Gender IQ™

Welcome to Gender IQ™

The Economist says  “Forget China, India and the Internet: economic growth is driven by women”.

Gender Intelligence is the next wave in our social evolution.  First we had IQ, then EQ and now GQ and we are here to bust the myth that men and women are the same. Gender IQ is about leveraging difference and widening the acceptable range of leadership styles to create an environment where all men and women enjoy working together to get better results.

Gender IQ makes business sense

Progressive companies realise that Gender Intelligence brings commercial advantage. Women make 80% of buying decisions, yet many companies are still run by men. This means those businesses struggle to understand their customers’ priorities. Meanwhile Gender Intelligent companies enjoy a 53% higher return on equity*.

*Catalyst research

“Gender awareness is an item on the business agenda; consideration of it is business-led. Used well it can improve performance and ensure better management of the talent pool”

Senior Executive, BAE Systems

 Click here view our free webcast

Not better, not worse, but different

However, Gender IQ is steeped in politics, rhetoric and superstition. No other strand of our human development has created so much political comment and public debate. For the past 50 years managers have been told that men and women are the same. This isn’t true. We all need to be comfortable with this fact and manage the difference.  For the first time Tracey Carr – one of Europe’s leading authorities on Gender Intelligence – is bringing her powerful insights and motivational messages direct to your desk via the Gender IQ webcast training programme.

“Male cultural behaviours are most influential at the senior management level, and this is where the behaviour set needs to be changed but first understood.”

Senior Executive, Citigroup

Gender Intelligence, or Gender IQ, is not the same as gender equality.  We base our evidence on work with scientists, psychologists, political leaders and board level executives, and we argue that there are real physical and chemical differences that affect the way that men and women think.  Rather than regarding these differences as areas of conflict, we want to use them to maximise commercial performance and personal success.

