Influence of Gender Diversity in Boards on Family and Non-family Businesses Towards Innovation and Creativity

This article aims to understand better the impact of the diversity of gender in boards on the innovation and creativity of companies in the context of the structure of business—family businesses and non-family businesses. Based on women’s participation in decision-making and family firm literature, we argue that women directors/executives’ impact on decision-making will rely on their relative power and credibility within the board. These dynamics are especially crucial, bringing creativity to family firm’s boardrooms as well. The results show that increases in innovation and creativity with women’s presence in family firms’ boards are due mainly to outsider non-family and insider family women directors/executives. Even after the division of women directors into independent and non-independent directors, the finding suggests that women independent directors have an impact on the company’s innovations. Conversely, women chair minimal effects on the innovation and creativity advances of the businesses. Furthermore, In the family business, the influence of women managers and women independent managers on the innovation and creativity of a company is slightly stronger.

Gender Awareness and Women Managers in Tourism

The purpose of this chapter is to reveal women top-level managers' gender awareness in relation to two aspects: 1) perceptions of discrimination and 2) views of what could be done towards gender equality (by the state, organizations, and women themselves), so that more women can advance their careers. Women top-level managers in the Portuguese tourism sector were interviewed. The interview data suggests that discrimination might still be pervasive in the Portuguese tourism industry. However, many women do not perceive it as “real” discrimination and have contradictory discourses about it. Informants were also asked what could be done so that more women advance in their careers. They place the solution to the problem of gender equality mostly in women's hands. While some of the strategies proposed by women confront the gender order, others align with the status quo by ensuring that women “fit in” without challenging existing structures.

Women Managers and Generations

The number of women in organizations is increasing in most countries, but the representation of women in managerial positions is still disproportional. The percentage of women in leadership positions globally is only 29%. Grant Thornton annual survey 2019 reveals that India still ranks the fifth lowest in having women in managerial roles. Thus, though diversity at work is increasing, there are still fewer women in the boardroom. The main reason for this is the hurdles and obstacles that women managers face. The chapter studies the various obstacles faced by women managers. Also, it takes into account the role of generation and aims at comparing the hurdles faced by women managers belonging to Generations X and Y. The study is undertaken with special reference to the banking sector. Major findings reveal that there is a difference in obstacles faced by women managers belonging to Generations X and Y.

Business Leadership from a Gender Perspective and Its Impact on the Work Environment and Employee’s Well-Being in Companies in the Basque Country

If the workplace environment is good, the health and well-being of employees will be good too. This research aims to distinguish whether there are differences when it comes to being directed by a man or a woman and whether this affects employees. An ad hoc questionnaire was applied, collecting personal information and including the MLQ-6 S. It was sent by mail and answered by 549 employees of 16 companies in the Basque Country, Spain. A total of 277 (50.5%) men and 272 (49.5%) women participated, among whom there were 63 managers. The methodology shows a double perspective of how employees understand and perceive the differences between male and female business leaders and how managers see themselves exercising this leadership. No significant differences have been perceived. Both men and women believe they make their employees feel good about exercising leadership (M = 42.11%, W = 48.00%) quite often. Employed women consider it more challenging to become leaders and reconcile their work-life. Men do not think so. Communication is the tool that women managers know best how to handle and where men seem to fail more. Working on it could achieve more business success and better health in employees.

Advancing Female Corporate Leadership: A Comparative Analysis of Female Versus Male Leadership Behaviour in India

This article investigates whether women managers possess any specific leadership attributes which will enable them to be promoted to leadership positions on merit grounds. It also examines whether women encounter barriers, which impede their progress to the top. Data for our study were collected from a sample of 372 managers in leadership positions across India, half of whom were women and the other half were men. The survey was done through the administration of a 21-item questionnaire developed by the authors. Through the application of decision tree analysis, logistic regression analysis and discriminant analysis, we arrived at findings that have reasonable predictive accuracy. Our results suggest that women managers in leadership positions are significantly more likely to get reticent team members to participate at meetings than their male counterparts. This is our principal finding. This is significant, given that contemporary leadership emphasizes inclusivity and distributed leadership. This is because, as our data shows, while women managers are as good as men, they additionally possess an attribute which makes them better suited than men as leaders. Another finding is that many women leaders differ from men in that they often struggle with work–life balance challenges. The suggestion is that companies could offer more options to women to achieve work–life balance. The third finding is that women leaders are perceived as more empathetic than men. The implication is that all of these constitute business arguments favouring organizational support for competent women managers advancing to leadership positions. Data are from India, focussing on Indian managerial leadership.

