They have completed one of our training programs and are now executives, leaders, or managers. Discover our graduates and their testimonials. Join our community of ambitious women and propel your career today.
The A Effect supports organizations in their quest for gender parity by accelerating the advancement of their female talent. We help companies create a favourable context for women’s professional development, thanks to our unique programs.
Many studies have shown that more gender balance and diversity in the workplace translates to increased value and profitability for companies. To reap the full benefits of a diversified organization, companies must take concrete actions to accelerate the rise of their female talent at across all seniority levels.
is convinced she needs to change employers to get a promotion
(The A Effect x Globe and Mail Study, 2022)
believe that their organization does not offer challenging career paths for their female employees
(Gartner, Top 5 priorities for HR leaders in 2023)
(at least) in upper management would help the company bounce back more quickly and even outperform the competition
(McKinsey and Co)
observed in inclusive companies
(McKinsey, Women in the Workplace 2020 )
Our development programs give your female talent the tools to achieve their career goals and grow within your organization. Our research has shown that investing in women’s workplace advancement benefits your company on many levels: after completing our programs, 90% of our graduates report a strong sense of belonging to their organization and a desire to contribute to its future direction, and 82% have more internal responsibilities (including a promotion) 12 months after the Ambition Challenge.
A PROVEN METHOD
The Ambition Challenge and its French equivalent, the Défi 100 jours, help you accelerate the development of your talent pool at every level, by empowering women to embrace their ambition and better communicate it. The programs are based on the development of three key behaviours: boosting confidence, taking calculated risks, and developing influence.
The Défi Leadership (in French only) helps you develop tomorrow’s executives in your organization, by empowering women in senior management to embrace their leadership and strategic vision.
Club A (in French only) is the community of graduates of The A Effect. It increasesthe impact of our programs and supports the advancement of your female talent while developing their business networks.
The A Effect monitors the tangible transformation of more than 25 ambition and leadership behaviours in participants during their program. We also conduct a survey of our graduates, several months after completing one of our programs, to assess the lasting impact of their learning. These measurement tools are part of a rigorous methodology that allows us to acquire in-depth knowledge about ambitious women and expertise that benefits our clients.
I want my company to benefit from it
*The A Effect, “12 Months After” survey
say they feel more confident communicating their ambition, sharing their ideas with their team, and showcasing their strengths
Learn moretook on new responsibilities or a new higher-level or cross-sector position within their company
Learn moresay they feel a strong sense of belonging to their company (compared to 33% for all employees in North America)
Learn moresay they have taken initiatives to lead a new project in their company
Learn moreJon Clifton
Chief Executive Officer, Gallup
« Business units with engaged workers have 23% higher profit compared with business units with miserable workers. »
Women in the Workplace
McKinsey, 2022
“If companies don't take action, they risk losing not only their current women leaders but also the next generation of women leaders.”
Marie-Huguette Cormier
Mouvement Desjardins, Executive Vice-President, Human Resources and Communications
“I saw bold transformation take place for the vast majority of The A Effect participants. Women confided in me that the greatest insight was learning to dare.”
Benoit Froment, Vice-President Human Resources
CGI, Western and Southern Europe
“In the last round of appointments, 80% of the women promoted had done the Ambition Challenge.”
FALSE! A lack of gender parity affects everyone. When parity is achieved, it will benefit all genders and the community as a whole. Today, men are still viewed more positively when they behave in ways that fit gender stereotypes such as being the family breadwinner, showing little emotion, and working long hours. Some men who fall outside this framework are victims of unconscious bias at work and may even experience discrimination.
Fortunately, the more gender parity advances, the more these stereotypes are called into question, and the more the framework evolves. Everyone, men and women alike, is exposed to new leadership models in more diverse leaders and managers. By witnessing these new ways of finding fulfilment at (and outside) work, everyone can be a little more genuine, without worrying about being subjected to inequalities.
FALSE! The meritocratic system, according to which privileges acquired are entirely merit-based, has been refuted in recent years. The reality is that unconscious bias and structural barriers based on gender, ethno-cultural origin, and social background prevent the establishment of an equitable system for all. For example, performance is often cited as the key basis for pay raises. However, studies consistently show that for equal job performance, white men earn more than Black and Hispanic women and men.
Accelerating the achievement of gender parity depends on strategies that make many business processes more equitable for everyone.
FALSE! Gender roles are evolving, yet many men are held back by persistent male stereotypes. So, the more we move towards gender parity models of leadership, the more men will also benefit from better life balance.
Report Deloitte 2019: The Design of Everyday Men – North America
Article Les stéréotypes en entreprise sont un frein à la mixité femme homme (2nd paragraph) – France
FALSE! Every leader, no matter their gender, should be able to develop their own style based on personality, experience, and goals, and to flourish without the barriers of ever-persistent gender stereotypes. Of course, there are traits that are still associated with traditional gender conditioning of women and men. But now, we have to overcome this gendered conception to embrace the development of leadership that responds to the current needs of talent: more inclusive, more empathetic, etc.
Book “Remixer la mixité. Femmes + Hommes : parler et agir autrement” Marie-Christine Maheas, expert in Gender Balance in the Workplace, 2021.
FALSE. While women-only training programs can seem like attempts to “repair” them, this is not the case. Women face specific obstacles in their career paths because of systemic barriers and persistent gender stereotypes. To ensure equitable opportunity to advance in the corporate world as it is, women-focused training programs are crucial and make it possible to “enable free expression and share common experiences of inequality.”
Book “Remixer la mixité. Femmes + Hommes : parler et agir autrement” Marie-Christine Maheas, expert in Gender Balance in the Workplace, 2021.
The A Effect was born in 2015 out of the realization that achieving gender parity was a long way off, and we needed to accelerate it. Our in-depth understanding of the challenges currently hindering women’s careers in business, paired with our hands-on expertise in organizations, has helped us develop programs with real impact in overcoming the obstacles to women’s ambition.
