A research report launched today reveals that sponsorship is a critical part of progression into senior leadership roles, because it teaches individuals how advancement actually works in practice. But only a small proportion of sponsorship relationships - less than a quarter - are characterised by the mutual trust, candid feedback and active advocacy that really boosts leaders' careers.
The report is launched by the FTSE Women Leaders Review and co-authored by Professor Elena Doldor (Queen Mary School of Business, Centre for Research in Equality and Diversity) and Dr Madeleine Wyatt (King's Business School, King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership).
Drawing on extensive interviews with senior leaders in a global consulting firm, it identified four sponsorship archetypes: assigned, resistant, shallow and reciprocal. Of these, only reciprocal sponsorships, which were characterised by shared investment, mutual trust, active advocacy, candid feedback and political support, were associated with the strongest promotion rates. Less than a quarter of sponsorship relationships fell into this category.
Many organisations present leadership promotions as objective and meritocratic. Our research shows that when it comes to senior promotions, many talented leaders are measured against rules they are never explicitly taught. Sponsorship, visibility, and informal political dynamics remain unevenly visible to leaders in the pipeline - and sponsorship is a key mechanism through which people learn how the system really works.
Professor Elena Doldor, Professor of Leadership and Diversity at Queen Mary School of Business, lead report author
Sponsorship is about advocacy, sharing networks and taking political risks for someone else, but the reality is that not everyone has equal access to these relationships at work. Inclusion initiatives that match diverse talent with sponsors are an excellent starting point to address this, but quality sponsorship depends on how those relationships are supported to flourish.
Dr Madeleine Wyatt, Associate Professor in Diversity and Inclusion at King's Business School, report co-author
In order to make sponsorship programmes and relationships more effective, the report authors recommend:
- increasing transparency around how promotions operate in practice - both formal guidelines and political/organisational dynamics;
- treating sponsorship as a strategic leadership responsibility, not an optional activity;
- moving beyond formal sponsor-matching programmes to focus on sponsorship quality and better equip sponsors and protégés to build these relationships;
- building inclusive sponsorship capability among senior leaders to ensure proteges from under-represented backgrounds have access to influential networks, stretch opportunities, advocacy and candid political/organisational feedback.
While transformational progress has been achieved from 9.5% to 43% women's representation on the boards of the FTSE 350, there is still much to do to progress women Chairs at 17%, women CEOs at 8%, and women Finance Directors at 21%. The 'sponsorship gap' described in this report helps explain why women and other under-represented professionals are advancing into senior leadership roles more slowly. Closing this gap requires action - making sponsorship a core leadership skill and a priority for senior leaders.
Vivienne Artz, CEO of the FTSE Women Leaders Review
If you are looking for a sponsor to help to make that next career move, or looking to sponsor well and help someone succeed, it's worth thinking about how you can shape that relationship so that it's effective. Have reciprocity in mind, consider shared investment and mutual trust, candid feedback, active advocacy and political support. It's not enough for organisations looking to achieve greater diversity at the top to give people sponsors; they should also improve sponsorship capability and outcomes.
Professor Elena Doldor
