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Article
Publication date: 1 July 1998

Andrew Korac‐Kakabadse, Nada Korac‐Kakabadse and Andrew Myers

Leadership philosophy is explored through gender and other demographic characteristics in the Australian Public Service (APS), at the federal government level. Leadership…

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Abstract

Leadership philosophy is explored through gender and other demographic characteristics in the Australian Public Service (APS), at the federal government level. Leadership philosophy is conceptualised as the leader’s attitudes, values and behaviour. Gender differences in characteristics of leaders (executives and middle managers) are examined in terms of strategic behaviour, management style, work‐related values, adoption of information technology, perceived organisational morale, family/work conflict and personal, work and family satisfaction. The gender differences are investigated using questionnaire responses from a sample of 750 respondents, of which 569 were male and 145 female. The APS findings are compared with a Cranfield study conducted in the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), where gender differences are explored in terms of management and strategic orientation. A sample of 515 chief executives, medical, clinical, HR and financial directors, chairpersons and other non‐executive directors, consists of 406 male and 108 female respondents. The APS study reveals that there are no significant gender differences in the majority of measured characteristics. Similarly in the NHS Trusts study, no significant gender differences are found in terms of management and strategic orientation. The conclusion reached is that other demographic characteristics are influential in forming leadership philosophies, namely job and organisational tenure and experience of senior management responsibilities, thus highlighting the importance of organisational demographics and their impact on leadership attitudes and practice.

Details

Journal of Management Development, vol. 17 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0262-1711

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Article
Publication date: 7 March 2018

Jorge Moreno-Gómez, Esteban Lafuente and Yancy Vaillant

This paper aims to investigate how gender diversity in top management – i.e. boardroom and top management positions – affects business performance among Colombian public…

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate how gender diversity in top management – i.e. boardroom and top management positions – affects business performance among Colombian public businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

Building on the upper echelon theory which emphasizes that gender in an important characteristic that influences top management’s decision-making, panel data models are used on a sample of 54 Colombian public businesses for the period 2008-2015 to test the proposed hypotheses relating to gender diversity and subsequent business performance.

Findings

The results support that gender diversity is positively associated with subsequent business performance. More concretely, the relationship between gender diversity at the top of the corporate hierarchy – in the present case, as CEO and in the top management team – and subsequent performance becomes more evident when performance is linked to business operations (ROA), whereas the positive effect of women’s representation in the boardroom and subsequent performance is significant when performance is measured via shareholder-oriented metrics (ROE).

Originality/value

Few studies have addressed the role of gender diversity on performance in developing economies. This study contributes to better understand how gender diversity affects performance in contexts where women are underrepresented in the top management, and where the appointment of women directors or managers is not driven by regulatory pressures.

Details

Gender in Management: An International Journal, vol. 33 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1754-2413

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Article
Publication date: 13 May 2014

Heike Mensi-Klarbach

The purpose of this article is to offer a multi-layered approach to gender topics in top management team research.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this article is to offer a multi-layered approach to gender topics in top management team research.

Design/methodology/approach

Recent empirical work on the role of gender diversity in top management teams will be reviewed and contrasted with gender and diversity theory.

Findings

The results show that gender diversity has often been operationalized and defined in a highly stereotypical fashion, strongly rooted in assumed biological traits (in particular male/female skills and aptitudes). This very simplistic assumption that men and women behave differently does not take into account gender and diversity theories, but simply reproduces gender stereotypes. As a result, a framework is presented that takes societal, organizational, group and individual variables into account to understand the impact of gender in top management positions.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is a conceptual paper aiming at enriching scholarly work on gender and top management teams by considering several potentially gendered processes on different layers: society, organizations, groups and individuals.

Originality/value

This concept is the first to offer a fresh perspective on the intensively researched topic of gender and performance in top management. By overcoming the stereotypical view that the contributions of female and male managers are inherently different, the paper aims to enrich the scholarly debate on relevant top management characteristics, and furthermore ensure that discriminatory ascriptions to female and male managers are not reproduced through academic work.

