POWERED BY
Embrace gender
diversity in security and
risk management roles
Roberta Witty, VP Analyst, Gartner, says the worldwide shortage of
cybersecurity talent can be solved by recruiting diverse teams.
D
iverse teams provide an immediate
and long-lasting solution to
the global shortage of security
talent. For every 100 security and risk
management (SRM) executives, only about
a quarter of them are women. The good
news is that as the benefits of diversity
are more widely realised that number will
increase by nearly 15% by 2020.
“While this makes for pretty sober reading,
the good news is that the general workforce
pipeline has a more balanced male-to-
female ratio, meaning that over time, it’s
likely that there will be more female leaders
in the discipline,” said Roberta Witty, VP
Analyst, Gartner.
Gender diverse and inclusive teams
outperform gender-homogeneous, less-
inclusive teams by an average of 50%
Early exposure to security and risk
management disciplines develops
more qualified candidates and provides
professional support for gender parity.
Gartner recommends that companies target
women while they’re still in school to sell them
on a career in security and risk management.
“Grow the general workforce pipeline for
security and risk management by partnering
with primary, secondary and higher
educational institutions to introduce young
women to the security and risk management
professions,” said Witty.
“Do not focus only on technical educational
programmes; approach liberal arts and
communications academic programmes to
ensure that females understand the value of a
security and risk management career choice.”
The Gartner Gender Diversity in Security
and Risk Management Survey explored how
gender diversity impacts the ability of an
organisation to manage its security and risk
management objectives. Retain diverse talent
Recruit diverse teams and
outperform others However, concerted efforts must be taken to
retain them; otherwise, women may leave
their positions to find a transparent and
supportive work environment elsewhere.
Gender-diverse and inclusive teams
outperform gender-homogeneous, less-
inclusive teams by an average of 50%.
Recent Gartner research found that
managers of inclusive technology teams
were more likely to say their teams
outperformed non-inclusive teams in
all seven measures studied, including
implementing new ideas and making
timely decisions.
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INTELLIGENTCIO
People want to work where they know they
will be accepted and respected for their
unique background
Implement gender-blind recruiting
practices and training to mitigate gender
discrimination and use retention practices
that promote women to top leadership
and executive positions. Providing work-life
balance practices such as flexible work hours
is a competitive differentiator in the labour
market that can improve the retention and
recruitment of women.
People want to work where they know they
will be accepted and respected for their
unique background, skills and knowledge. It
is a win-win situation for all parties.
These efforts will contribute to the vast
majority of organisations that will exceed
their financial targets through 2022 by
equipping frontline decision-making teams
with a diverse and inclusive culture. n
Women find security and risk management
professions to be excellent career paths,
according to the survey.
Respondents believe sponsoring and
mentoring high-potential women will
improve the recruitment and retention of
women in security and risk management.
Diversity task forces are extremely important,
but mandatory diversity training, job tests
and grievance systems are not perceived as
beneficial for organisational diversity.
Roberta Witty, VP Analyst, Gartner
www.intelligentcio.com