Moving FORWARD together


by M.V. Greene editors@ccgmag.com


C


WOMEN'S AFFINITY GROUPS STAPLE OF CORPORATE LIFE


Corporations operating in today’s dynamic global workspace know that meeting productivity and profit targets are necessary for success. A CEO may be a whiz-kid leader, but victory typically comes down to attracting, promoting and retaining talent. And for the right people, companies don’t mind trotting out a “welcome wagon” chock full of salary and benefits.


But as part of the mission to meet human capital needs, enlightened corporations are going a step further in satisfying their thirst for top talent with the innovative use of corporate employee affinity groups. Defined broadly as employee-led groups that seek to advance personal and professional development of the workforce while promoting diversity within a company, affinity groups have emerged in recent years as a staple of contemporary corporate life.


Members share common interests, including race, gender, profession and culture.


family and trying to figure out how do you balance it all, the Women’s Network provides an opportunity to develop those relationships and to reach out to women who have been there,” Kantor adds.


BENEFITS OF CORPORATE AFFINITY GROUPS  Help recruitment and retention 


Reduce the costs of replacing key executives


 Aid in training and development  Improve morale  Build links to women and minority markets   


Provide fresh ideas Improve internal communications


 Help discover “hidden” talent  





Provide a “feedback mechanism” to corporations on key opportunities


Promote advancement of women and minorities


Provide a mechanism for community involvement


Source: Network of Executive Women


Promote understanding and bring company closer together


Those targeting women in corporations are among the largest and most robust of these affinity groups.


“All of us, when we are more junior in our careers, can use someone to help guide us through our career paths and our decisioning. It’s not only on the professional side, but we also have a personal side to it,” says Tammy Kantor, chief information officer for GE Aviation in Cincinnati, a business unit of the 300,000-plus employee General Electric Co.


Kantor, who joined GE in 1994 as part of the company’s Information Management Leadership Program, serves as co- leader of GE’s global Women’s Network employee affinity group, one of several the company sanctions. “Whether she happens to be getting married or starting a


14 WOMENOFCOLOR | SPRING 2011


The Women’s Network at GE was founded in 1997 as a forum for accelerating professional women’s development at the company, notes Women’s Network manager Janice Ferguson. The network’s five priorities are to provide information to women on career paths, flexibility and role models; to develop new and existing commercial talent; to foster the retention and promotion of women in technology and engineering; to improve GE’s ability to attract, develop and retain diverse women; and to cultivate the leadership competencies that reflect GE’s focus on growth.


A cabinet of female senior executives and officers from GE’s business units governs the network, which operates 160 chapters, or “hubs,” in


45 countries worldwide, “where activities happen and touch most people,” Ferguson says. In 2010, the network held 2,600 global events at individual hub meetings, drawing more than 85,000 attendees. While professional women are the primary focus of the Women’s Network, membership and activities are open to all employees.


A small group peer-mentoring


program traverses all GE business lines and serves as a focal point for hub activities, says Women’s Network co- leader Sharon Garavel, a GE corporate officer and the vice president of operations, quality and facilities with GE Capital in Norwalk CT. “The opportunity to get together physically is usually through the hub event in your local area where you


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