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– The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue which presents cutting-edge research in the field of gender, management, and leadership.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the special issue which presents cutting-edge research in the field of gender, management, and leadership.
Design/methodology/approach
The special issue arose following the success of a stream on gender, management and leadership held at the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Conference, and generated 22 full-paper submissions for consideration from conference participants and from responses to the call. The papers covered many themes and incorporated a range of different methodologies. Ultimately, six were selected to be included in this special issue.
Findings
All studies of this special isue reveal gender performativity, as the “taken for granted” practice of gender. They show, exactly as suggested by Butler, that gender categories are brought into being performatively, so that “naming” of a subject creates the preconditions for certain categories which then become invested with meaning.
Practical implications
All of the studies included in this special issue show that studying gender, management and leadership in organisations is significant: we do not really leave gender at the door when entering our organisational work lives; rather, we “do” gender in specific ways, some reflexive but most perhaps not.
Originality/value
The paper shows that the special issue highlights the fact that management jobs have traditionally been understood as being constructed according to male norms and thus creating difficulties for women. These include the material part of their work as well as the stereotypical expectations and perceptions and reactions from others. The taken-for-granted point of departure is that women and men are essentially different, as shown by the ascribed congruency between men and management jobs. The studies reported in this special issue, however, try to challenge such conceptions and call for more sophisticated ways to interpret women ' s and men ' s experiences in management positions to enhance the understanding of the complexity of everyday organisational processes.
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Candida G. Brush, Patricia G. Greene and Friederike Welter
The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief history of the evolution of the Diana Project and the Diana International Research Conference. The authors examine the impact of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a brief history of the evolution of the Diana Project and the Diana International Research Conference. The authors examine the impact of the publications, conferences and research contributions and consider key factors in the success of this collaborative research organization. They discuss the ongoing legacy, suggesting ways to extend this into the future.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper uses an historical narrative and a citation analysis.
Findings
The Diana Project was founded by five women professors in 1999 with the purpose of investigating women’s access to growth capital. Following a series of academic articles, and numerous presentations, the first Diana International Conference was held in Stockholm, Sweden. At this convening, 20 scholars from 13 countries shared their knowledge of women’s entrepreneurship, venture creation and growth, culminating in the first volume of the Diana Book Series. Since then, 14 international conferences have been held, resulting in 10 special issues of top academic journals and 11 books. More than 600 scholars have attended or participated in Diana conferences or publications.
Research limitations/implications
Contributions from the Diana International Conferences’ special issues of journals and books have advanced theory across topics, levels, geographies and methods. Articles emerging from Diana scholars are some of the top contributions about women’s entrepreneurship and gender to the field of entrepreneurship. Future research directions are included.
Practical implications
This analysis demonstrates the success of a unique woman-focused collaborative research initiative and identifies key success factors, suggesting how these might be expanded in the future.
Social implications
To date, more than 600 scholars have participated in the Diana International Conferences or publications. Diana is the only community dedicated to rigorous and relevant research about gender and women’s entrepreneurship. Going forward, efforts to expand work on education for women’s entrepreneurship, women entrepreneurship faculty and careers, and women entrepreneurs, gender and policy will take place to extend this legacy.
Originality/value
The paper is unique in that it is the first to show the substantial legacy and impact of the Diana project since its inception in 1999. Further, it demonstrates how a feminist approach to entrepreneurial principles can yield insights about this unique research initiative and collaborative organization.
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Employment of Urban Chinese Women Volume Lll, Number 1 of theReview of Social Economy includes an article by Gale Summerfield enrided “Effects of the Changing Employment Situation…
Abstract
Employment of Urban Chinese Women Volume Lll, Number 1 of theReview of Social Economy includes an article by Gale Summerfield enrided “Effects of the Changing Employment Situation on Urban Chinese Women”.
Gina Grandy, Wendy Cukier and Suzanne Gagnon
This paper aims to extend Lewis and Simpson’s (2010) work on the complexity of (in)visibility and explores what it means to women’s entrepreneurship in Canada during the COVID-19…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to extend Lewis and Simpson’s (2010) work on the complexity of (in)visibility and explores what it means to women’s entrepreneurship in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
This piece contributes to the special issue on COVID-19 and the impact on women entrepreneurs. Specifically, it applies an (in)visibility lens to argue that responses to COVID-19 in Canada negatively affect women entrepreneurs disproportionately and that while initiatives such as the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) are threatened, they can also serve as an agitator during this time to advocate for an inclusive recovery approach.
