Schedule Details
Dean’s Welcome – Navigating the Key Career Pivot Points for Women Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Tuesday, May 8, 3:30 – 3:55 p.m.
Kicking us off is our very own ’92 grad, Dean Sally Blount. She’ll outline what Kellogg has learned in recent years about how women’s careers unfold differently than their male counterparts and how the unique cultural and biological challenges women face impact workplace dynamics and their ability to rise to the top.
Kellogg’s Investment in Women Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Tuesday, May 8, 3:55 – 4:35 p.m.
Kellogg has been a lead investor in women and women’s success for many years. Kellogg launched the Kellogg Center for Executive Women 16 years ago to help women move to the C-suite and into the boardroom. We were the first major business school to develop programming specifically designed to promote women’s success at the highest levels within the corporate world. These programs have been incredibly successful in helping senior women to stay in, move up and achieve top jobs and board positions. Three years ago, Kellogg created new programming to support women in successfully launching from their MBA program into their careers. The inaugural Global Women’s Summit celebrates Kellogg’s long-standing commitment to women. Sheli Rosenberg, who co-founded the Kellogg Center for Executive Women and initiated the school’s Launch programming, and Ann Drake, who is a lead investor in scholarships for Kellogg women, will join Ellen Kullman and Edith Cooper, two of the Global Women Summit’s co-chairs, and Dr. Victoria Medvec, the co-founder of KCEW and faculty co-chair for the Summit, to discuss their goals for the Summit, their vision of the role Kellogg can play in advancing women in the future, and why they are committed to Kellogg’s investment in women.
A Conversation with Hollywood Leading Lady, Sherry Lansing Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Tuesday, May 8, 4:35 – 5:15 p.m.
Our Summit features a lot of “leading ladies,” but even among this auspicious group, Sherry Lansing stands out. She was the first woman to head a major film studio when she was appointed president of 20th Century Fox in 1980. During her nearly 30 years in Hollywood, she was the driving force behind so many iconic films, including Academy Award winners Forrest Gump, Braveheart and Titanic, not to mention Fatal Attraction, The Accused, and Indecent Proposal. Throughout her film career, Lansing earned a reputation as a trailblazer. Her 12 years as Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures resulted in an unprecedented period of creative and financial success for the studio. From film to philanthropy, Sherry Lansing has truly earned the title Leading Lady. You won’t want to miss this session where she candidly discusses how she navigated key career Pivot Points and became a well-liked and well-respected woman at the top of one of the toughest industries for females.
Positioning Yourself for a Board Seat Executive Track
Tuesday, May 8, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Many successful women long for a board role but are frustrated by the lack of opportunities. For a significant number, the final step to the boardroom feels elusive while for a handful of senior women, board offers seem to abound. Experienced directors generally say that the most challenging board seat to obtain is the first one, because it is difficult for sitting directors to assess how you will be as a director if you have never been a director. What does it take to secure the first opportunity? How can you position yourself and leverage your network effectively to increase the likelihood of a board offer? Search firms claim that boards are actively seeking female directors, so why is your phone not ringing? This panel of experienced directors will provide advice on how to secure a seat at the table and how to do the essential diligence on board opportunities to ensure that you want to sit at the table when you are invited.
The Likeability Dilemma Launch Track / Mid-Career Track
Tuesday, May 8, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Research suggests that there is a dilemma most women face in the professional world as they strive to build their careers – a choice between being perceived as competent or likeable. Both these qualities are of course imperative for success but as experts have reported, the incongruity of normative female roles (warm, nurturing) with characteristics perceived necessary for professional success (independence, assertiveness) means that women are all too often perceived as likeable, but incompetent, or as competent, but unlikeable. Thus, if a woman acts assertively or competitively, if she pushes her team to perform, if she exhibits decisive and forceful leadership, she is deviating from the social script that dictates how she “should” behave. By violating those beliefs about what women are like, successful women elicit pushback from others for being insufficiently feminine. As descriptions like “Ice Queen” and “Ballbuster” can attest, today’s U.S. culture seems deeply uncomfortable with powerful women. So, what’s an aspiring woman to do? Figuring out to what extent this is playing out in your workplace and what you personally can do to combat it is key to getting ahead.
In this panel, you’ll hear from leading experts and women executives about how this manifests itself at work and how they have managed to overcome it.
Ten Things to Do Now to Set Yourself Up for Long-Term Success Launch Track / Mid-Career Track
Tuesday, May 8, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 9, 10:20 – 11:20 a.m.
