European BPW Congress, 7 - 10 June 2000, in Tallin, Estland

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European BPW Congress, 7 - 10 June 2000, in Tallin, Estland

New Millenium - New Challenges

Keynote speech:

Dr. Antoinette Rüegg, First Vice President BPW International

On behalf of BPW International a cordial welcome to you all and a thank you to our host BPW Estonia and to the European Committee for organising this Congress.

New Millenium - New Challenges

In the new millenium, a lot of very interesting challenges have to be faced.

Let me mention 5 of them:

1. Networks
2. Globalisation
3. Information Technologie
4. Women and Men as One Team in all Executives
5. Lifelong Learning

Since we have come together as BPW, I would like to focus on the question: ”How can our network help us to meet the challenges of the new Millenium?”

C h a l l e n g e s

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Needless to say, we can also face these challenges without BPW. However, we will master them much better if we can rely on our network.

• In the first part of my presentation I would like to show how the support of BPW can increase our competences with respect to these challenges.
• In a second part, I will concentrate on a crucial point: We should not only use BPW but we must also invest in it. The image of a cow that cannot only be milked, but also requires care and nourishment might not be an elegant metaphor, but definitely it's a clear one!

1. Networks

I will start with the networks because we are a network and they will play a prominent role in the new millennium for the following reasons:

• In a world which is continually moving faster and becoming more and more complex, there is a need for organisations capable of operating flexibly, selectively, purposefully, across borders and of being in an open and direct dialogue with their members.
• Another reason is the weakening influence of individual countries in the 21st century. As you might know, the yearly budget of smaller countries is already smaller than the one of some multinational firms. The influence of these “Global Players” will continue to grow.

In this field international networks or Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs) such as a Club of Rome, WWF, Amnesty International, consumer organisations or smaller networks as ours will be important as flexible designers, as representatives of interests and as lobbyists.

If we compare our world to a chess set, it seems to me that the networks carry the role of the versatile knights.

And since this world has become a “global village”, networks representing

global interests have to be global; which leads us to the next challenge.

1. Globalisation

Are you aware of the fact that the women who founded BPW thought globally already in 1930?

This pioneering spirit of our predecessors fills me with pride.

BPW possesses an instrument that is globally active. Therefore the members have the opportunity to participate at international congresses, in international "Committees" or in projects and Clubs can twin with any Club all over the world. That all allows us to meet women with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds from over 100 countries.

In today’s world, where education, professional activities and careers are not confined by national borders, the required competencies can be well trained in an international network.

It is even possible to lose one’s fear of speaking foreign languages.

Here at BPW I met women who got the most out of their limited knowledge of second languages. So I decided: if they can do it, then I can do it too! These women who were not perfect, gave me the courage to make use of my languages and to develop them further.

Already 70 years ago, BPW forged contacts with international organisations. Today we maintain contacts with the International Labor Organisation (ILO), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations (UN) and their numerous subsidiary organisations such as UNESCO, UNICEF or UNCTAD and so on. The results of these contacts are covered regularly by our "BPW News International" which also appears on our homepage.

To give you only a small example of what can be done: Last month I attended a meeting of the United Nations on ”Women Entrepreneurs and Development" in Geneva. Various organisations were invited to present their programs supporting female entrepreneurs. BPW can act as intermediaries for such supportive programs to Federations or Clubs. However, what we need are women ready to take on such responsibilities on an honorary basis.

There are also national Federations which take their own initiative and participate in international projects, for example BPW Italy with its Project of the Mediterranean Region ("CRPM").

In the area of socio-politics, BPW put forward resolutions at its international congresses. These resolutions allow the Federations to receive international support.

BPW possesses a global knowhow that goes back 70 years. Take advantage of this knowhow. Go back to your Club and tell about your experiences at this congress. Encourage the members of your club to combine their next holiday with a BPW Congress. The experience of being able to communicate with people from all over the world reduces our fear of the unknown, widens our horizons and enhances our self-confidence. By the way, the a c t i v e participation at an international BPW Congress will probably boost your self-confidence much more than any seminar on self-confidence will.

In short our association supports us in becoming world citizens who think and act globally. World citizens make use of new information technologies, which leads us to the next challenge.

