Case Study: What Spark has gained from a diversified board

Spark NZ chairwoman Justine Smyth.

COMMENT by Justine Smythe:

The Spark board has had a 50:50 gender split for the past couple of years.

As a result of the equal balance of men and women on the Spark board, I observe a more lively and rigorous debate of the issues, which I credit to the broader range of perspectives contributed. I think it has also brought a positive contribution in terms of customer understanding, intuition and empathy. Plus, the lack of "group think" inevitably leads to deeper questioning and engagement.

The diversity of opinions represented means that board discussions can be messier and take up more time. However, I view an important part of my role as chair is to ensure the range of views are not only represented but listened to, so ultimately better decisions are made by our board.

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Although it's always tricky to make comparisons, I think that we have made bolder decisions for Spark as a result of having a more diverse board.

Gender balance on a board does not happen by chance – it takes a deliberate effort and it takes time. As an organisation we lead out on seeking a gender balance on our board and one of the huge pluses is that this "top-down" approach has had a direct impact and flow on right through Spark's organisational culture. The executive leadership team of Spark is also now 50 per cent female and this, in my view, is inspirational to the amazing talent we have across our organisation.

I think another benefit of gender balance at board level is that it has led to a broader diversity and inclusion conversation and changes at Spark. In hindsight, I would go so far as to say that the cumulative culture change around Diversity & Inclusion at Spark was a prerequisite to the success of our organisation's change to collaborative Agile software development.

Justine Smythe is chairwoman of Spark NZ.