We all wish there was a silver bullet, that single thing we needed to do to create the careers and lives of our dreams. Sadly, there is not. But there are some key things – attitudes, attributes and actions – that research suggests can go a long way to making your career aspirations come true. In this session, leading consulting firms and experts will share their top 10 insights and tips based on years of research and real world experience helping women succeed.
Letting Go of Perfection Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Tuesday, May 8, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Many women strive for perfection – trying to act, and even look perfect, both at work and at home. We do this because we believe it is a positive characteristic, perhaps even the “right” thing to do. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Research shows striving for perfection can actually hold us back, making us more reluctant to take important risks, raise our hands when we have questions or contributions to share, or go for a promotion when we feel anything less than 100 percent certain we can succeed. Seeking perfection limits our self-advocacy and authenticity as we prioritize others’ perceptions over our own.
Join this lively discussion to learn about how other successful women have let go of the perfection mindset and succeeded as their authentic selves, flaws and all.
Investing in Other Women Dinner Executive Track
Tuesday, May 8, 7:15 – 9:00 p.m.
Melinda Gates recently noted, “The venture and startup ecosystem is still a boys' club – one that too often excludes, disadvantages and mistreats talented women who want to contribute to it.” Overcoming this “boys' club” will require successful women to invest in female founders. Yet, many who have tried to raise funds from female investors find that women are risk averse and slow to commit. Some women who have succeeded in their careers may not even know how to begin to make the transition to becoming an investor. Kellogg students are always taught about the importance of social capital, human capital, and financial capital. Now that you have succeeded through your human and social capital, it is time to discuss how to leverage your financial capital and how to use it to change the fate of the female founder.
Kellogg Connections Dinner Launch Track / Mid-Career Track
Tuesday, May 8, 7:15 – 9:00 p.m.
We’ve all done it. It’s the end of a long day and all you want to do is get home or go back to the hotel and catch up on your emails. But that would be a mistake. Instead, join us for this unique opportunity to make new and powerful Kellogg connections. Hear inspiring stories from alumnae executives, who will share how and why important relationships, including those made via Kellogg, have impacted their careers and lives. And then engage in interactive table topics that are sure to create new insights and connections.
Morning Meetups – Networking Breakfast Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 7:00 – 8:00 a.m.
Join us for breakfast and use this opportunity to meet with someone new. Areas in the Marketplace will be designated for gathering attendees based on top industries, geographies or by a topic everyone faces: balancing our personal and professional lives.
The Likeability Dilemma Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
At a certain point on the way to the top, performance will no longer be enough. This is especially true for women and minorities. Too often, the very same hard-charging, “deliver against the odds” approach that many women take to get promoted from entry level to senior manager shifts from being an asset to a liability as they try to move into the C-suite or other executive roles. Why? Because on the top team, it is no longer enough to lead a single part of the organization, you must also be able to “play nice” with your peers while running the whole enterprise. At this juncture words like “fit” and “likeability” often take precedence over performance in the selection process. These words can be hard to define or defend against and they all too often take women out of the running. This reality can be disappointing, but, it is manageable, especially if you know it’s coming and plan accordingly.
In this panel you’ll hear from those who successfully adapted, those who toughed it out and those who chose to go elsewhere and thrived. You will also hear what some leading companies are doing to remove this form of bias from selection decision-making.
How Bold Moves Can Make Your Career Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
We have all heard about the importance of taking risks if you want to get ahead. This is especially true if you want to rise quickly and make it all the way to the top. Doing what others can’t or won’t or trusting your gut and doing something out of the ordinary, is guaranteed to get you noticed. Nearly every C-suite woman we know can tell you about a time she made a bold move and how it paid off – short term and/or long term. Whether it was launching a new product or service, executing a turnaround or taking on an overseas assignment, how do you know what bold move is right for you and how do you survive and thrive in this necessarily challenging assignment once you have said yes?
Survive, Thrive, and Sexual Drive Across Your Life Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 8:00 – 9:00 a.m.
Women often take care of everyone else but ignore their own health and critical warning signs. This panel discussion brings together experts on women’s health to discuss common diseases impacting women and what you can do to prevent, diagnose, and treat them. The panel will also discuss why some diseases plaguing women are often overlooked by health professionals. While doctors may overlook our diseases, we may be overlooking our sex lives. The panel will include the author of Sex Rx and Love Sex Again, who will share five things your doctor did not tell you about sex and help you to “fix the issues that are sabotaging your sex life.”
Interacting Effectively with the Board Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 9:10 – 10:10 a.m.