3. Information Technologies

Even if computers, e-mail and the internet still cannot be accessed by everyone, not even by all BPW; even if these technologies can be employed in destructive ways, this should not lead us to oppose them.

If they are employed in an intelligent way, these are t h e tools which enable women in particular to gain access to information and to professional opportunities, which were previously out of their reach.

They can receive educational programs which are tailored to their needs, keyword: ”Open Universities" and conquer importance, not only the niches, in the business world.

Often women lack the courage to seize new tools. A network can motivate them to do so by exerting a slight pressure, for instance if certain information is only accessible on websites or distributed by e-mail.

Many women explain their difficulties when installing and using information technology with their technical deficits. But don’t let yourself be discouraged! I have made the experience that salespeople often know little about their products, that software often is put on the market at an immature stage and instructors who really answer the questions you ask are truly rare birds. So, put the blame where it belongs and not on your own self-esteem. In this field "trial and error" is one of the most successful learning techniques, try it, you are neither untalented nor too old to master these new technologies. Recently a dear friend of mine had a unique wish for her 90th birthday: she wanted a computer with all the necessary technical applications. She has understood that this new technology will bring a new dimension into our society. Communication, education, media and the business world will change fundamentally in the new millennium - let’s shape these changes!

4. Women and Men as One Team in all Executives

Today it cannot be taken for granted that women and men work as one team in all executives. In our society men and women are not yet fully aware that our professional behaviour still have a lot to do with "reproductive behaviour". Here I do not mean love affairs at work, they can be identified relatively easily but behaviours such as the attempt to impress, pecking orders, courtship, rivalry or "breeding and feeding", women usually being capable of the latter.

As a biologist I know that "reproductive behaviours" in the widest of the word, i.e. untill the ofspring is sexually mature, plays an important role in evolution. That's why reproduction is the most important duty of a living being. However, this does not mean that our behaviour is completely controlled by our genes. "Homo sapiens sapiens" has a cerebral cortex whose grey cells enable human beings to break away from given patterns and to build up cultures.

I am aware that in the short time available I can only draw a very rough sketch and I cannot argue fully and differentiatedly. Nevertheless I would like to risk to explain this point further.

The question which aspects of this “reproductive behaviour” are most useful for leaders and which ones are not, has to be asked very seriously.

Do you know leader groups where showing off, the insistence on steep hierarchies or the boundless urge to be the first, the best, the highest, the greatest, the strongest or the most powerful at any price, where all these patterns of behaviour take on grotesque forms? Do you know managerial bodies who, in order to reach immediate success, sacrifice everything that stands in their way, for whom sustainability or holistic perception is only for the unsuccessful or the foolish? Do you know leading teams where failures are masterly turned into successes and people unwilling to play this kind of game are unscrupulously downrated or put aside?

Luckily, there is an increasing number of men and women who are reflecting on their own patterns of behaviour in a critical and intelligent way and show "reproductive behaviour" where it is adequate.

"Reproductive behaviour" in the wrong place is also widespread among women and prevents many from taking on leading positions with large responsabilities.

Have you ever noticed how many women live through others and for others, even after their children have become independent? They live through the success of their husbands, sons, friends or bosses by putting their own potential to their services.

This pattern can be observed even into the work of associations. Filled with pride, the wife of a chief executive of a Service-Club told me that she did all the association work for her husband, adding that she administered 5 metres of files! When I heard this, I remembered my 10 metres of files and my husband. This woman was so skillful that without doubt she would have been capable of taking on her husband's responsibilities, which would in reality have been possible, since this association accepts female members. Why does this woman let her husband put himself into the limelight with her work? What is it that makes her role so attractive?

Although I look positively on networks which are open to both men and women, for the time being I prefer the network BPW. Here, there are no men behind whom women can place themselves or whom they can use as a front. Women who want to take over responsibilities as leaders must learn to stand up for something at a front position, to formulate their opinion clearly, to give up the silent or expectant roles of victims and to use their strength not only when reacting, but also for acting.

In the new millennium, both men and women are challenged to use their "reproductive behaviour" where it makes sense, which will save a lot of energy. Here, our association makes an important contribution: Let’s take advantage of this training ground!

