Women at the Top

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol T. Kulik ◽  
Isabel Metz
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms

There is now an international agenda to increase women’s representation at the top of organizations. This agenda is driven in part by a business case arguing that gender diversity brings value, particularly economic value, to organizations. In this article, we review the empirical evidence linking women’s representation in senior leadership roles to countable, verifiable organizational outcomes (e.g., organizational financial performance, practices, and demographics). We consider women’s impact when they are CEOs, directors on corporate boards, members of the top management team, and managers. We conclude that women at the top have an impact on organizational outcomes, but this impact is more visible on organizational practices and organizational demography than on financial performance. We recommend that researchers studying the gender-performance link at the organizational level make their theoretical perspectives explicit, distinguish among mediating mechanisms, be selective in their outcome choices, and increase their emphasis on contextual moderators.

Women at the Top

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol T. Kulik ◽  
Isabel Metz
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
Mediating Mechanisms

There is now an international agenda to increase women’s representation at the top of organizations. This agenda is driven in part by a business case arguing that gender diversity brings value, particularly economic value, to organizations. In this article, we review the empirical evidence linking women’s representation in senior leadership roles to countable, verifiable organizational outcomes (e.g., organizational financial performance, practices, and demographics). We consider women’s impact when they are CEOs, directors on corporate boards, members of the top management team, and managers. We conclude that women at the top have an impact on organizational outcomes, but this impact is more visible on organizational practices and organizational demography than on financial performance. We recommend that researchers studying the gender-performance link at the organizational level make their theoretical perspectives explicit, distinguish among mediating mechanisms, be selective in their outcome choices, and increase their emphasis on contextual moderators.

Latin America's management gender parity will be slow

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Business Outcomes ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Gender Parity ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
Economic Trends ◽  
Management Roles ◽  
Female Presence

Subject Women's representation in management and company boards. Significance While reports show that women in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are increasingly taking on more management roles, these rarely extend to the highest positions of leadership, including board positions. Growing evidence links women’s representation in these senior leadership positions to improved business outcomes. Impacts High rates of women’s workforce participation may help to offset economic trends that threaten to boost poverty. Gender parity is rising, but many obstacles to an increased female presence in senior management persist. Shareholders will seek more gender diversity in management as the business case for gender diversity builds.

scholarly journals The Business Case for Women Leaders: Meta-Analysis, Research Critique, and Path Forward

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (6) ◽  
pp. 2473-2499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny M. Hoobler ◽  
Courtney R. Masterson ◽  
Stella M. Nkomo ◽  
Eric J. Michel
Keyword(s):  
Financial Performance ◽  
Women Leaders ◽  
Boards Of Directors ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Top Management Teams ◽  
Women's Leadership ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Women’S Representation

Since the 1990s, a growing body of research has sought to quantify the relationship between women’s representation in leadership positions and organizational financial performance. Commonly known as the “business case” for women’s leadership, the idea is that having more women leaders is good for business. Through meta-analysis ( k = 78, n = 117,639 organizations) of the direct effects of women’s representation in leadership (as CEOs, on top management teams, and on boards of directors) on financial performance, and tests that proxy theoretical arguments for moderated relationships, we call attention to equivocal findings. Our results suggest women’s leadership may affect firm performance in general and sales performance in particular. And women’s leadership—overall and, specifically, the presence of a female CEO—is more likely to positively relate to firms’ financial performance in more gender egalitarian cultures. Yet taking our findings as a whole, we argue that commonly used methods of testing the business case for women leaders may limit our ability as scholars to understand the value that women bring to leadership positions. We do not advocate that the business case be abandoned altogether but, rather, improved and refined. We name exemplary research studies to show how different perspectives on gender, alternative conceptualizations of value, and the specification of underlying mechanisms linking leadership to performance can generate changes in both the dominant ontology and the epistemology underlying this body of research.