A very experienced director once said, “If I had gained some of my experience as a director when I was in my senior leadership role, I would have leveraged our company’s board very differently. I always considered the board as a single entity I needed to manage and failed to see the individual expertise I could tap.” This panel discussion will provide insight on how to effectively leverage the expertise on your board and how to best manage board interactions. The panel will discuss why some CEOs are tempted to limit management interaction with the board while others promote mentoring programs between board members and senior leaders. We will also discuss onboarding practices, tapping management’s perspectives in board feedback processes, what to do when one of your team members fumbles in front of the board, and how to make an impression in front of the board that promotes their endorsement of you for senior leadership roles and outside board opportunities.
Managing Well – Up, Down and Across Launch Track / Mid-Career Track
Wednesday, May 9, 9:10 – 10:10 a.m.
Managing well is critical to delivering your goals, advancing your career and building an engaging work environment. In this session, we will explore the opportunities and pitfalls of relationships with peers, bosses and those who report to us. We will also consider how role clarity, generational perspectives, communication styles and virtual work can all play a part in your ability to navigate and optimize your organizational effectiveness. You will learn practical tips to help you and your organization get what you want.
K-Talks – Session 1: Ethics in the Workplace Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 9:10 – 10:10 a.m.
Recent events have shifted a strong focus to the importance of ethics in the workplace. Are women more ethical than men? Join Kellogg faculty to learn about fascinating new research highlighting the role gender plays in ethical decision-making and the punishment people experience when ethical violations occur. This cutting-edge research reveals that women are less likely than men to engage in unethical behavior but when they do commit ethical violations, women are punished more harshly than men for the same offenses. This session will feature three of Kellogg’s most prolific researchers, Dr. Leigh Thompson, Dr. Nicole Stephens, and Dr. Maryam Kouchaki, discussing their new findings on the impact of gender on ethical behavior.
Leigh Thompson:
The Fairer Sex or Fairer Gender: An Investigation of Ethically-Questionable Behavior at the Bargaining Table
Decades of ethics research suggest that men tend to set lower ethical standards for themselves than women, particularly in negotiation contexts. Practically speaking, this means that men are more likely to lie and misrepresent themselves to secure an advantage at the negotiation table. Coupled with the fact that men claim a greater share of the resources when seated at the negotiation table than women, this raises concern on a number of levels. We theorized that two motivations – competitiveness and empathy – underlie differences in men and women’s willingness to use unethical tactics in negotiations. Across our studies, we found that men were indeed more competitive and women were indeed more empathic. We then reasoned that gender-incongruent situational factors might mitigate or erase these ethical differences by prompting men to be more ethical and women to be less ethical. We tested and confirmed our expectations with four ultimatum-bargaining experiments. In Experiment 1, we confirmed that men lie more often than women and that differences in both competitiveness and empathy explain this outcome. In Experiment 2, we manipulated competitiveness to establish (1) its causal role and (2) that inducing it would lead women to lie as frequently as men. Then, in Experiment 3, we manipulated empathy to establish (1) its causal role and (2) that inducing it would lead men to lie as infrequently as women. Finally, in Experiment 4, we replicated the findings from the first three experiments by manipulating both competitiveness and empathy. In addition to elucidating how and why men and women differ when it comes to lying in bargaining contexts, our findings suggest that competitiveness and empathy motives are highly influenced by social cues in the situation. (Research conducted in collaboration with Jason R. Pierce)
Maryam Kouchaki:
Ethical Pitfalls Arising from Women’s Negotiating on Behalf of Others
While seminal research examining the intersection of gender and ethics argued for differences between the sexes in how ethical choices are made, the current research suggests a more nuanced view. Men and women adopt different ethical standards when negotiating for themselves but this difference is mitigated entirely when negotiating on behalf of others. We found evidence across five studies that other-advocating women are as likely to engage in deceptive behaviors as men, while self-advocating women are more honest than men. Women’s ethical behavior is especially influenced by the assumed preferences of their constituents and the anticipated negative emotional consequences associated with letting others down. This demonstrates the role of interpersonal sensitivity, manifesting in anticipatory guilt at the thought of letting others down in women’s decisions in moral situations, while men are less constrained by this social consideration. We offer insight into whether, and under what conditions, men and women approach negotiations with distinct ethical rulebooks and social considerations.
Nicole Stephens:
Do Women Face a Higher Ethical Bar? Exploring the Punishment of Ethical Violations at Work
When people violate ethical standards, the punishments they receive have important implications for their lives, both professionally and personally, so it is vital that punishments be fair and non-discriminatory. However, across two studies, we find that women are punished more severely than men following an ethical violation. Study 1 observes the relation between gender and punishment for ethical violations in an archival data set involving attorneys who violated American Bar Association’s ethical rules. It also documents a key moderator: greater representation of women among the decision-makers allocating punishment mitigates the effect. Study 2 uses an experimental design to test for a causal relation between a target’s gender and punishment for ethical violations and explores the underlying process. Women face an intensified prescription to be ethical, relative to men, and this prescription helps to explain why and when a gender disparity in punishment emerges following an ethical violation. Our research documents a new prescriptive gender stereotype and offers a new explanation for gender differences in professional outcomes, highlighting a gender disparity in punishment for ethical violations as a novel mechanism by which institutions derail women’s careers.
