At The Pipeline, we have the privilege of working with organisations across all sectors of the economy to help them build more diverse and inclusive leadership teams. We’ve seen firsthand how deeply entrenched processes can inadvertently stifle progress toward gender equity in the workplace. One such process is the talent review.
For those in positions such as Head of Talent or Senior Business Partner for Talent, talent reviews are a critical tool in shaping the future of your organisation. You are responsible for identifying, developing, and promoting individuals who will lead the business into the future. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: the systems we often rely on, such as the 9-box grid, may not be doing enough to help women and individuals from historically marginalised groups reach senior levels.
The Problem with the 9-Box Grid
The 9-box grid is one of the most commonly used tools in talent reviews. It’s designed to assess both performance and potential, helping leaders make decisions about promotions, development and who to move out.
The grid plots an employee's current performance along the horizontal axis and future potential on the vertical axis, showing their contributions to date verus what they have to offer in the future. But while it offers a structured approach, it’s worth asking: how effective is this tool in driving female representation at senior levels?
The answer, sadly, is not very. In fact, the 9-box grid, when used without careful consideration of bias, can undermine your efforts to advance women in leadership.
A 2022 research study analysing data from nearly 30,000 employees revealed a concerning pattern: women were consistently given lower “potential” ratings than men, even though they received higher performance ratings. In practice, this means that women who excel in their current roles are still being overlooked for leadership positions because they’re deemed to have less potential than their male counterparts. This is a perfect example of systemic bias at work—bias that is not overt but deeply embedded in how we assess leadership potential.
This is also reflected in a recent LinkedIn Poll we conducted, which asked, "What do you think your organisation values most when conducting talent reviews?" The results revealed that 61% of respondents said their organisation prioritises performance, while 33% said potential, and 6% cited other factors. This imbalance highlights how potential is still considered secondary to performance, a trend that disproportionately affects women. Women may excel in their roles, yet their potential remains underappreciated, contributing to the ongoing gender gap in leadership.
Systemic Bias & Managerial Behaviour
When used without a lens on equity , the 9-box grid often reinforces unconscious biases. These biases, which all humans possess, lead to historically marginalised groups being systematically overlooked. For women, this can manifest in a number of ways. For instance, they may be rated lower on "potential" simply because they do not fit the traditional (often male-centric) image of leadership.
This creates what we call “managers as talent blockers.” The very people responsible for nurturing talent can unintentionally stymie women’s progress by failing to recognise their potential beyond their current roles. It’s worth reflecting on whether your managers are enabling or blocking the advancement of talented women. Do they default to certain behaviours that support male colleagues more readily? Are they rating potential through a narrow lens?
If you suspect systemic bias might be present in your talent reviews, you’re not alone. The issue is widespread but it can be addressed by re-evaluating the criteria by which talent is measured, ensuring that women are not being assessed on different or harsher terms than men.
Overlooked and Undermotivated
One of the most damaging outcomes of biased talent reviews is the lack of representation of women in leadership roles. When women are consistently overlooked, it not only limits their own career progression but also undermines the diversity of perspectives at the senior level. This absence of representation becomes a self-perpetuating cycle—without seeing women in leadership, the pathway remains invisible, which reinforces bias in talent review conversations and hinders meaningful change. This lack of visibility becomes a self-perpetuating cycle, women don’t see a path forward, they become demotivated, and then they leave.
When women who want to progress feel overlooked, organisations lose out on a crucial segment of their talent pool. The broader consequences of this are lack of innovation within the organisation, lower productivity and ultimately lower profitability. If women aren’t moving through the pipeline, they won’t reach leadership positions, and your organisation will continue to suffer from a lack of diverse perspectives in its decision-making processes.
How to Break the Cycle
Here are 5 steps you can take to ensure your talent review processes support gender equity:
- Review the Criteria for “Potential”: Assess whether your criteria for potential are fair and unbiased. Are they tied to concrete, measurable behaviours, or are they based on subjective perceptions? Consider whether these criteria inadvertently favour certain traits traditionally associated with male leadership styles.
- Unconscious Bias Training for Managers: Managers need to be aware of their own unconscious biases when assessing talent. Incorporating regular gender and bias training can help ensure they are making more objective evaluations.
- Audit Your 9-Box Grids: Look at the distribution of men and women across your 9-box grids. If women are consistently rated lower on potential, it’s time to reassess the criteria being used.
- Incorporate Diverse Perspectives into the Review Process: Ensure that women are not only participants in the review process but are also involved in shaping the criteria and discussions. This ensures that diverse perspectives are heard and considered.
- 5. Create Clear Paths for Advancement: Make sure that women have a visible and attainable path to leadership, it’s also important to see female role models in senior positions to ensure a healthy pipeline of aspiring women leaders Leadership Development Programmes designed specifically for women, such as those we run at The Pipeline, can play a key role in helping women see and take the next step in their careers.
Final Thoughts
Gender-inclusive talent reviews are not just a nice-to-have, they are essential if your organisation is serious about increasing female representation at senior levels. By examining tools like the 9-box grid through the lens of bias and inclusivity, you can ensure that your talent reviews do more than just assess current performance and potential, they can become powerful drivers of gender equity.
It’s time for organisations to move beyond the status quo and actively work to dismantle the systemic biases embedded in our talent review processes. Only then will we see true progress toward gender equity in leadership. And at The Pipeline, we are here to help you make that change.
"We help global organisations develop, promote and retain women of all ethnicities from early career through to ExCo level. This includes initial organisational assessment through to outcome-driven leadership development programmes and coaching. Get in touch with us today."
Ben Eason, as the Digital Lead of The Pipeline, is a prominent advocate for gender diversity and focused on fostering diversity in leadership roles. He strives to break down barriers and promote the advancement of women in the corporate world.