Board Gender Diversity, Financial and Social Performance of Indian Firms

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 361-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeti Khetarpal Sanan
Keyword(s):  
Corporate Governance ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Diversity Index ◽  
Social Performance ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Natural Logarithm ◽  
Gender Diverse

Gender diversity of boards is an important dimension of corporate governance but there have been limited studies in this regard using Indian data. The present study is motivated by the need to extend research on impact of gender diverse boards, an integral element of corporate governance, in the Indian context. Specifically, the study investigates impact of gender-wise heterogeneous boards on financial and social performance of Indian firms. The sample consists of 54 companies drawn from Economic Times ranking, spread over widely different industry segments, 38 of which belong to the private sector and 16 to the public sector. The study uses Blau’s diversity index to capture gender diversity of the Board. With regard to financial performance, this study uses accounting-based return on capital employed (ROCE) as a proxy measure because accounting-based measures more effectively capture the internal efficiency of firms. In order to measure social performance, the research develops firm-specific corporate social responsibility score (CSRS) using the KLD (Kinder, Lyderberg, & Domini) assessment parameters namely shareholder relationships, environment, product, community and employee relations. Controlling for variables such as firm size (measured by natural logarithm of assets), leverage (measured by debt to equity ratio) and board size (measured by natural logarithm of number of people constituting the board) that might impact financial and social performance, the study examines interrelationship with gender diversity using regression analysis. Results of the current research do not find a significant association of gender diversity of corporate boards with financial performance of firms. Also, the study is unable to establish significant association between gender diversity of boards and social performance. The study concludes that relationship between this element of corporate governance and firm performance in India requires investigation over a longer duration. This line of research is expected to provide useful insights into whether there is a business case for gender diverse corporate boards. This input would have significant firm-specific and public policy implications.

scholarly journals A rights-based approach to board quotas and how hard sanctions work for gender equality

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-468 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Laure Humbert ◽  
Elisabeth K Kelan ◽  
Kate Clayton-Hathway
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
European Data ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
Contextual Environment ◽  
Better Than

This article examines whether progress in women’s access to decision-making positions is best achieved through increased levels of development or targeted actions. Drawing on European data for the period 2006–2018, the article examines the association between how gender equal a country is and legislated measures such as board quotas with women’s representation on boards. The analysis then explores how this can be nuanced by differentiating between hard sanctions, soft sanctions and codes of governance. It shows that board quotas cannot be relied upon as instruments of progress independently of a contextual environment that is more gender equal. Furthermore, board quotas with hard sanctions work best, followed by codes of governance, particularly when associated with higher gender equality. However, board quotas with soft sanctions are associated with results that are only marginally better than not having any measure in place. The article concludes that for further and faster progress to be made, introducing legislated board quotas shows great potential, though only in combination with striving for a gender equal society and using hard sanctions. The results call for organizations not to lose focus on ‘rights’ at the expense of the more palatable ‘business case’ for board quotas when striving for equality on corporate boards.

Rationales of gender diversity management policies and practices in India: an exploratory empirical study in the Indian IT/ITeS industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (6) ◽  
pp. 667-688
Author(s):  
Shreyashi Chakraborty ◽  
Leena Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Survey Methodology ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Diversity Management ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Indian Context ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
Policies And Practices

PurposeThe Indian context is marked with weak anti-discrimination laws and patchy implementation of protection of civil rights of women at workplaces. The purpose of this paper is to unearth the rationales of the adoption of gender diversity management policies and practices in India, in the absence of laws and regulations.Design/methodology/approachInspiration is drawn from previous studies on diversity management in other national contexts, and a survey methodology was adopted. The lead researcher administered the questionnaires personally to all respondents to ensure that the understanding of the questions is uniform across respondents as gender diversity management is a relatively new concept in India.FindingsSize of the organisation (number of full-time employees), the influence of external organisations and perceived enhanced organisational flexibility were found to explain the adoption of gender diversity management policies and practices in the Indian IT/ITeS industry. Findings also indicate that Indian subsidiaries of foreign multinationals tend to adopt more gender diversity management policies and practices as compared to Indian-owned organisations.Research implicationsThis study provides evidence that organisations do not always enact structures or behaviours in the pursuit of normative rationality and also consider the economic value of them, establishing an organisational agency in adopting legitimated norms or practices. The study also shows that gender diversity management policies and practices are not only dependent on the enactment of laws but also are adopted because of the economic benefit perceived.Originality/valueDiversity management policies and practices have been mostly studied in national contexts with anti-discrimination laws or affirmative action programs and have been claimed to be a successor of equal employment opportunity (EEO) policies. In the absence of stringent laws to reduce or eliminate discrimination against women employees in Indian workplaces, this study contributes to the literature by determining whether the business case for gender diversity drives the adoption of gender diversity management in the Indian context.

