Goodbye, Fellows

On Friday afternoon, CGO bade farewell to the 2010 JWLI Fellows. The Closing Luncheon at Petit Robert was attended by the Fellows, CGO staff, the Executive Director of the Fish Family Foundation, and the chief executives of the host organizations: Web of Benefit, Ellis Memorial, and ATASK. Following the Closing Luncheon, the Fellows honored the CGO staff by performing a Japanese tea ceremony at Simmons College.



CGO wishes the Fellows the best of luck as they return to Japan, strengthened by their experiences and education in Boston. With Action Plans for Japan ranging from counseling women with mental health problems to promoting career education and workforce development for female university students to starting a social business to empower women in developing countries to rehabilitating people with criminal backgrounds, the Fellows have indeed begun the development of their own visions and inner strength needed to take the initiatives and risks to make their visions come true.

Last week of the Fellows Program

This week marks the fourth and last week for the 2010 Fellows Program.  The Fellows have been hosted by the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence, New England's only nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing domestic violence in Asian families and providing hope to survivors.  At ATASK, the Fellows learned from President Linda Chin and other staff members about legal advocacy, domestic violence shelters, and planning an annual advancement event.

Another highlight of this week was the Closing Reception held at Simmons School of Management on Tuesday, September 28.  Simmons College President Helen Drinan and Provost Charlena Seymour, as well as Consul General of Japan to Boston Toyohisa Kozuki were among the honored guests.

Check out pictures from the Closing Reception here (and friend CGO on Facebook if you haven't already)!

The Fellows Program continues

Last week, the Fellows were hosted by Ellis Memorial, Boston's first settlement house.  During the course of the week, they visited adult and youth programs, learned about fundraising, grant-writing, volunteer management, and more.  They also visited the Family Justice Center and the Consulate General of Japan.  Additionally, the Fellows attended a Red Sox game at Fenway Park!

This week, the Fellows attended Strategic Leadership for Women, an executive education program based at Simmons School of Management that helps women gain the knowledge and skills needed to become an influential leader.  Over the weekend, they will see more of New England as they visit Vermont.

Finally, the post "Inspiration from the East" about Japanese women in business on the PriceWaterhouseCoopers blog is very interesting and pertinent to the Fellows Program. 

Welcome, Fellows!

On September 6, 2010, the Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative (JWLI) Fellows Program began its fourth year at Simmons School of Management. This week, the Fellows are hosted by Web of Benefit, a not-for-profit organization for women affected by domestic violence. 

Yesterday, the Fellows visited The Boston Foundation, one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the nation.  They discussed international issues as the role of the government and social services, public health, and education with TBF's President and CEO, Paul Grogan.  Mr. Grogan also presented at the 2010 JWLI Forum held in two Japanese cities this summer.

In addition to time spent on site at Web of Benefit, other highlights for this week include visiting the Elizabeth Stone House, the Boston Women's Commission, and attending a course at the Harvard Extension School.

Pictured from left to right:

Keiko, Kazue, Eriko, and Chisato

Fellows Program Description

The last two weeks have been full of preparations for the Fellows program.  I'd like to share with you one of the fruits of CGO's labor: the 2010 Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative Fellows Program Description (pdf link).  This document is a primer to the US-based, month-long nonprofit management and women's leadership program and is used for recruiting Fellows as well as advance reading for the incoming Fellows.  Please take a look!

One, two, three, four, five

One month

Two countries

Three presentations

Four Fellows

 Five weeks to go!

One month
So much has happened in the last month! 

Two countries
The Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative continues to increase cultural exchange between Japan and the United States.

Three presentations
Patricia Deyton, Faculty Director of the Center for Gender in Organizations at Simmons School of Management, Atsuko Fish of the Fish Family Foundation and Simmons College Trustee, and Paul Grogan, President and CEO of The Boston Foundation have returned from a week in Japan as part of the first Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative (JWLI) Seminar and Forum. The Seminar and Forum Program, a three-year series of seminars and workshops designed to educate a broader audience about the value of the nonprofit sector, its potential role in addressing social issues in Japan and opportunities for leadership for women is funded by the United States-Japan Foundation and continues social change and women’s leadership efforts begun with the JWLI Fellows Program, now entering its fourth year at the SOM.

