The summer and the holidays are great times to catch up with friends, celebrate but also to read. I have dedicated the past few months to reading and doing research in three main areas:
1) The role of women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) professions at government contractor companies. The issue at hand is why is there such low representation of women in high level ranks (C-level)? I am collaborating with my colleague and former classmate Gabe Galvan in launching the 1st survey in this specific niche area. We are in the process of launching the survey this week and are excited at the opportunity to publish the results, much awaited and in demand already in the metro Washington DC area.
2) The vision of leaders on corporate responsibility by 2020. My colleague Nazlin Bhimji and I have crafted interview questions that ask leaders in CSR/CR to articulate their vision, their priorities and their planned actions in CSR by 2020. We have completed out beta testing and will be ready to begin interviewing leaders in corporate responsibility in the next few weeks. If you want to recommend leaders don’t hesitate to reply to this blog and we would be happy to interview them.
3) The role that CSR has on the HR function. I have been delighted with the book by Eileen Cohen “CSR for HR” that is on target in perceptions and misconceptions of HR and provides a road map to elevate the HR profession and make it a more valuable and key contributor to the business. Here is the link to Eileen’s blog: http://www.csrforhr.com. I am curious as to how to better connect CSR to the talent acquisition function, particularly in small and mid-sized companies. I truly believe that organizations should not hire “employees” but “people.” People have unique talents that a firm can leverage and engage for multiple benefits: the individuals involved, the communities they live in, our environment and the goals of the company.
More to come in this area as my reading continues.
