Here is an excerpt from Amy Whyte’s interview of Evelyn Orr for Talent Management magazine. It’s not enough to talk about the barriers facing women in the workplace. That’s why Korn Ferry’s Evelyn Orr researches the hard facts and puts them to practical use. To read the complete interview, check out all the resources, and sign up for a free subscription to the TM and/or Chief Learning Officer magazines published by MedfiaTec, please click here.

Photo of Evelyn Orr: Korn Ferry

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Evelyn Orr has spent the last seven years working with leadership research at Korn Ferry Institute. Now a senior director, she has translated that research into practical resources for leaders and organizations, authoring publications on leadership skills and development and offering tips and advice. But as a woman, an area of research that hits particularly close to home is women in leadership.

Orr spoke with Diversity Executive about the challenges female leaders face, and the ways to overcome them. Below are edited excerpts from her interview.

What are some key challenges that you’ve found that women face regarding leadership in the workplace?

Obviously, a primary challenge women face is gender bias. In a recent Newsweek article, Shanley Kane highlights the “brogrammer” culture of Silicon Valley and observes the factors that drive women out of the tech industry. “I don’t have a lot of advice,” she said. “There’s not a whole lot you can do to keep your career from being crushed by misogyny.”

But like most things in life, there are things we can’t control and things we can. I will focus on some key challenges that women can do something about.

Getting experience. Experiences build skill and prepare people for bigger, more challenging roles. Our research shows that women have had fewer business growth, operational and high-visibility experiences that provide crucial preparation for top jobs. Whether this experience gap is caused by women not being offered these experiences or women not seeking out these experiences, it is an obstacle to career progression.

Building confidence. Our research shows a confidence gap between men and women. All things being equal, when men and women have the same skills women tend to underestimate themselves and men tend to overestimate themselves. Additionally, women attribute success to external factors while men attribute success to their own abilities.

Not compromising values or key motivators. Korn Ferry research shows that women are highly motivated by challenging work, a collaborative workplace and meaningful accomplishments. Compared to their male counterparts, they tend to be less motivated by power and status. To the extent that women see executive roles being defined by power and status rather than opportunities for greater challenge, collaboration and accomplishment, they will be less drawn to executive roles.

What can be done — by both employers and women themselves — to overcome these challenges?

Employers and women have a shared responsibility for overcoming these gaps in the workplace. Here are a few recommendations:

Tap into what motivates high potential women. Reframe experiences and roles in terms of the challenge, the opportunity to collaborate and the chance to accomplish great things.

Offer women the right skill-building and high-visibility experiences that will develop their careers. Help women say yes to these experiences — tough experiences build skill and confidence.

Get women access to executives through mentoring and networking programs. Opportunities naturally arise for men to fraternize with other men. Employers may need to be more proactive and thoughtful to create forums for male executives to build relationships with high potential women.

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Here is a direct link to the complete interview.

Amy Whyte is a Diversity Executive editorial intern.