Last updated on August 11th, 2009

Cisco, our strategic partner

Shoutbox

Latest Message 1 month, 2 weeks ago
  • Naomi : Explains the pay gap!
  • Naomi : I just watched the video on negotiatimg. WoW I had no idea that men are asking 10 times more than women!
  • guest_1464 : Great videos ...thank you !
  • Fiona Hemp : It is great to see that Cisco is taking this issue seriously
  • guest_1306 : If this is a strategic issue..why dont we measure it?
  • Ann Simpson : Until the changes are made in the mindsets and are not delegated to a function, there will be no leadership on diversity – just a bunch of programs run by a bunch of people trying to implement change with false sponsorship. It’s all about the awards – look at the metrics used – they are not integrated into the business … they are an add on …
  • Tracey Carr : Talent shortages are a critical issue...women who dont fit the stereotype of hard nosed and bullish will carry on voting with their feet
  • Tracey Carr : I agree with you Milly ...bullish, hard nosed risk takers ARE rewarded but it is my view that the world is changing to accomodate a wider range of leadership styles. Saldy, this happneing more quickly overseas ...in the UK we are also bound by the class system and tradition
  • Milly Tant : Regardless of whether you're wearing a skirt or a tie. Learning each others differences may be a great skillset for team harmony and middle management level. But nobody's going to reward you for that by putting you in charge.
  • Milly Tant : Again 'many supreme examples' does not make the rule. There are more women who have made it at exec level by being bullish, hard nosed risk takers and decision makers yet remained very much feminine and respected eg Karen Brady, Debra Meaden etc. Business rewards individuals with these qualities. I fear you are missing your own point. Survival of the fittest and ability to adapt to change quicker and harder.
  • Tracey Carr : Sorry about the typos ...glasses next time :-)
  • Tracey Carr : I agree with yoou Millie and imy purpose here is to have this conversation. Whilst we implicit agree to deny difference we cannot - in view - move beyond. There are many supreme examples of women leading in a feminine way who no longer feel the need to ape the male stereotype
  • Milly Tant : Harmful? Well I guess they are to those attempting to support an opposing view using psuedo scientific research. What is harmful is offering an idea that women and mens brain work differently. There are still enormous barriers for women to break down before we are considered equal. Once we start talking about being 'wired' differently we invite a school of thought that believes women can't make decisions under pressure, can't control their emotions and can't understand the offside rule. If
  • Tracey Carr : In my experience there is no resistance from men re the message that we are different but often is from women. Why?
  • Tracey Carr : HI Milly, sorry for the delay. I certainly don't critiscise Dr Rippons research but I do find her message harmful ...essentially that there is no difference. We draw on the work of many neuroscientists and one of our videos is an interview with Professor Joe Herbert from Cambridge. The only message I want to assert is that women are not the same as men and a wider range of leadership styles is required
  • Tracey Carr : Hi Kirsten, I wish we were beyond it all ...the figures speak for themsleves and not too many people know about this stuff ...do you know why coffee is better for women in meetings than men?
  • Kirsten Reiss : Nicely built and professional-looking website, shame about the outdated message. Surely we are beyond all this now?
  • Niels Bohr : Einstein tweeted 4 weeks ago? I thought the old bastard was dead!!
  • Milly Tant : Echo, e c h o, e c h o ............
  • Milly Tant : Tracey whilst I agree with most of what you stand for in principle I can't help but feel you are being remiss in directing critisism on Rippons findings, a professor of neuroscience. Yet in your own seminars you site a large amount of your research from the highly discredited work of Louann Brizendine. Surely this is selective research to support you viewpoint and is hardly true Empirical research.
  • guest_4153 : VIVA la difference!
  • Tracey : Scroll down the shout box for comments from GIna Rippon
  • Mark : I don't see these aspects as purely socialised or purely genetic, but what is more important to me is to recognise that wherever they come from, we do in fact have gender specific tendencies, and that we don't assume that it is right ...to try to ignore or eradicate them in the pursuit of equality.
  • Mark : Every cell of my body is fundamentally different to every cell in (virtually) every woman's body, and shares that feature with every cell in (virtually) every man's body. And some people still want to deny what is self evident. Like it makes no difference being born with a womb or a penis!
  • Andrew : I agree with you Tracey. Whilst I feel that Dr Rippon is right to point out that some of the stereotyping is not accurate, to say that there are not gender significant gender related differences is going too far.
  • Tracey : Hey Gina, Hi ...let's chat ...maybe I can interview you ?
  • guest_6886 : Hi Tracey, Thank you for the message. Lots to think about and try to answer!! There are various aspects of the talk I gave at the British Science festival which haven’t got fully communicated ( I have asked our web people to post a pdf of the associated press release onto my web page to give a fuller version than that which has come via the Telegraph and the Mail. Watch this space!). It is worth noting that I am generally reported as saying that there are no differences between men and women
  • Andrea : YES! Let women be REAL women
  • guest_9047 : I totally agree re Rippon ...we need to move beyond the 'same' sterotype
  • Tracey : I am getting a bit fed up with the sceintist (Rippon) who has just published a book saying that brain differences between men and women are a myth ...and even more fed up with all the narrow minded people who are jumping on her band wagon saying that to acknowledge differences will reinforce stereotypes. Come on people... ....lets not go back to bad old 80's and Eqaul Ops b**sh*t. Men are more intelligent than that !
  • Tracey : I just had a rant on the blog ..stupid Observer article
  • guest_4702 : Yes, alive and kicking 6351 ...going great
  • guest_6351 : does this company still even exist
  • guest_7808 : love the article on male and female brains
  • Tracey : The workl is ready for women's leadership...never seen so much energy for change
  • guest_9220 : Terry from interCall - please phone 07810058859
  • Tracey : Whoo hoo ...one of Britains top discrimnation lawyers doing interview for us
  • guest_7254 : hello
  • Tracey : thanks Rick
  • Rick : Things are looking really great... Top work TC!
  • Tracey : mauricio...how do we contact you?
  • Mauricio : I'm interested on the Gender IQ events
  • guest_8363 : JUst saw a preview of the Effective Meetings film ....fab !!
  • guest_9730 : Looking forward to the next film
  • Sharon @ GIQ : GQ for Competitive Advantage now available to view on demand. Visit events to sign up!
  • Tracey : event about to go live
  • Carol : great content and great idea for the video rund-up Tracey - excellent
  • Yannick : The video round up is very useful, thanks
  • Tracey : what an amazing first event - overwhelming response - thanks everyone
  • guest_3579 : works great for me
  • guest_3895 : great video
  • Sharon @ GIQ : Please vote in our online poll above.
  • Sharon : There are many free ways to stay in touch with this subject - join our social network communities on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
  • Sharon : Hopefully as the programme 'warms up' people will feel moved to raise questions and post comments.
  • guest_4373 : at least people are using this shoutbox ... must confess i wondered what it was for and had never used it ... thanks for trying anyway
  • Sharon : Good to know!
  • guest_5700 : Live chat is working folks
  • guest_9050 : There are some very powerful messages in these discussion on gender IQ and difference and this is a great concept Tracey that will spark even more understanding and debate too Im sure - thank you for spear-heading this
  • Yannick : great video. well done.

Eve-olution