBCWE staff conducted between May and July 2022, this study investigates the value of sponsorship programs in linking, advocating and promoting women to leadership positions.
The successful case study of these two companies, and following initiative by IBCWE to develop a sponsorship toolkit, serve as the foundation for other companies to adopt sponsorship strategies to improve gender imbalance at the top levels of business.
Highlights
- Effective sponsorship programs can be successful in increasing the proportion of women in leadership, but these programs need to be tailored to meet the individual needs of each company’s culture.
- Candidates benefit from opportunities to learn on the job, meet and connect with influential stakeholders, and receive knowledge and wisdom. The benefits address several contributing factors of ‘glass ceiling’ that women face, such as the lack of opportunities to learn stereotypically ‘male’ skills, lack of opportunities to build networks, and lack of confiedence.
