 Factor 8 emerged from our study of ethnic minority women leaders across Europe, Different Women Different Places. The research highlighted eight leadership attributes successful black and minority ethnic women share and prove invaluable in their leadership performance. We use Factor 8 in the design of a number of our leadership programmes.
Whilst none of the 8 factors are individually unique to Different Women, it is their combined impact that distinguishes these women.
Firstly, the women had bicultural competence, being familiar with both British values and the norms of their ethnic group. This gave them the ability to manage and lead across cultures, an asset that is highly valuable in today’s increasingly globalised business environment. Having this cultural breadth, and the challenges and experiences they had faced due to their race and gender, also gave them the ability to see things from multiple perspectives and thus often come up with novel solutions to problems. The women also had a reserve of what is termed cultural capital, experience generated outside the workplace through voluntary work or activities with community or religious organisations. This stood them in good stead in terms of building up leadership and motivational skills.
The women could be termed transformactional leaders, a term the study has coined to describe the fact that the women are both transformational, being able to implement change within their organisations, and transactional, negotiating that change with charisma and sensitivity. Discrimination, which many of the women had experienced to different degrees, helped them develop self-mastery, a sense of assuredness in their innate talents and a resilience to deal with challenges and setbacks. The women also had power, presence and passion, being able to communicate their views with conviction and enthusiasm, and hold the attention of others.
The study found that these successful women largely characterised themselves as having a values-driven leadership approach, being guided not so much by monetary rewards as the desire to make a positive contribution to their organisations and communities. Many of the women felt they derived their values and inner strength in part from religious faith or spirituality, which they felt was in no small way fundamental to their success.
Contact The Diversity Practice to discuss how the Factor 8 model might be relevant in your organisation.
Download a copy of the Executive Summary of Different Women, Different Places here.
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