Lehman Brothers Centre for Women in Business
Encyclopedia
The Lehman Brothers Centre for Women in Business is based at London Business School and was established as a joint partnership between London Business School
and Lehman Brothers
, the investment bank.
London Business School's vision is to be the pre-eminent global
business school
, nurturing talent and advancing knowledge in a multinational, multicultural environment. The Lehman Brothers Centre for Women in Business provides thought leadership in relation to women in business
. The Centre acts as an interface between the world of academia and business and seeks to influence practice and policy through cutting-edge academic research.
, the School's (first female) Dean, in 2006. Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice and Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, is the Executive Director of the Lehman Brothers Centre for Women in Business. Lamia Walker is Associate Director of the Centre and responsible for its administration. Since 2006, research is led and conducted by Dr Elisabeth Kelan
, the Centre's Senior Research Fellow
.
In 2008, Judy Wajcman
was a Visiting Professor at the Centre. In June 2008, she organised the “Humanising Work” symposium with Elisabeth Kelan at London Business School. The groundbreaking seminar attempted to expose business academics and practitioners to current research and knowledge in the social sciences
and saw two talks by (Lord) Anthony Giddens
and Richard Sennett
. Stefan Stern from the Financial Times
likened this event to an academic version of the Rumble in the Jungle and referred to it as the "Dialectic in the Park
" - a reference to London Business School's Regent's Park campus. He authored several articles on the topic of "What sociologists can teach managers" discussing his impression that sociologists could help you run your company better than management gurus.
The Centre also introduced the Executive in Residence scheme with the intent to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Ellen Miller
, Managing Director at Lehman Brothers and responsible for academic relations, currently holds this position.
It published two major reports:
It also published several working papers, such as...
In 2008, the Centre has launched a consortium-backed major research project on generational and gender transformations, led by Elisabeth Kelan, called Gen(d)eration Y: Age diversity is at the top of the agenda for many HR professionals, and responding to generational changes is a crucial issue for attracting and retaining the best talent. Much has been written about Generations X and Y but there is no universally accepted definition of who belongs to which generation. Put simply, Gen Y refers to those under 30 while Gen X includes people over 30. While the generation game is a popular topic in the media, there is a lack of academic research exploring this area. The proposed Gen(d)eration Y attempts to change this gap. The first phase of the project looks at what has been written on Gen Y and young professionals both from an academic and a practitioner perspective and compared this with assumptions about Gen X. The research includes in-depth interviews with young professionals.
on September 15, 2008, questions were raised about the future existence of the Centre. According to media reports, Lehman Brothers had committed £1.75m over five years from 2006 to 2011 toward establishing the Centre. London Business School stated vis-à-vis Emiliya Mychasuk and Emiko Terazono's Financial Times People column that "...it was "business as usual"..." and that "...the name of the centre would be unchanged for "the time being"....". Since the Nomura purchase of some Lehman Brothers assets the Centre is known as "The Centre for Women in Business at London Business School".
London Business School
London Business School is an international business school and a constituent college of the federal University of London, located in central London, beside Regent's Park...
and Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. was a global financial services firm. Before declaring bankruptcy in 2008, Lehman was the fourth largest investment bank in the USA , doing business in investment banking, equity and fixed-income sales and trading Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. (former NYSE ticker...
, the investment bank.
London Business School's vision is to be the pre-eminent global
Globalization
Globalization refers to the increasingly global relationships of culture, people and economic activity. Most often, it refers to economics: the global distribution of the production of goods and services, through reduction of barriers to international trade such as tariffs, export fees, and import...
business school
Business school
A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in Business Administration. It teaches topics such as accounting, administration, economics, entrepreneurship, finance, information systems, marketing, organizational behavior, public relations, strategy, human resource...
, nurturing talent and advancing knowledge in a multinational, multicultural environment. The Lehman Brothers Centre for Women in Business provides thought leadership in relation to women in business
Women in business
Even though women have contributed to economic productivity since the dawn of history, the phrase women in business typically describes the more modern phenomenon of women participating in the traditionally male work roles of industrial manufacturing, finance, and corporate ownership.Women hold...
. The Centre acts as an interface between the world of academia and business and seeks to influence practice and policy through cutting-edge academic research.
History
The Centre was personally founded by Laura D'Andrea TysonLaura D'Andrea Tyson
Laura D'Andrea Tyson is an American economist and former Chair of the US President's Council of Economic Advisers during the Clinton Administration. She also served as Director of the National Economic Council...
, the School's (first female) Dean, in 2006. Lynda Gratton, Professor of Management Practice and Organisational Behaviour at London Business School, is the Executive Director of the Lehman Brothers Centre for Women in Business. Lamia Walker is Associate Director of the Centre and responsible for its administration. Since 2006, research is led and conducted by Dr Elisabeth Kelan
Elisabeth Kelan
Dr Elisabeth Kelan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Management at King’s College London. Prior to that she was Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Women in Business at London Business School, founded by Laura D’Andrea Tyson...