The JWLI Seminar and Forum Program provides an opportunity for many women and men to learn about the American style of philanthropy, encourage more learning about effective nonprofit management, and inspire women to become leaders in the nonprofit sector. Through the course of the week, Professor Deyton, who has over 30 years of experience at the highest executive levels in the nonprofit sector and Mr. Grogan, President and CEO of one of the largest and most influential community foundations in the United States, delivered lectures in the cities of Tokyo and Fukuoka to over 250 people. They also met with business leaders and representatives of several groups interested in becoming partners with the Forum Program. Mrs. Fish and Professor Deyton also spoke to 100 students at Showa Women’s University in Tokyo, an undergraduate college with a campus in Boston.

Combining the Seminar and Workshop Program with the continuation of the US based JWLI Fellows Program creates the beginning of a social movement in Japan that addresses and furthers the overall mission of JWLI to teach and support Japanese women to become leaders for progress and agents of change in the nonprofit sector. The JWLI Seminar and Workshop Program will build upon the potential of many positive developments in Japan, creating a dialogue for a change-oriented agenda and building a base for solidifying the gains already made by Japanese women.

Four Fellows
In addition, while in Japan, Patricia Deyton and Atsuko Fish interviewed candidates for the 2010 Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative Fellows Program.  The Fellows Program is funded by the Fish Family Foundation.

CGO is proud to announce the following women have been chosen as Fellows:

Kazue is currently pursuing her PhD in Sociology with a focus on family issues. She has professional experience in the corporate sector as well as an educator. She has a long involvement with cultural exchange programs.

Keiko retired from working in marketing for luxury brands. She now runs her own consulting firm in Tokyo. Participating in the Fellows Program satisfies her longtime goal of attending Simmons College.

Chisato holds a Masters Degree in Sociology with a focus on Corporate Social Responsibility. She has professional experience in both the corporate and NGO sectors.

Eriko holds a Masters Degree in Social Science with a focus on gender issues. She has worked for various Japanese NGOs for the past several years.

Five weeks
In just five weeks, the 2010 Fellows will arrive in Boston.  Keep checking back for more CGO updates!

Busy summer days

Life is busy here at the Center for Gender in Organizations as we prepare for the JWLI Forum taking place in Tokyo and Fukuoka in two weeks.  In addition to the lecture series, CGO with our partner BPW Japan, will be interviewing women for the 2010 Fellows Program.

Here are the times and dates of the seminar
"The Time Has Come: NGOs Can Change Society (The Leadership Role of Women in Society)"

Date in Tokyo: June 27 (Sunday)
Time: 13:30-16:30
Venue: Tokyo “Josei to Shigoto no Mirai-kan” 4th floor
Add: 5-35-3, Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Tel: 03-5444-4151

Date in Fukuoka, Kyushu Island: June 29 (Tuesday)
Time: 18:30-21:00
Venue: Fukuoka “Cloth Fukuoka International Hall” 4th floor

Women changing Japanese culture

One of the goals of the JWLI Fellows Program is to encourage women to be leaders in Japanese communities and society.  The following article illustrates some positive changes in Japan's corporate culture.

Japan ranked in 101st in the “gender gap index” study by the World Economic Forum, an international nonprofit that measured the economic opportunities and political empowerment of women by nation in 2009. Iceland ranked No. 1, while the U.S. was No. 31.

Japanese women make up just 9% of senior officials and managers—a tiny share compared to 43% in the U.S., 17% in China and 38% in France, according to data from the International Labour Office compiled by Catalyst Inc, a New York-based nonprofit that pushes for business opportunities for women.

