Prior research has revealed a ‘glass cliff’ phenomenon: Companies in crisis situations are more likely to appoint women top managers than companies that are not in trouble. These disproportionate crisis appointments often set up women executives to fail. Some have argued that companies in crisis appoint women as top managers because of stereotypical beliefs by […]
Empathy entails making the effort to understand others’ perspectives and emotions, and demonstrating that understanding through care and concern. In the workplace, leadership empathy is manifested through actions ranging from flexible work-at-home options to a concerted effort to create an inclusive environment for workers of all races, genders and sexual orientations. A study from Catalyst, […]
Drawing from a unique database of information spanning 25 years and taking a unique approach to defining work, a team of European researchers offer a mix of expected and unexpected insights into the progress of women in the workplace. The study, sponsored by the European Commission’s Joint Research Study, based its findings on an analysis […]
Despite the overwhelming consensus in favour of improving career and leadership opportunities for women in business, diversity statistics continue to demonstrate that best intentions have not led to results. The London School of Economics’ Inclusion Initiative, in partnership with the advocacy organization Women in Banking and Finance (WIBF), conducted a qualitative study to identify the […]
More and more firms with ongoing recruitment of professionals use computer algorithms to screen job applicants. The screening process is based on past history: the algorithm compares a candidate’s profile with the profiles of past successful candidates—success in terms of being selected for an interview and success in terms of accepting an eventual job offer. […]
Women leaders must manage conflicting stereotypical role expectations. Their gender role expectations are centred on what psychologists call communal attributes, such as kindness, empathy and nurturing. At the same time, their leadership role expectations involve agency attributes, such as being aggressive and self-confident. These simultaneous, contradictory expectations often trap women leaders in no-win situations. On […]
The world of business, and society at large, accepts the need for greater diversity at the highest levels of business, government and other domains. This general consensus, however, has not translated into full-scale change. Research into the influence of descriptive social norms on the behaviour of corporate decision makers offers some new understanding into why […]
Women continue to be vastly under-represented at the top levels of business, with recent figures in the U.S. indicating that less than 5% of major corporations CEOs are women, and less than 20% of corporate board directors are women. What accounts for this continuing gender disparity? This question, according to University of Virginia professor and […]
Interest in the need to develop training programs for women entrepreneurs is growing, especially in developing countries where the potential influence of women entrepreneurs is significant. In these countries, woman entrepreneurs are often the first women in their families to receive an education or training. They also offer much-needed leadership models for girls and women […]
The dearth of female leaders in industry, despite the stated intentions of most companies and organizations to encourage diversity and promote women, is well documented. Past studies in this field have focused in large part on the actions and biases of (mostly male) leaders, or on the career choices of women (e.g., fewer women training […]