, the Centre's Senior Research Fellow
Research fellow
The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...
.
In 2008, Judy Wajcman
Judy Wajcman
Judy Wajcman is a Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and Political Science.She was formerly a Professor of Sociology in the Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. She has been a Visiting Professor at the Lehman Brothers Centre for Women in Business...
was a Visiting Professor at the Centre. In June 2008, she organised the “Humanising Work” symposium with Elisabeth Kelan at London Business School. The groundbreaking seminar attempted to expose business academics and practitioners to current research and knowledge in the social sciences
Social sciences
Social science is the field of study concerned with society. "Social science" is commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to a plurality of fields outside of the natural sciences usually exclusive of the administrative or managerial sciences...
and saw two talks by (Lord) Anthony Giddens
Anthony Giddens
Anthony Giddens, Baron Giddens is a British sociologist who is known for his theory of structuration and his holistic view of modern societies. He is considered to be one of the most prominent modern contributors in the field of sociology, the author of at least 34 books, published in at least 29...
and Richard Sennett
Richard Sennett
Richard Sennett is the Centennial Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and University Professor of the Humanities at New York University...
. Stefan Stern from the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
likened this event to an academic version of the Rumble in the Jungle and referred to it as the "Dialectic in the Park
Dialectic in the Park
"Dialectic in the Park" is a name coined by Stefan Stern from the Financial Times for the “Humanising Work” symposium held in June 2008 at the Lehman Brothers Centre for Women in Business at London Business School...
" - a reference to London Business School's Regent's Park campus. He authored several articles on the topic of "What sociologists can teach managers" discussing his impression that sociologists could help you run your company better than management gurus.
The Centre also introduced the Executive in Residence scheme with the intent to bridge the gap between theory and practice. Ellen Miller
Ellen Miller
Ellen Miller is currently an Executive Fellow at the London Business School and an independent consultant with a portfolio of board positions. Her areas of interest include diversity, career transition, leadership and management...
, Managing Director at Lehman Brothers and responsible for academic relations, currently holds this position.
Research
The Centre has published extensively in its studies area:It published two major reports:
- Inspiring Women: Corporate Best Practice in Europe (May 2007) describes the initiatives that European companies are taking to inspire women at work. The focus in the study is on the practices and processes that have a gender implication. This refers to those practices and processes that can have a specific impact on the experience of women, or have been designed to address a specific issue that women can potentially face.
- Innovative Potential: Men and Women in Teams (November 2007). In companies around the world executives are putting the capacity for innovation top of their strategic agenda. At the heart of the innovation strategy are people prepared and able to work collaboratively in teams and to exchange and synthesise knowledge from many different sources. Whilst academic research has focused on the antecedents of innovation, there is very little work on the potential impact of gender on the innovation agenda. In this research we take a closer look at the role - if any - that gender plays in innovative teams, and make some recommendations about how companies can build and enhance their innovative capacity through team gender composition.
It also published several working papers, such as...
- Gender and the MBA
- The Discursive Construction of Gender in Contemporary Management Literature
- I Don't Know Why' – Accounting for the Scarcity of Women in ICT Work
- Narrating Gender: A Discourse Analytic View on Studying Gender
- Gender Fatigue - The Ideological Dilemma of Gender Discrimination in Organisations
- Women Leading Teams
In 2008, the Centre has launched a consortium-backed major research project on generational and gender transformations, led by Elisabeth Kelan, called Gen(d)eration Y: Age diversity is at the top of the agenda for many HR professionals, and responding to generational changes is a crucial issue for attracting and retaining the best talent. Much has been written about Generations X and Y but there is no universally accepted definition of who belongs to which generation. Put simply, Gen Y refers to those under 30 while Gen X includes people over 30. While the generation game is a popular topic in the media, there is a lack of academic research exploring this area. The proposed Gen(d)eration Y attempts to change this gap. The first phase of the project looks at what has been written on Gen Y and young professionals both from an academic and a practitioner perspective and compared this with assumptions about Gen X. The research includes in-depth interviews with young professionals.
Lehman Collapse
After the collapse of Lehman BrothersBankruptcy of Lehman Brothers
Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 15, 2008. The bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers remains the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S...
on September 15, 2008, questions were raised about the future existence of the Centre. According to media reports, Lehman Brothers had committed £1.75m over five years from 2006 to 2011 toward establishing the Centre. London Business School stated vis-à-vis Emiliya Mychasuk and Emiko Terazono's Financial Times People column that "...it was "business as usual"..." and that "...the name of the centre would be unchanged for "the time being"....". Since the Nomura purchase of some Lehman Brothers assets the Centre is known as "The Centre for Women in Business at London Business School".