Details

Management Research Review, vol. 37 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-8269

Keywords

Content available
Book part
Publication date: 30 July 2018

Abstract

Details

Marketing Management in Turkey
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78714-558-0

Book part
Publication date: 3 September 2018

Wan Nailah Abdullah and Roshima Said

The chapter focuses on the personal characteristics of top executives in companies involved in corporate financial crime as well as the introduction of human governance as one of…

Abstract

The chapter focuses on the personal characteristics of top executives in companies involved in corporate financial crime as well as the introduction of human governance as one of the mechanisms in preventing corporate misbehaviour. This chapter discusses directors’ and top management teams’ personal characteristics – in the context of corporate governance – that may influence the occurrence of corporate financial crime. The study further proposes the human governance factor as a possible mechanism to improve corporate governance in preventing such misbehaviour. This chapter highlights the personal characteristics of top executives, which may become the indicators of corporate financial crime, as well as human governance, which is shown to be one of the most important mechanisms of corporate governance for corporate financial crime prevention.

Details

Redefining Corporate Social Responsibility
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78756-162-5

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Article
Publication date: 9 October 2017

Luisa Delgado-Márquez, Julio de Castro and Rachida Justo

In this study, the authors aim to extend previous research and examine the phenomenon of gender diversity on firm performance in the context that of community-based enterprises…

Abstract

Purpose

In this study, the authors aim to extend previous research and examine the phenomenon of gender diversity on firm performance in the context that of community-based enterprises (CBEs). The study builds on gender role theory and analyzes three factors that affect the relationship between gender diversity and firm performance: the overall percentage of women in the business, the level of participative decision-making and top management team (TMT) compensation.

Design/methodology/approach

Data for this study were obtained from the Solidarity Economy Enterprise Database. The Brazilian Government created the database to gather information regarding the status of the Solidarity Economy in the country.

Findings

The authors argue and find support for the idea that gender diversity in TMT positively influences firm performance. However, there is a point where higher presence of women in the business starts to be detrimental for firm performance. That is, the authors find that there is a curvilinear relationship between gender diversity in TMT and firm performance. Moreover, they found strong empirical evidence for the influence of compensation in strengthening the effect of gender diversity on firm performance.

Research limitations/implications

The great potential that this study offers applied to the CBEs relies on the fact that these businesses are naturally oriented toward equality, so understanding how the unbalance in gender diversity may affect the firm performance could help us to understand if there is a disconnection between the theory and the practice in terms of how women are positioned.

Practical implications

The paper has important implications for corporate boards and policy-makers, suggesting the importance of increasing the number of women in boards of directors to benefit from the diversity in value, perspectives, background and skills they bring to TMTs. This study focuses on an under-researched context in terms of TMTs – CBEs.

Social implications

This work shows that gender diversity in top on boards of CBE’s is positive which is aligned to the orientation toward equality that these businesses have. However, at the same time even although having more women is positive for financial performance, there is a saturation point from when the influences starts to be detrimental.

Originality/value

The authors consider that this study raises areas for further consideration in efforts to understand what are the boundary conditions of gender diversity in top teams.

Details

Management Research: Journal of the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, vol. 15 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1536-5433

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 May 1991

Norma Carr‐Ruffino

Although 40 per cent of US managers are women, only about 5 percent of the top level managers are women. Middle and top level womenmanagers were surveyed by a questionnaire…

Abstract

Although 40 per cent of US managers are women, only about 5 per cent of the top level managers are women. Middle and top level women managers were surveyed by a questionnaire. Nearly all say women are under‐represented in their firms, mainly because the men at the top are reluctant to promote them. As a remedy, education was preferred over legal measures. Key barriers include: managers′ stereotypes about women′s credibility, career commitment, and decision‐making ability; various subtle forms of exclusion. Key techniques for overcoming the barriers include: skills in communicating, problem solving, decision making, motivating, delegating, and supervising; understanding the firm, its people, and its politics; co‐operating as a team member; developing personal power (poise, inner resources).