The View at the Top or Signing at the Bottom? Workplace Diversity Responsibility and Women’s Representation in Management

ILR Review ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 223-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E. Graham ◽  
Maura A. Belliveau ◽  
Julie L. Hotchkiss
Keyword(s):  
Management Practice ◽  
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Workplace Diversity ◽  
Company Performance ◽  
Women's Representation ◽  
Women’S Representation ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

Women lag men in their representation in management jobs, which negatively affects women’s careers and company performance. Using data from 81 publicly traded firms with more than 2,000 establishments, the authors examine the impact of two management structures that may influence gender diversity in management positions. The authors find no association between the presence of an HR executive on the top management team—a structure envisioned in practice as enhancing diversity but which could, instead, operate merely symbolically—and the proportion of women in management. By contrast, the authors show a strong, positive association between a previously unexamined measure of commitment to diversity—the hierarchical rank of the individual certifying the company’s required, confidential federal EEO-1 report—and women’s representation in management. These findings counter the common perception that the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) regulations are too weak to affect gender diversity. The authors discuss the implications for diversity scholarship, as well as for management practice and public policy.

scholarly journals Multiple Layers of Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards: To Force or Not to Force?

2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Du Plessis ◽  
James O'Sullivan ◽  
Ruth Rentschler
Keyword(s):  
Best Practice ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Corporate Board ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Historical Perspectives ◽  
Board Gender Diversity ◽  
The Right

This article examines diversity on corporate boards, focussing on gender diversity and taking both contemporary and historical perspectives. Australia forms a particular focus of this article, but, as far as mandatory quota legislation is concerned, other jurisdictions provide comparisons. The authors illustrate how Australian corporate board gender diversity is starting from a low base in contrast to some other types of boards. Arguments for and against more women on boards are analysed in order to provide a comprehensive examination of extant research. The article also examines briefly whether a business case can be made for board gender diversity within the wider framework of board diversity. The authors acknowledge that there are unanswered questions about the right gender balance on boards and whether, without mandatory quota legislation, a voluntary system can achieve best practice targets. They explore the notion of critical mass - the idea that, upon board representation reaching approximately 15 per cent, efforts to further redress the imbalance may lose momentum. Their conclusion is that, in the Australian jurisdiction, progress is being made belatedly towards increasing gender diversity on corporate boards. However, substantial challenges are envisaged if significant progress is not made imminently to increase the number of women serving on corporate boards.

A review of work–life programs and organizational outcomes

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kohinur Akter ◽  
Muhammad Ali ◽  
Artemis Chang
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Organizational Outcomes ◽  
Business Case ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Organizational Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

PurposeWork–life programs research has been conducted at the individual and organizational levels, yet one important question remains unanswered: Do work–life programs improve organizational outcomes?Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a systematic literature review of the impact of work–life programs (bundles versus separate programs) on outcomes at the organizational level. A systematic selection process was adopted, resulting in a final sample of 35 articles published in 26 peer-reviewed journals from 1990 to 2019.FindingsThe findings suggest that these programs can result in positive, negative or no impact on organizational outcomes, depending on the study design, industry, organization size and country/region.Originality/valueThis review draws on quantitative and qualitative empirical studies to summarize, explain and refine the business case for work–life programs. The resulting framework provides directions for future research.

Contextualizing comprehensive board diversity and firm financial performance: Integrating market, management and shareholder’s perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. 634-678 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohail Hassan ◽  
Maran Marimuthu
Keyword(s):  
Firm Performance ◽  
Financial Performance ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Gender Diversity ◽  
Muslim Women ◽  
Listed Companies ◽  
Corporate Boards ◽  
Board Diversity ◽  
Firm Financial Performance

AbstractThe study investigates demographic diversity, cognitive diversity and internal diversity within Islam among top-level management of firms and their impacts on the financial performance of Malaysian-listed companies. In addition, Muslim and non-Muslim women and Islamic religious diversity on corporate boards are investigated. Even though numerous organisations desire to be socially diverse, the significance of diversity for organisational performance remains uncertain. Are profitable companies inclined to improve board diversity or do other characteristics of the company contribute to firm performance? Does the participation of Muslim and non-Muslim women on corporate boards affect firm performance? Does internal diversity within Islam affect firm performance? Data from 330 Malaysian-listed companies in eleven full fledged sectors were used for the period from 2009 to 2013. This study employed econometrics methodology from panel data analysis to fill the research gap in the current management literature. This study used the interaction approach to examine empirically diverse corporate boards and their impacts on firm performance. This discussion included: (1) a combination of gender diversity and ethnic diversity and (2) a combination of gender diversity and foreign participation. The findings suggest that demographic, cognitive and internal diversity within Islam are significant predictors of a firm’s financial performance. Ethnic women on boards have a significant and negative impact on firm performance. Hence, companies having high profits are more accountable for encouraging diversity among top-level management.

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