To read this content please select one of the options below:

The experience of women corporate inside directors on the boards of Fortune 1,000 firms

Deborah Dahlen Zelechowski (Deborah Dahlen Zelechowski is Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Robert Morris College, Chicago, Illinois, USA.)
Diana Bilimoria (Diana Bilimoria is Associate Professor, Department of Organizational Behavior, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.)

Women in Management Review

ISSN: 0964-9425

Article publication date: 1 November 2003

1808

Abstract

Inside directors are executives who hold the dual roles of officers of the firm and corporate board members. Six women inside directors from Fortune 1,000 corporations were interviewed for this exploratory study. Through systematic coding of the interviews, two independent dimensions of influence and inclusion emerged as the critical factors that enhance or restrict the performance and contributions of women at the top of corporations. Three sub‐themes characterized women inside directors’ influence: their role in the board’s decision making, the bases of influence, and influence strategies used. Three sub‐themes characterized the inclusion dynamics experienced by women inside directors: support and acceptance, exclusion, and the nature of the advice they received. Conclusions are drawn regarding the convergence of the influence and inclusion dynamics for women to function most effectively at the top of corporations.

Keywords

Citation

Dahlen Zelechowski, D. and Bilimoria, D. (2003), "The experience of women corporate inside directors on the boards of Fortune 1,000 firms", Women in Management Review, Vol. 18 No. 7, pp. 376-381. https://doi.org/10.1108/09649420310499000

Publisher

:

MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 2003, MCB UP Limited

Related articles