Our blog will analyze research to assess if there is a legitimate connection between women in executive positions and a company’s sustainable performance.
Alonso-Almeida, M. D. M., Perramon, J., & Bagur-Femenias, L. (2017). Leadership styles and corporate social responsibility management: Analysis from a gender perspective. Business Ethics: A European Review, 26(2), 147–161. doi: 10.1111/beer.12139
Through the analysis of this article, much of the content focuses on the impacts of gender differences in leadership styles and corporate social responsibility from within the business setting of Spain. With this presented information the article dives into the specific characteristics displayed by male and female leadership techniques and found that women tend to be “more adaptable and effective at pursuing company sustainability than men” leading many to question the grandfathered practices of brash and domineering approaches to leadership. A source of this type would serve well as firm evidence to discuss and analyze in the body paragraphs section of the blog.
Birindelli, Giuliana, Ianuzzi, P., Antonia, Savioli, Marco. (2019, December). Impact of Women Leaders on Environmental Performance: Evidence of Gender Diversity in Banks. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/doi/full/10.1002/csr.1762
This article compiles and analyzes previous research, as well as carries out empirical investigations, sampling 96 listed banks in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), to investigate the relationship between women leaders and the environmental performance of banks. This research provides data revealing how women typically have a higher level of environmental concern, thus allowing them to have a broader view of environmental risk. Furthermore, the article provides an in-depth analysis of a broad range of studies, ultimately suggesting how “women CEOs have a positive influence on environmental outcomes of banks.” This information is important to consider in determining if there is a correlation between women in executive positions and the overall sustainability of the company.
Galbreath, Jeremy. “Drivers of Green Innovations: The Impact of Export Intensity, Women Leaders, and Absorptive Capacity.” EBSCO, Aug. 2019, ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/login?url=search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=137506835&site=ehost-live.
Jeremy Galbreath looks at 649 Australian firms to seek more information and hopefully see a pattern with external pressures that can affect a firm. Women being in leadership positions is one of the three factors he tests for and bases the results off of that company’s export intensity and green innovations. Women tend to demonstrate more ethical reasoning and favor environmental practices more than men. In the study, the firms with women in leadership positions showed an increased amount of green innovations that were implemented. Due to women demonstrating more moral reasoning, they were more likely to respond and take action regarding environmental issues. There was also a positive relationship shown that women in leadership roles not only increased green innovations but also increased the export intensity.
Glass, C., Cook, A., & Ingersoll, A. R. (2016). Do Women Leaders Promote Sustainability? Analyzing the Effect of Corporate Governance Composition on Environmental Performance. Business Strategy & the Environment (John Wiley & Sons, Inc), 25(7), 495–511. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/10.1002/bse.1879
This study looks at the impact of women leaders on the environmental strategy of an organization. The results indicate that gender-diverse leadership within a company leads to more effective environmental strategies. The article also discusses the importance of diversity within these leadership teams in terms of implementing innovative solutions. It is mentioned that while more homogenous teams might be socially similar and have less conflict, this is the least effective way to deal with complex information. In terms of OB, this is relevant to what we’ve discussed regarding the importance of conflict within teams to be effective in finding solutions and making progress. We will use this article as evidence that women leaders lead to more successful sustainability performance, as this study is aiming to answer a similar question.
Greenberg, H., & Sweeney, P. (2005). Leadership: Qualities That Distinguish Women. (cover story). Financial Executive, 21(6), 32–36.
This article looks at the results of a series of conducted in-depth interviews with 60 women that held leadership positions within top companies and compares them to men in relatively similar positions. Within the findings of this research, it was shown that although men showed remarkable results women successfully took leadership to a new level. Women’s’ qualities and attitudes such as their openness, flexibility, empathy and strong interpersonal skills allow them to connect and understand to their workplace environment and colleagues at a higher and deeper level.
Marconatto, D., Ladeira, W. J., & Wegner, D. (2019). The sustainability of solidarity economy organizations: An empirical investigation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 228, 1122–1130. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.wwu.edu/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.04.352
Viewing the significant popularity that sustainability has gained all around the globe, this article considers the growth in an individual’s sense of environmental responsibility and explores the impact of different factors over the level of sustainability of about 6000 Brazilian community-based organizations. The factors taken into consideration were: gender of leaders, organization size, source of capital, networking, and social incubation. Within the findings of this study, it was found that organizations that had female leaders were usually more likely to be more sustainability-oriented in comparison to the organizations with fewer female leaders this is due to the effect that greater diversity has over boards, as it allows for more ethical conduct. Interestingly enough, the article also states that a minimum of three women in these positions is enough to obtain advantages that facilitate organizational sustainability.
Authors: Alexandra Bierman, Colin Rossiter, Stephanie Balderas, Dana Ericksen, Duncan Guerrero