A recent study shows that, after just two years on the job, women's aspirations and confidence to reach senior management plummet compared to men's.

But men's ambition doubles.

New workers of both genders had similar responses to the questions “Do you see yourself fitting into the typical stereotypes of success within the company?” and “Have your supervisors been supportive of your career aspirations?” But more experienced workers answered very differently: Women’s confidence that they matched the corporate ideal dropped by 15 percentage points, men’s by just 9 points. Women’s sense that their supervisors supported than career goals was 20 points lower; men’s was just 3 points lower.

Companies say they treat men and women equally — but in reality, they don’t. Our recent gender-parity survey of more than 1,800 business people worldwide, conducted in association with HBR.org, shows that in fact, employees are disappointed with the way their company handles the issue of gender parity — the attempt to treat men and […]

The quest for gender parity in the workforce might be the least understood obstacle facing business now. To read recent press accounts, the battle for gender equality in the workplace has been all but won. In the U.S. and Europe, women comprise about 60% of university graduates. Women make up 50% of the workforce in […]

According to Bain & Company's chairman, persistent questioning produces the best solutions, and it's the best way to build trust and rapport.

Times change and markets transform themselves overnight. The half-life of common wisdom is shorter than ever. But top private equity firms have distilled a set of institutional habits that boost the likelihood of their success. What’s critical to this success? Attitude. PE leaders take pains to foster a “results-oriented mind-set”. In short, that means creating […]

If you want to be successful, you have to harness the talent. The top private equity firms have a genius for hiring superior talent. All organizations need great people, but PE measures talent with one test only: performance. It’s not that private equity firms are heartless. Rather, their three- to five-year time horizon doesn’t allow […]

In good times and bad, the top private equity firms have outperformed most businesses over the past forty years–even during down cycles. Clearly, PE firms have had to adjust their deal flow but the way that leading players operate their portfolio companies serves as a model for public firms, especially during an economic squeeze. That’s […]

Private equity firms are snapping up brand-name companies and assembling portfolios that make them immense global conglomerates. They're often able to...