Women’s Skills and Aptitudes as Drivers of Organizational Resilience: An Italian Case Study

The economic system has experienced heavy consequences caused by the recent pandemic. This paper investigates the interaction between the crisis and organization reaction, focusing on the female managerial role and contribution to overcoming the crisis in male-owned and managed companies. To achieve the research objectives, we used a qualitative research method based on an explorative case study. The results show that female managerial skills have fostered organizational resilience in terms of: (i) the attitude to change; (ii) the ability to promote new initiatives; and (iii) the ability to have initiated, consolidated, and managed solid formal relationships with institutional stakeholders. Our results also highlight the decisive contribution of corporate governance (even if male-oriented) in favoring the growth and autonomy of women in positions of responsibility. This contribution is evidenced by (iv) increasing delegation of roles and responsibilities in managing relationships with institutional stakeholders to women managers; and (v) recognizing women managers’ talents in terms of career progression. The originality of this work is represented by the survey that aims to determine how the female management of businesses managed and owned by men can foster the resilience of companies. On the other hand, this paper investigates how female leadership drives organizational resilience during unexpected shocks, opening an interdisciplinary viewpoint.

The role of organizational and individual-level factors for the inclusion of women managers in Japan

Purpose This study aims to analyze and contrast the role of organizational and individual level factors in influencing the effective participation of women managers in decision-making in Japanese business organizations. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative study based on 21 in-depth interviews with women and men in managerial positions in Japanese organizations is adopted. Findings Results show that gender equality structures and practices are not effectively institutionalized within Japanese organizations. In particular, corporate social responsibility programs are perceived by women respondents to be formally adopted to gain legitimacy in the eyes of foreign investors. However, they lack effectiveness in giving the woman manager a “voice” in business decisions. Organizational practices such as leadership development and mentoring are generally not evident in the organizations analyzed. Conversely, the personal traits of the woman manager, such as determination, self-confidence and “being able to confront men colleagues” are the factors perceived to be crucial in influencing women’s participation in decisions. Social implications The study suggests that to increase the weight of women managers in Japanese organizations’ decision-making, action is still needed within organizations to create a true diversity-culture. Additionally, action at the educational level has to remove women’s own self-segregation. Originality/value The study offers novel evidence on the “glass ceiling” in Japanese businesses by investigating whether women’s access to management positions corresponds to effective decision power. The study also highlights the key enabling factors, therefore contributing to the analysis of how to create more effective gender “diversity” within Japanese businesses.

Tales of challenge and resolution: narratives of women middle managers in the South African public service

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the challenges and resolution tactics of women middle managers in the South African public service. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews was used as a data collection technique. Narrative analysis was used with a sample of 20 women middle managers working within the South African public service. Findings Narratives of challenges faced by women middle managers in the South African public service included relational issues, with a subtle undermining of women managers, challenges rooted within the socio-cultural milieu – perversely undermining the experience of being a manager and challenges stemming from public service in general such as corruption, in turn, questioning the ability of women managers to handle such. In addressing these challenges, the women middle managers exercised three individual performative actions in response to the identified challenges. These include using direct confrontation, relying on networks for guidance and relying on indirect confrontation. Research limitations/implications Sample size challenges feature as a notable limitation including the research being conducted in only one political province of South Africa. Caution should be exercised when seeking to generalise the findings to other contexts. Practical implications Understanding the challenges and resolution tactics of women middle managers can be a useful precursor to management development interventions. Originality/value The study answers call for more processual career and management development studies that help understand not only challenges but also resolution strategies. This study illustrates both the difficulty of this and ensures opportunity for the advancement of women in management.