IBM reviews

IBM does an incredible PR job of telling the world what a great place this is for women to work. Unfortunately, that promise is not well executed in many parts of the org. If you look at the majority of Executive women -- they are not in the power seats. Yes, there are many many women VPs and Directors. But - take a look at the roles they have and the influence they carry. Not even CLOSE to equal. There are obviously exceptions - which are trumpeted to the world. But the 'old boys network' dominates and nothing happens unless they approve. While not unique to IBM, tough women are still labeled the B word and tough men are super-stars. Double-standards can be observed on a regular basis. I was happier here when I knew less about this --- ignorance is bliss. This is not sour grapes - as I have been blessed with some great mentors. However, it is disheartening and I find it extremely difficult to mentor younger women w/o being somewhat dishonest. Our public face regarding gender diversity does not match our internal practices and/or reality.

Resource reductions without backfilling (at least in North America) leave too few resources overcommitted and burnt-out dreading the yearly review cycle. Intranet search bites (i.e. while there are a mind-numbing array of services available, finding them is never easy).