5. Lifelong learning

Who of you still enjoys learning today?

The ability to learn and the enjoyment of learning should stay with a human being for life, if it's possible to pursue one‘s true questions.

At schools however many questions are asked, but usually they are not those that pupils or students ask themselves. For instance, when students are presented with the topic of the “skin” at school, they are not primarily interested in the anatomic structure of the skin, which every textbook starts with. Rather, the students ask questions such as : What is skin cancer? What can be done against acne? Why does every person have different fingerprints or what turns some parts of the skin into erogenous zones? Unfortunately, the answers to these questions have not yet found their way into the textbooks.

With time, young people learn to ignore their own questions and to feel that they are irrelevant or even stupid. If one’s own questions die away, the motor of lifelong learning also dies with them. But fortunately, human beings are very robust and the questions can come back to life in a beneficial environment. A job, a hobby, friends or a network such as BPW can be an ideal learning ground. Different subjects, experts, competences, characters, generations, nations, cultures and languages are available and all of this in an atmosphere of friendship. Here, we have the opportunity to learn along our own questions, along our individual needs: Information about the opening of businesses or the provision for old age, experiences with electronic - commerce or business relations with former Eastern Bloc countries, competences for media contacts or project management. It’s up to you to organise these learning situations for yourselves. You also can choose from the most efficient learning methods such as:

1. "Learning by doing": For example, you have to write a communiqué for the press.
2. "Learning by role models": You make the most out of your limited language competences as others BPW do.
3. "Learning by teaching": You explain a newly adopted law about money – transfers.
4. "Just-in-time - Learning": You inform yourself of the troubles of buying office space.

It’s difficult to get away from lifelong learning in BPW, only few women manage.

From the biological point of view, human beings are able to learn during their whole life. But one point has to be clear: learning is not only fun, it can also be quite exhausting!

As you are probably aware, organisations also have to learn during their whole life; that’s where the term “Learning Organisations” comes from. In this respect BPW is a star because the association has managed several important changes. I will mention only the one which organisation developers consider impossible. BPW, that means the delegates from close to 80 countries agreed on one name and one logo, although each country had their own name and logo for a long time. This is a brilliant achievement and if we continue to work like this, then we and our association are ready for all challenges of the new millennium.

At the end of the first part, let me return to my list of challenges as a summary:

1. Networks: The flexible and versatile organisations of the future.
2. Globalisation: Become active also on the international B P W level.
3. Information Technologie: T h e perfect professional tool for women.
4. Women and Men as One Team in all Executives: B o t h genders should reflect on their "reproductive behaviour" concerning leadership.
5. Lifelong Learning: Ask your o w n questions and look for answers.

If we want to face the challenges of the new millennium with the help of our network, we need a sound organisation. You will surely remember the rather inelegant image of a cow that can’t only be milked but has to be nurtured and cared for. A network, especially an honorary one, risks that it might be benefited from intensely, but care is only brought up when the cow suffers from indigestion, breaks a leg or is emaciated to the bone.

When I took on the responsability for “Membership” in Vancouver, I consulted our archive and put together the member statistics of every federation in the past 20 years.

Dear BPW, the results are not flattering, the situation is serious.

The development of membership figures shows three trends:

1. We have a much too large number of Federations whose membership rates have been decreasing for a long time, without the Federations being able to stop nor to reverse this trend.
2. We have Federations who seem to follow the proverb "small is beautiful" that is their membership figures have been hovering around 100 for many years, which really signifies that there is too much to die, but also too little to get a certain influence.
3. Some Federations are growing and prospering, which is a real pleasure. They stand their ground against rival associations. These Federations must let us know what their secrets are.

What should we do that every Federation has rising membership figures within three years, at the next European Congress in Taormina, Italy, in 2003?

I’m making this suggestion especially because I know that there are still a lot of women who would be enthusiastic about the network BPW, if only they knew about it. Now it's time to reach these women, since they can be highly motivated future members. Let's also include the VIPs in BPW, members can offer many different kinds of support. And let's also welcome "Young BPW", they are our future and our "Young BPW Committees" achieve a lot, let us support them.