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Gender concerns have been almost totally ignored within organizational analysis. This chapter attempts to redress that ignorance. It has four related tasks: (1) to illustrate examples of gender-blind approaches to the study of organizations; (2) by way of a selective review of the organizations and culture debate, to argue for the utility of an organizational culture focus for an understanding of gender; (3) to root an organizational culture focus, along with gender concerns, within a feminist materialist method of analysis; (4) to explore, by way of a strategic application of Clegg’s (1981) “rule” focus, the potential of a feminist materialist analysis for understanding the relationship between gender and organizational culture.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the social stereotypes of the male and the female manager and their implications for the persistent inequalities between men and women in the management context.

The study was conducted using a sample of undergraduate management students who were asked to fill in a questionnaire containing a comprehensive list of descriptors of male and female managers.

The social stereotypes of the female and the male manager appear to be relatively close and reflecting the dimensions of instrumentality and rationality associated with the work and the management contexts. The similarity is explained by the adoption of the masculine subcategory as the referent to the female manager. In contrast with what was obtained for the female manager, respondents tend to associate the male manager exclusively with the public context. Female students, in particular, seem to assume the social constraints inherent to women as a social category, while perceiving the female manager as an outstanding individual who goes beyond what is expected for her gender group.

Future research needs to overcome thinking about gender as a dichotomy and start voicing the diversity of women and men managers as individuals.

The recognition and acceptance of women in management will not be achieved simply by the demographic feminisation of management. It requires questioning the symbolic meanings embedded in the management discourse and social practices that keep the masculine as the referent.

The findings point towards an asymmetric relationship between the meanings associated with the female and the male manager subcategories that lead to additional difficulties in the acceptance of women as managers and help to understand the inequalities that persist between men and women in management.

Looks at the rise of managerialism in one part of the public sector in England, that of local authority personal social services departments. Considers the pressures for change which have been operating in this sector and the characteristics of these organizations themselves. Outlines examples of the specific management techniques now being used in this area and also the role of the manager in this new order. Later, draws on the results of a research programme which involved 102 senior managers from such organizations. Focuses on training and preparation for the management role in these organizations. Change has occurred at all levels. Considers the effects of change at three levels: that of these organizations generally; at the level of managers and the changing expectations placed on them; and at the possible effects of these changes on the career development of people working in these organizations.

According to the situational theories of leadership managers should adapt their influence tactics to situational demands but there is still a constant problem with managerial influence because managers using influence (whether “hard” or “soft”) mostly “cling” to it. The paper examines how managers regulate their influences with the help of deinfluentization (DEI) – the ability to consciously withdraw one's influence and self‐monitoring (S‐M) – the ability to regulate one's image in the presence of others and to compare women's and men's managerial abilities.

Research work was conducted in one of the largest electro‐energy organization's /N=169 managers/ as a part of regular annual managers' appraisal procedure. A S‐M scale was used, scale of managers's influence and DEI scales that the author had constructed.

Analysis revealed different patterns of DEI and S‐M connected with high and low appraisal. High DEI and high self‐monitors were perceived as the most effective managers no matter what kind of influence they used. Women managers made up half of this group.

Developing “clinging to influence” managerial behaviour brings too much stress and pressure for both women and men managers. Managers should enrich their knowledge about influence regulation tactics as DEI and S‐M. Women managers should not only give up their femininity but also enrich their managerial role with DEI behaviour and make it part of their own strengths.

The paper supports the theoretical work on S‐M and aids in understanding how the human capital in an organization can be used better.

The objective of this article is to examine and conceptualise gender‐related boardroom dynamics that affect how women can make contributions on corporate boards.

Stories were collected from eight women directors about their experiences from more than 100 corporate boards. Narrative methods were used in the data analysis.

Women as well as men need to understand the power game inside and outside the boardroom. Their contribution depends on the ability and willingness to make alliances with the most influential actors, to spend time on preparations, being present on the most important decision‐making arenas, and to take leadership roles.

The study has implications for theory as well as practice. Process‐oriented theories should be included in studies of boards and governance, and the study showed that boardroom dynamics are not neutral to gender. Concepts and relationships are suggested that should be included in further theory development. The study has also given several practical examples and suggestions on how women can make contributions on corporate boards.

The study has value for developing the role of women directors.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the take up of gender‐based equal opportunities policies and practices in small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) and explores the relationship between size and take up within the SME sector.

The paper draws on detailed data generated by a European Social Fund sponsored equality audit tool (breakthrough). This is an interactive, questionnaire‐based programme incorporating 60 questions on human resources policies and practices relevant to gender‐based equal opportunity. The questionnaire was administered within a structured interview, which was recorded and transcribed. In the North West of England, 80 SMEs, across a range of sectors, participated.

The data revealed that, while there was some evidence of take up of good equality practice in SMEs, many small businesses were not active in this area and indeed a sizeable minority were perpetuating discriminatory practices. Medium‐sized organisations were more likely to have, and implement, equality policies than small ones. However, in one area, around flexibility to meet carer responsibilities, the small organisations performed better. Analysis of moderating variables suggests that it is factors related to size, rather than size per se, that explain the differences in take up between small‐ and medium‐sized firms.

The paper highlights the need to find ways to engage SME managers with the equality agenda. It explores the distinctive features of the small firms and their environment which may inhibit this at present and set out an agenda for future research which will deepen understanding in this area and inform policy.

The purpose of this paper is to unpack the question of research access(es), especially ethnographic access, seen as an intrinsic part of research projects that should be scrutinized carefully to gain a deeper understanding of the field. Two main questions are asked: what does the process of accessing knowledge-intensive businesses (KIBs), specifically large international consultancies (LICs), tell us about access more generally? And what does accessing KIBs, specifically LICs, tell us about these organizations more generally?

The paper builds on discussions of research access issues in organizational ethnography, in part when setting out to employ shadowing as a method of inquiry. It focuses on the challenges of gaining access to KIBs, where confidentiality is central to the work. The empirical focus is a study of LICs from where the data for this paper is drawn.

To answer the two questions, the paper provides an analysis of: accesses in the plural; ongoing processes of accessing; multiple levels of access and contradictory negotiations; research accesses, including access difficulties, as constitutive of research itself; and research accesses as dependent on and giving data on the organizations in question. Building on literatures on ethnographic access and empirical data gained while negotiating access to LICs, this paper contributes to prior research on access, focusing on LICs as an arena for organizational ethnography, whose particular character has to be taken into account when conducting research.

This paper examines the processes of accessing, a neglected but important part of research: the phase(s) of negotiating and gaining access to the field, and the need to fully absorb these phases into the research process as a whole. Access as such multi-level ongoing processes is often neglected, however, in both academic writing and importantly in doctoral education curricula. Therefore, the paper offers guidelines for use in research training.