CHAPTER SIX Internal Recruitment 299 and with profit and loss responsibility) and staff roles (support positions for line management, such as legal, accounting, human resources, and IT). Going up the hierarchy, women increasingly held staff roles, while men did not. Since promo- tion to senior-level line positions usually requires line experience, women's chances of advancement to senior line roles lessened. This finding is consistent with the findings of the Federal Glass Ceiling Commission, and it highlights the critical importance of line role experience for advancement to top leadership positions.25 Other causal factors for advancement disparities also were found. These included somewhat less desire by women for a top job (especially due to stress/pressure of the role, and lack of interest in the role); women's perceptions that they have fewer opportunities than men and that their gender has inhibited their advancement suc- cess so far; a belief that gender diversity is not a priority for their CEO or direct manager; low participation in work flexibility (e.g., part-time schedule, family leave), professional development (e.g., coaching sessions, executive training), and family-oriented flexibility programs (e.g., maternity leave) due partly to fear of being penalized for using the program; uneven distribution of household/child care chores; and fewer men in women's professional networks. Overcoming Barriers It is generally recognized that multiple actions, many of them beyond just staffing- system changes, will be needed to overcome barriers to mobility. Exhibit 6.10 shows a suggested listing of such actions. They include both recruitment and other actions. EXHIBIT 6.10 In terms of specific recruitment practices that may help eliminate the glass ceiling, we offer the following suggestions. Begin with the creation or clarification of mobility paths, particularly alternative paths that will facilitate a free-flow of people to jobs and upward movement. Clearly show upward paths to top management positions, and communicate these paths to everyone. Then, develop and communicate mobility policies that will foster and encourage upward mobility, accompanied by important KSAOs for that mobility. For those KSAOs, pay particular attention to job performance, specific job/project experiences, and training or development experiences. This will help keep the focus on job-related criteria for advancement. The mobility policies and criteria should then be linked in with replacement and succession planning, allowing for identifying candidates for promotion well in advance, creating gender-balanced pools for candidate promotion, identifying training and experience deficiencies that might be holding back women or minorities, and planning appropriate remedies (such as through a career development center). Finally, use recruitment strategy and plans that emphasize broad-based scanning for, and communication with, potential candidates. Recruit through both hierarchical and alternative career paths