Findings
Despite progress through such government funded initiatives as the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES), which is targeting more than $2bn (Cdn) in investments towards women entrepreneurs, structural inequality and the (in)visibility of women’s entrepreneurship has been amplified during COVID-19. Through a particular understanding of the (in)visibility vortex notion (Lewis and Simpson, 2010), it is concluded the (in)visibility of women entrepreneurs as deeply embedded and that there is a continued need to advocate for a gender and diversity lens, to ensure inclusive recovery that benefits women and diverse entrepreneurs.
Originality/value
An (in)visibility lens brings an important addition to the literature on women’s entrepreneurship, as well as illuminates the important differences within this broad category, deepening the understanding of these trends and their impact during COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights how the complexities of intersectionality are critical to understand, and their recognition can help to drive a clear evidence base, as well as advocacy. The piece call researchers and practitioners alike to consider the question under COVID-19, will these conditions create a new vortex in this domain, or can the work of organizations and researchers position gender and intersectionality in women entrepreneurship as a disrupter for the future?
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Preetam Khandelwal and Aakanksha Sehgal
The purpose of this paper is to study the nature of work-family interface for urban Indian women entrepreneurs (WEs), in terms of not only conflict but also enrichment. It also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to study the nature of work-family interface for urban Indian women entrepreneurs (WEs), in terms of not only conflict but also enrichment. It also endeavours to examine the coping and support mechanisms that are used by the WEs.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper has adopted a qualitative design, employing in-depth interviews to gain an insight into the research questions.
Findings
Though seen to experience work-family conflict extensively, WEs effectively utilized various flexible work and time management techniques as coping mechanisms. More importantly, they were seen to establish a “buy-in” for their work, thereby eliciting support from diverse sources in the home environment. Furthermore, work-to-family enrichment (WFE) was seen to facilitate a stronger bond with family members as well as increase the subjective well-being of the WE. Finally, family-to-work enrichment (FWE) enabled the WEs to obtain various kinds of resources from the family domain to benefit their businesses, thereby affecting venture-level outcomes positively.
Research limitations/implications
As the findings of the study map reasonably well to prior theoretical research, the present study serves as a starting point for future research examining the relevance of work-family dynamics for WEs across cultures.
Practical implications
The results of the study positively contribute to the discussion on work-family interface for WEs in the cultural context of India.
Originality/value
The study offers qualitative insights into the work-family dynamics of Indian WEs, especially focusing on the key advantages that they derive by capitalizing on positive spill-over from one domain to the other.
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Barbara Francioni, Alessandro Pagano and Davide Castellani
The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic and updated assessment of studies on key exporting stimuli for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to propose a research…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic and updated assessment of studies on key exporting stimuli for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to propose a research agenda on this topic.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors develop a review of empirical articles on SMEs’ exporting stimuli and outline future research directions based on key emerging drivers.
Findings
Research on SMEs’ exporting drivers focuses mainly on human resources’ competences, skills and subjective characteristics and on the role of relevant network actors (customers, intermediaries).
Originality/value
This paper provides an original contribution with regard to updating the framework on export drivers by Leonidou et al. (2007), highlighting an emerging research perspective based on internal/external network dimensions and proposing future research directions on internal individual and organisational actors and on new external network actors.
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The paper aims to shed light on how a group of feminist managers/leaders, in education and social studies departments, a notably under-explored and under-theorised group, “do…
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to shed light on how a group of feminist managers/leaders, in education and social studies departments, a notably under-explored and under-theorised group, “do power” in the increasingly corporatized education marketplace.
Design/methodology/approach
The research draws on the narratives of a small group of feminist women who hold authority positions at middle or senior levels. It draws on data from ethnographic interviews and participant observation carried out as part of an in-depth narrative inquiry (Andrews et al., 2008), carried out at three higher education institutions in the UK.
Findings
From a small sample such as this, any findings are necessarily tentative. Nonetheless, findings suggest that, whilst taking account of individual differences in styles, there has been a shift, over time, in the ways that the management role is approached by some feminist women. Analysis of the data also reveals that gendered expectations remain for those who carry the “feminist” label and asks whether these expectations are realistic.
Research limitations/implications
The sample group is small which raises questions about what can and cannot be claimed. However, along with Maguire (2008), the author’s purpose is not with generalizability but seeks to explore issues and open up further areas of study.
Originality/value
This paper is an original empirical research which explores an under-researched group of women, namely, feminist managers and leaders who operate within the education marketplace. As they negotiate the challenges of working within the neoliberal academy, these women try, to varying degrees, to remain true to their feminist values and beliefs.
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