Change Management Coaching: Transforming Attitudes and Practices for Gender Inclusion
This case study describes d.light's journey in reshaping workplace perspectives and fostering greater gender inclusion through change management coaching in the historically male-dominated clean energy sector. The main objective of this work was to increase women's representation across the organisation.
Facing challenges like gender norms and gender-neutral recruitment practices, d.light partnered with Value for Women and FMO on a gender inclusion technical assistance (TA) project, during which a team of department heads and HR professionals were onboarded onto a change management coaching programme. This comprehensive coaching programme focused on two strategies: change management coaching for senior and middle management and strengthening the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (PoSH) policy.
The outcomes were transformative. Within six months, women's representation increased from 3.5% to 11%, countering stereotypes in finance, HR, sales, marketing, and supply chain management. Survey results showcased an uptick in management's commitment to gender inclusion, and unintended positive outcomes included improved workplace culture and motivation.
The
strengthened PoSH provisions achieved 100% awareness among employees
and committee members. Survey data revealed improved recognition of
harassment, from 26% to 41%, and increased comfort in reporting
incidents, from 77% to 86%.
Key
success factors included ownership, buy-in from leadership, a
well-aligned program structure, diverse participant representation, and a
focus on sustainability. The coaching program not only achieved its
gender balance targets but also positively impacted employee engagement,
indicating broader positive outcomes for the company.
As a Gender and Business Expert at Value for Women, Mansi provided technical assistance to— and leads research and business strategy development with— SMEs, investors, and other ecosystem actors towards more equal business practices. In her previous roles, Mansi worked at BSR, a global sustainability advisory where she worked as a consultant with the Women's Empowerment practice. Prior to that Mansi worked with the corporate sustainability team at BESTSELLER. Additionally, she is a SA8000 Certified Social Auditor and a Certified Learning and Development Professional with expertise in varied psychometric tools including MBTI and FIRO-B.
A seasoned international development professional, Sarah brings to Value for Women her prior experience successfully leading a broad range of initiatives for non-governmental organizations, the government of Rwanda and consultancies, with a focus on gender, equality and women’s rights, and economic empowerment. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Sussex, and a Master’s in Education, Gender and International Development from the University of London.
Cavelle Dove has 20 years of international development experience in Southeast Asia and Africa. With a Master's in finance, she has spent a decade working with women entrepreneurs to improve their business skills, and help them access relevant financial products and services. Prior to this, Cavelle was the gender lead for UNCDF, where she established a Fintech Innovation Fund to improve women’s financial capability and led policy engagement to improve workplace gender equality initiatives and develop gender smart financial products with microfinance institutions and private banks.
Renée is a Portfolio Lead with Value for Women. She oversees, manages and delivers a global portfolio of innovative gender and business projects, working with impact investors, businesses, and entrepreneurial ecosystem actors. Renée brings to her work a background in financial and digital inclusion, innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystems, along with a passion for supporting women’s empowerment. She has previously worked with Cenfri as Project Lead for the i2i Facility in South Africa, as well as with Divitel in the Netherlands.
Shoshana is an Advisor – Knowledge Management & Communications at Value for Women. Shoshana oversees product conceptualization and technical writing for the organization's publications, ranging from research and evaluation reports to case studies and podcasts. Shoshana brings over 15 years of international development experience in both leadership and field positions across sectors, notably with the Inter-American Development Bank, Danone, Chemonics, TechnoServe and local non-governmental organizations.
With over eight years of experience in market research, strategy development and communications in the agriculture, sanitation and renewable energy sectors, Carlette Chepn'geno leverages her experience to derive insights on strategies and entry points for gender inclusion for clients. Her expertise lies in project management, supply chain development, product and service development, business model development, and people management.