Being Your Own Boss: From Gig Economy to Growing Your Own Big Business Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 9:10 – 10:10 a.m.
According to the National Association of Women Business Owners, there are now more than 9.4 million firms owned by women in the U.S., generating $1.5 trillion in sales, and nearly three million of those are majority-owned by women of color. Indeed, women-owned firms account for 31 percent of all privately held firms. In the U.S. alone, one in five firms with revenue of $1 million+ are woman-owned. That’s great news, especially in light of the less positive news coming out from other workplaces – from the gender pay gap to sexual harassment. Whether you’re looking for the freedom of the “gig” economy or looking to build, scale and lead your own big businesses, there are literally millions of women out there who can help show you the way. But how do you know if it’s right for you and how do you go about making it happen once you’ve decided to try?
In this session, you will hear from outstanding women who have successfully gone out on their own. They will candidly share the pros and cons of their new path and their best tips for doing it yourself. If you are considering becoming your own boss, now or in the future, you will not want to miss this.
K-Talks – Session 2: The Impact of Gender Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 10:20 – 11:20 a.m.
Many Kellogg faculty members actively engage in research to uncover the impact of gender in a wide variety of situations. These faculty come from across the school and examine many different questions regarding gender. Kellogg has actively sought faculty who study these issues across a wide variety of disciplines and has successfully recruited highly respected scholars who inform the world on topics relating to gender. Join three of Kellogg’s award-winning, distinguished faculty for this session. Dr. Paola Sapienza from Kellogg’s Finance Department, Dr. Nancy Qian from the MEDS Department and Dr. Michal Maimaran from the Marketing Department will share the results from their fascinating new research.
Paola Sapienza:
Born in the Family: Transmission of Values and Women’s Success
Women today earn about 57 percent of bachelor’s degrees in the U.S., but they are underrepresented in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields. Because STEM accounts for nearly half of the highest paid fields, with engineering taking the majority of the spots, academics have been wondering why more women do not get into tech fields, especially considering today’s high demand for tech talent. In this talk, I will highlight the academic research that uncovers the obstacles women face to enter those fields, including the barriers created unconsciously by their own mothers.
Nancy Qian:
The Economic Determinants and Consequences of Missing Women in China
Gender discrimination doesn’t just manifest in the form of employment or wage discrimination. In its most extreme form, it can result in excess female mortality. Amartya Sen famously pointed out that in some Asian countries, 100 million women are “missing.” This talk explores the economic causes of missing women in China, linking observed excess female mortality to the female-male wage gap.
Michal Maimaran:
Do People Believe that Attractive Women are Less Intelligent?
Societal stereotypes portray attractive women as less intelligent. But do people actually endorse such beliefs? Do these beliefs change across our lifespan? And what are the downstream consequences of these beliefs on motivation to work on intellectual tasks? Using experimental research we show that adults consider more attractive women to be less intelligent, but children think that more attractive people are also more intelligent. We also show that women (not men) choose to work on intellectual tasks when they are feeling unattractive, but children choose to work on intellectual tasks when they are feeling attractive. We discuss that the solution to encouraging women to work on intellectual tasks is not to make them feel unattractive, but instead to adjust the socially learned beliefs and be aware of the damage they cause.
Negotiating for Yourself on Your Way In, Up and Out Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 10:20 – 11:20 a.m.
Much research has demonstrated that women do not negotiate for themselves. This is not because women cannot negotiate. Women often outperform men when it comes to negotiating on behalf of their companies and when they are negotiating for others, but they fail to ask for themselves. In this session, Kellogg’s own Dr. Victoria Medvec will highlight the importance of women negotiating for themselves on their way in, up and out of an organization and will share strategies on how to maximize your success in each of these situations.
Lunch Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 11:30 a.m. – 12:40 p.m.
Top Three Reasons To Stay In The Game Launch Track / Mid-Career Track
Wednesday, May 9, 12:50 – 1:50 p.m.
At some point, almost everybody is tempted to step out – from a specific job or organization or from the workforce altogether. You hit a point where you feel the price is just too high or you simply can’t succeed. Regrettably, this is a common experience. What you do about it has a striking impact on your future career prospects, a career that may stretch 40 years into the future for those launching now. So, before you throw in the towel, consider the top three reasons you should stay in the game and hear how others have managed to do just that, even when they felt they were at the end of their proverbial rope.
