Busy female directors: an exploratory analysis of the impact of quotas and interest groups

Sarabi, Yasaman; Smith, Matthew

doi:10.1108/gm-07-2019-0129

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Yet even these diversity campaigns are rarely in favour of the implementation of quotas or hard legislation (Sarabi and Smith, 2021;, rather the argument for gender diversity is built around the business case (rather than the ethical consideration as observed in Norway).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Initially the 30% club campaigned for the top 100 firms in the UK to have at least 30% female representation on its board of directors. In 2015, when this target was in sight, the group set two new objectives (Sarabi and Smith, 2021). Firstly, they expanded the 30% representation goal to the top 350 firms in the UK (the FTSE 350), moving beyond the top 100 (FTSE 100).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Gendered brokerage and firm performance – An interlock analysis of the UK

Sarabi

Smith

McGregor

et al. 2021

IJPPM

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PurposeCorporate success depends partially on the quality of knowledge accessible to the executive board. One route of access to such knowledge is the appointment of directors who already hold directorships with prominent other corporate actors. Such director appointments provide interlocks to a corporate knowledge ecosystem (Haunschild and Beckman, 1998). The purpose of this paper is to examine how linkages between companies belonging to different sectors impact firm performance and to examine how linkages created by female directors, as opposed to male directors, shape performance.Design/methodology/approachThis paper investigates the interlocks created between UK FTSE 350 companies from 2010 to 2018. It draws on network analysis to map the roles that male and female directors play in linking firms with varying sector classifications. The paper provides an examination of the impact of these roles on firm performance, through a panel data regression analysis.FindingsThis paper finds that there is an increase of inter-industry brokers over the period, and that men are still dominant in both the network and creating inter-industry ties amongst companies. However, the role of women in establishing these ties appears to be changing, and women are more important when it comes to create inter-industry ties among key economic sectors.Originality/valueThis paper provides a novel approach to examine the interplay between gendered inter (and intra) sectoral linkages and firm performance. It provides an original application of the two-mode brokerage analysis framework proposed in Jasny and Lubell (2015).

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gendered brokerage and firm performance – An interlock analysis of the UK

Sarabi

Smith

McGregor

et al. 2021

IJPPM

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…There is a limited pool of experienced female directors (golden skirts) Azmat and Boring (2020), Fitzsimmons (2012), Hwang et al (2020). Sarabi and Smith (2020) Create conflict due to diverse perspectives without seeing any benefits from them. Mandatory quotas are seen to be unfair and, as such, might affect cooperation within the board Ferreira (2011), Fitzsimmons (2012), Leszczy nska (2018)…”

Section: Reasons Given Referencementioning

confidence: 99%

Board gender diversity and women in leadership positions – are quotas the solution?

Hamplová

Janeček

Lefley

2022

CCIJ

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PurposeThe question has been asked, “Where are the women?” explicitly looking at the public relations (PR) industry, but this is a broader issue reflected in many senior management roles, especially at the corporate board level. One of the solutions suggested is “quotas”. This paper explores the literature to identify the prominent arguments for and against representation regulations (quotas) concerning corporate board gender diversity and concisely presents the findings.Design/methodology/approachThe exploratory research path first focuses on a literature search using the keywords – “gender diversity”, “board structures” and “female traits” to identify the various issues concerning female members serving on corporate boards. This led to the investigation exploring if 'quotas' could play a role in increasing the number of female directors and, if so, what kind of impact this would have. When the authors discovered the paper by Place and Vardeman-Winter (2018), it was realised that a possible gap in the literature might have been identified. The focus then turned to the PR and corporate communications literature, where it was discovered that the issue of gender quotas was not explored. This paper brings together the germane literature from a wide range of disciplines. To obtain a broad perspective of the arguments, the authors conducted a review of this diverse field of literature through various databases and websites, including Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, publishers' databases such as Emerald Insight, Taylor and Francis, Macmillan, Blackwell, Oxford University, etc.FindingsThere are solid arguments both for and against quotas. However, many opposing views appear to be less sound than the positive ones, which allowed the authors to concur in favour of quotas and the broader adoption of female directors. It is only by identifying problems that solutions can be found – the issues concerning corporate board gender quotas relate to the perception of the arguments for and against quotas; the reality is often different. While there is a strong “business case” and “stakeholder influence” for the inclusion of women on corporate boards, some governments have put further pressure (either voluntary or mandatory) on organisations by imposing a “quota” system. At the same time, other countries are undecided on what action, if any, to take.Practical implicationsThis paper can serve as guidance to countries that have not yet implemented quotas or those looking to move from a voluntary to mandatory quotas system. In addition to that, the paper should be valuable to academics, managers, regulators, legislators and policy-makers.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors knowledge, this is the first academic paper to present the critical arguments raised in the diverse literature on corporate board gender quotas succinctly and concisely and, therefore, adds value to the literature. It is also believed to be the first paper to address the issue of quotas in the PR and corporate communications literature.

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“…They also highlight that England does not enforce extensive quotas or policies regarding the glass ceiling. Therefore, policies that require the implementation of quotas in companies' management boards have been one of the tools used by some countries as a means of achieving lower gender inequality levels (Sharif, 2015Reddy & Jadhav, 2019Sarabi & Smith, 2021). This phenomenon is becoming a trend of recent years in Europe as means to accelerate the gender equality process since the issue has not considerably advanced regarding positions of power and management, especially in private companies.…”

Section: Corporate and Public Policiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perception of women managers about the glass ceiling breakage

Carneiro

Gomes

Horz

et al. 2021

Rev. Prod. Desenvolv.

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Objective: this study aims to identify strategies and actions of female managers to break the glass ceiling, as well as evidencing management practices to be carried out by organizations. Methodology/Approach: A descriptive, qualitative survey was carried out based on the promoting factors of the glass ceiling. The survey was applied to female managers, resulting in 62 valid responses. Results: The study points out that the strategies and actions of female managers to break the glass ceiling include: family-based education, professional qualification, legitimacy through competence and results, self-confidence, and female empowerment. Study's Limitation/Implication: The first limitation concerns the sample size. Highlighted management practices to be executed by companies are: standardizing the promotion criteria, training policy, employee development program, company awareness of the benefits of diversity in management, and equal pay. Study's Originality/Value: It presents evidence on the glass ceiling phenomena faced by female managers. The study also shows ways that organizations can combat gender inequality at work.

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Busy female directors: an exploratory analysis of the impact of quotas and interest groups

Cited by 13 publications

References 60 publications

Gendered brokerage and firm performance – An interlock analysis of the UK

Gendered brokerage and firm performance – An interlock analysis of the UK

Board gender diversity and women in leadership positions – are quotas the solution?

Perception of women managers about the glass ceiling breakage

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