The XX factor: Female managers and innovation in a cross-country setting

Are family female directors catalysts of innovation in family small and medium enterprises?

“…The presence of women in firms' upper echelons is typically found beneficial for entrepreneurship (e.g., Chen, Crossland, & Huang, 2016; Lyngsie & Foss, 2017). Indeed, research has identified a positive relationship between women's involvement in the upper echelons and innovative initiatives (Foss, Lee, Murtinu, & Scalera, 2021). Nevertheless, despite that family enterprises typically offer greater opportunities for women to be included in the firm—particularly those belonging to the owning family (e.g., Cole, 1997; Cromie & O'Sullivan, 1999)—they have traditionally held subtle, invisible, and informal roles (Eddleston & Sabil, 2019; Hamilton, 2006), more related to the family than the business (Chizema, Kamuriwo, & Shinozawa, 2015; Heilman, 2012; Martinez Jimenez, 2009; Salganicoff, 1990).…”

The influence of women on SME innovation in emerging markets

“…Similarly, in contexts with narrower gender gaps, women are more likely to be included on boards of directors, which in turn, leads to stronger innovative cultures and higher innovation outcomes (Griffin et al, 2021). Foss et al (2021) find that the presence of at least one woman in the team of top and middle managers increases the likelihood of product innovation because of women's leadership style and ability to deal with complexity. Moreover, gender studies focused at other levels in the firm indicate that the inclusion of more women in R&D teams enhances innovation efficiency (Xie et al, 2020) and product and process innovation (Zouaghi et al, 2020).…”

“…Members of the same gender, especially women, are more likely to stick together, communicate, and learn from one another (Škerlavaj, Dimovski, & Desouza, 2010). Women are more likely than men to keep the channels of communication open, encourage participation, and create “speak‐up cultures” that facilitate innovation (Foss, Lee, Murtinu, & Scalera, 2021). Thus, as more women are represented in SMEs, the benefits of their relational focus, shared language, and collective orientation are enhanced and can be better leveraged for innovation when frequent communication exists.…”

The Impact of Emotional Intelligence on Enhancing Women’s Leadership Competencies

“…Men, meanwhile, are considered to be confident, competitive, and aggressive (Holmes, 2017). However, scholars (Eagly et al, 1972;Hudson & Williamson, 2002;Foss et al 2021;Keohane, 2010) suggest that women often exhibit a different leadership style. As Eagly and associates (1972) demonstrate, women tend to use a more democratic or participative leadership style than men.…”

“…Whether in the political world -where Finland designated the 34 years old Sanna Marin as prime minister with a cabinet largely composed of women (Harrison, 2019), or in the social sphere where Mother Theresa was held up as a contributor to humanity by helping poor, sheltered and suffering people (Bolton, 2020). Therefore, several scholars (Carli & Eagly, 2011;Eagly et al, 1992;Foss et al, 2021) started examining the role of women in leadership positions, their contribution to innovation and effectiveness as well as the leadership style they exhibit. However, since women in leadership positions are still a minority compared to men, a number of articles (Eagly et al, 1992;Ruderman et al, 2002) address possible disadvantages women face when it comes to these positions.…”