Morra Aarons-Mele, the founder of consulting company Women Online and an expert on women’s professional development, thinks it’s not enough for a company to have smart women who know how to market to women, and says it’s more critical whether such women get to rise to leadership positions.

“If the Panasonic women’s products are simply a public relations stunt or a fun marketing idea that won’t go much further, then I do think they are unfairly typecasting women product designers,” she told The Associated Press.

“If these new programs help some women designers get noticed and promoted to a place where they can take the lead in designing many products, not just hair dryers, then I think it’s great.”
Whatever the wares, Yamada is confident her team of women has mastered the way to a Japanese woman’s heart—something she says her male counterparts and bosses can’t hope to match.

(full Japan Today article)

Changing culture

One of the goals of the Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative- both the Fellows Program and the Forum- is to inspire Japanese women and men to take on leadership roles in the nonprofit sector and thus impact social change in Japan.

Harvard Business Review offers Five Tips for Leading Campaigns for Culture Change:
Everyone agrees that culture is the hardest thing to change, whether ethics in the financial system or the eating habits of individuals. That's because change is not a decision like appointing a new CEO, nor is it an event like winning an election. Change is an ongoing campaign.

Even in a hierarchy, top officials can declare a new policy or restructure by fiat, but they can't change behavior without a campaign to win hearts and minds. If culture change is difficult within a company, it is even harder in looser systems such as communities and countries. (full HBR article)

HBR Article

Does Leadership Really Matter in Nonprofits?

It seems clear to me that leadership is the most important of the three legs nonprofit organizations stand on (the other two being strategy and capital). Nonprofits can develop sound strategies and attract sufficient capital, but without strong leaders at the helm, they're unlikely to deliver outstanding results. (full Harvard Business Review article)

Announcing recruitment for the 2010 JWLI Fellows Program

Click on the images below to enlarge the 2010 recruitment flier!

Springtime at the CGO

Spring has come to Boston!  As I look out my window, I see the Simmons campus full of blossoming trees and singing birds.

The CGO is hard at work preparing for the fourth cohort of the Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative.  Our colleagues at Business Professional Women- Japan are recruiting potential candidates.  Here in Boston, we are developing the program at each non-profit host site and planning other activities for the month long visit.

CGO also received some exciting news this week. 

The US-Japan Foundation, based in New York City, has approved funding for a three year grant to CGO at the Simmons School of Management to create the Japanese Women’s Leadership Initiative Seminar and Workshop Program in Japan.  The grant was approved by the Board of the US-Japan Foundation at its meeting on April 9, 2010.

The new program is based upon the success of the US based Japanese Women’s Leadership Program, now entering its fourth year at the SOM, coupled with the growing interest in nonprofit organizations because of the keen needs of society in Japan, the growth in recognition of the Japanese government of the value or nonprofits organizations and the interest of more women in Japan to take on leadership roles. The program is designed to provide a three-year series of seminars and workshops in Japan as part of the movement to create social change by strengthening the capacity of women to provide leadership and work effectively for change while educating a broader audience about the value of the nonprofit sector and its potential role in addressing social issues.

Goals of the JWLI Seminar and Workshop Program:
• To provide specific and valuable information to women and others in Japan about the potential of the nonprofit sector to create social change
• To provide specific information on effective nonprofit management
• To inspire Japanese women and men to take on leadership roles in the nonprofit sector

Target audiences for the seminars and workshops:
• Business and Professional Women (BPW)/Japan members and other women’s groups which are directly involved in the community.
• Junior politicians of the new party who are interested in addressing political systems.
• Business groups that are interested in corporate social responsibility and will influence politicians, communities and society for change.
• University students who may become excited about working for change in the nonprofit sector.

Topics for presentation in the seminars and workshops (first year):
• Effective management of nonprofit organizations
• Women’s leadership and empowerment
• The status and impact of the nonprofit sector in the US
• The role of women as leadership in the nonprofit sector
• Community organizing and relationships with government

Implementation:
The first program series will take place in late June/early July 2010 in the cities of Tokyo and Fukuoka.