Details

Women in Management Review, vol. 6 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0964-9425

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Article
Publication date: 23 March 2012

Monica A. Zimmerman and Keith D. Brouthers

Although diversifying internationally appears to be beneficial, relatively few small and medium‐sized firms actually participate. Building on recent research exploring the

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Abstract

Purpose

Although diversifying internationally appears to be beneficial, relatively few small and medium‐sized firms actually participate. Building on recent research exploring the international diversification of small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) the purpose of this paper is to examine the relation among ownership and management team gender heterogeneity, entrepreneurial orientation, and firm international diversity.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors' hypotheses were tested using data gathered from members of Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP), a national (US) public policy organization that advocates for women in business.

Findings

Results indicate that top management team gender composition and entrepreneurial orientation are significantly related to international diversification but that ownership gender composition is not. The authors found that team entrepreneurial orientation may be useful when teams are more homogeneous on relations‐oriented characteristics such as gender.

Originality/value

The paper's findings suggest that women‐only management teams high in entrepreneurial orientation are more likely to pursue international diversification, dispelling the idea that international diversification is more difficult for women.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2003

Karin Klenke

Top management teams (TMT) were initially introduced almost 20 years ago but recently have rekindled the interest of researchers whose experience with organizations has…

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Abstract

Top management teams (TMT) were initially introduced almost 20 years ago but recently have rekindled the interest of researchers whose experience with organizations has demonstrated that the arrangement of the single omnipotent CEO at the apex of the firm has outlived its utility at a time when it is impossible for one individual to command all the knowledge necessary to effectively lead an organization. This article describes a model that examines gender related influences, which are hypothesized to affect the decision making process in TMTs. More specifically, it is postulated here that it is not gender per se that accounts for differences in decision making among senior female and male executives, but that four constructs, namely power, political savvy, conflict management and trust mediate the hypothesized relationships explicated in the model. Implications for increased participation of women on TMTs are explored.

Details

Management Decision, vol. 41 no. 10
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

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Article
Publication date: 26 April 2013

Teresa Carvalho, Kate White and Maria de Lourdes Machado‐Taylor

The purpose of this paper is to analyse if the existence of equal opportunity legislative frameworks and affirmative action programs make any difference to the way senior managers…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to analyse if the existence of equal opportunity legislative frameworks and affirmative action programs make any difference to the way senior managers perceive the role of top university managers in influencing women's position in their institutions. A comparative study was therefore undertaken between a country with traditions in implementing AA in universities – Australia – and another which has no tradition in this domain – Portugal.

Design/methodology/approach

A qualitative methodology was chosen to collect and analyse data. A total of 44 interviews with male and female university senior managers – 21 in Australia and 23 in Portugal – were conducted by the principal researcher in each country.

Findings

When describing the role of top managers, gender equality was not often mentioned, suggesting that it may not be a topic on the current institutional political agenda either in Australia or in Portugal. When specifically asked about gender, respondents considered that Rectors and VCs in the two countries took opposite positions with Australian VCs being more aware of their role in improving gender equality. The study therefore concluded that the existence of equal opportunities frameworks and AA policies may have an influence in increasing top managers’ awareness of their roles in improving women's representation in management teams.

Research limitations/implications

The research was restricted to public universities. In Portugal the system is more diverse and comparing HE with private and polytechnic institutions could provide important insights about senior managers’ roles in relation to improving women's position in HE. More in‐depth qualitative studies are needed, to obtain top managers’ perceptions of the variables that impact on their views and attitudes to women in senior management.

Practical implications

This study provides new and innovative contributions to knowledge about the perceptions of senior managers of their top managers and their roles in eliminating gender discrimination and the influence of affirmative action in HE in these perceptions.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of using affirmative action programmes by analyzing a dimension which has not been explored – its impact on senior managers’ perceptions of their role in promoting gender equality in HEIs.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 32 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

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