Succeeding and Leading in a Biased World Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 12:50 – 1:50 p.m.
Bias is everywhere – bias about age, gender, race, religion, nationality, orientation and socio-economic status. Whether we recognize it or not, we are all biased by our upbringings, work experiences and perceptions. Learning to recognize and manage bias may indeed help develop the empathy and genuine connection skills needed to have richer relationships and better work teams.
Join us for an important discussion as we share real world experiences of what works to empower us individually and as leaders in our workplaces when facing bias. Learn to identify and understand your own blind spots so you can influence your own thoughts, and in turn, your colleagues’ perceptions to become a more inclusive leader.
Disrupt Yourself™: Putting the Power of Disruptive Innovation to Work Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 12:50 – 1:50 p.m.
Disruptive companies and ideas upend markets by seeing a need or an empty space waiting to be filled, and daring to create something for which a market may not yet exist. In this talk, Whitney Johnson, author/CEO/ coach/investment fund co-founder, shares how to apply the theory of disruptive innovation to manage change in individuals through personal disruption. She will share frameworks and practical advice that can apply to high-potential people charting a new career trajectory, a leader trying to jumpstart innovative thinking, or a self-starter ready to make a pivot in their business or career. Reflecting on her research and her own personal disruption, Johnson says that to be successful in unexpected ways, attendees need to follow their own disruptive path, dare to innovate, do something astonishing and “disrupt yourself™.”
Building Relationships with Intention and Value Launch Track / Mid-Career Track
Wednesday, May 9, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Studies have shown that women trail men in developing connections that could help their careers. Women’s networks tend to be smaller and less diverse than those of their male peers. As a result, women have less exposure to top-tier influencers and are less likely to hear about or put themselves forward for critical opportunities for advancement. As we move up, the breadth and depth of our networks become more important. Investing in relationships throughout your career and expanding your networks beyond former classmates and current colleagues as you move up is an important support pillar for bigger career moves and broader perspective sharing.
In this session, we will discuss what you really need at each stage of your career, how to go about making that happen, and how to best set expectations and optimize your relationships. Hear from women across industries to see how they navigated through this tricky yet critical part of career development and advancement.
Creating a Powerful Second Act Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Are you ready to create a new, distinctly different career? Perhaps you have accomplished what you have set out to do over the years, yet find yourself contemplating a new path. You may be closing a chapter and want to begin something new, and are wondering how to make that happen. This session will feature a panel of women who have created powerful second acts. Learn how they figured out their new direction, built on their skills and experiences, and positioned themselves for the next step. Get inspired to pursue your own second act as you listen to their stories, top tips and favorite aspects of their new careers.
Forging Our Collective Future Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
We all know the facts. We all want to shape a better future – for ourselves and for others. When we decided to hold this first Summit, we wanted it to be not just an event but the launch of a new era for Kellogg helping women build careers and lives of impact and meaning. But we can’t do it without you.
In this session, we’ll break into smaller groups, facilitated by a Steering Committee member. This will enable us to roll up our sleeves and get to work discussing what Kellogg can do, what companies can do, what men can do, what other women can do and what we individually can do. So, join us, share your ideas, and help us make an even bigger impact in the years ahead.
Generating Capital for Female Founders and CEOs Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Money is the lifeblood of business. Without capital, businesses can’t grow and thrive. When it comes to raising funds, female entrepreneurs have clearly been at a disadvantage. We have all seen the stats: Women get less than 3 percent of venture capital dollars even though the results demonstrate that they produce a 20 percent higher return than male entrepreneurs. Hear from female founders and female CEOs about the challenges they have encountered in raising capital and from some savvy investors who are trying to change the odds for female leaders.
What We Wish We Had Known: Lessons To and From Our Children Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 3:15 – 4:30 p.m.
Join this amazing array of successful CEOs and senior leaders to hear the lessons they share with their children. Hear what they have learned across their careers and how their own experiences shape the advice they provide. You will also have the rare opportunity to hear from some of their adult children as well. This incredible panel of women and their children will reveal that powerful women are often amazing mothers, aunts and grandmothers, that we convey important lessons to our children through both what we say and who we are and that Kellogg connections extend beyond work and into the family.
Dean’s Closing Remarks and Call to Action Launch Track / Mid-Career Track / Executive Track
Wednesday, May 9, 4:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Dean Blount will discuss what’s next for Kellogg women and we’ll all have the chance to thank her for her service and for paving the way for others as the first female dean of a top 10 business school.