Lecture 10 Readings Flashcards
representation and equity
- Tracking, theorizing, and extending questions around leadership representation is critical to promoting equity in leadership
- Despite ontological limitations and complexities, we can and must continue to focus on leadership representation to understand leadership equity and inclusion
whitestreaming
the pro-white and male bias in leadership
impacts of more women in leadership
More women in leadership has been associated with higher levels of innovation, the promotion of more women employees, and a reduction in stereotyping
impacts of greater demographic diversity
Greater demographic diversity is connected to better decision-making in terms of corporate social responsibility
the challenges of representing
- The lived experience of representing comes with a range of challenges
- The work of increasing representation often falls on minority leaders
- This produces physical and mental harm and results in discriminatory outcomes
who dominates in the corporate sector?
White males
stereotypes and workplace behaviour
- Gendered stereotypes of leadership in the media have a profound impact on how women are expected to behave in the workplace
- There are parallel dynamics for people of colour
women in the workforce during times of crisis
Women are more likely to experience pressure to withdraw from the workforce such as during COVID-19
data on the representation of racialized people
There is limited global data on the representation of racialized people because of different definitions, reporting requirements, and legislative frameworks
barriers of racialized people vs. women in Canada
In the Canadian context, racialized people face more barriers than women
intersectionality and leadership
We must recognize intersectionality within any determinant of leadership representation
heterogeneity of identification terms
Analytic categories like “women” are heterogeneous in terms of identity characteristics and lived experiences
gender and racial pay gap
Women executives earn 56% less than men executives, but racialized women earn 32% less than white women
profile of women vs. men executives
Women executives tend to be younger than male executives and are less likely to be in a relationship, have children, or hold the top position
what questions does representation raise?
questions about identity construction and disclosure
two key effects of representation
- The potential to erode stereotypes and mental models of who can lead
- The power to shape the aspirations of young people and those in more junior positions
representation and economic prosperity
- Representation is tied to economic prosperity
- The pay gap still exists and is greater for racialized women
impacts of diverse corporate leadership
- Companies with diverse leadership outperform others in their industries by 30% in terms of profitability
- Representation is associated with reduced groupthink
- Diversity in leadership can help broaden talent pools and overcome skill gaps in an increasingly volatile economy
- There are reputational and legal risks for organizations that do not sufficiently address DEI
The threefold burden of token status:
- Women experience heightened visibility that creates performance pressures not experienced by men
- They are often isolated by the majority who exaggerate their differences as they enter leadership
- They simultaneously face expectations to act within pre-defined gender roles
Kanter’s antidote to token dynamics
greater representation and ultimately gender parity
leadership vs. having a voice
Attaining positional leadership doesn’t guarantee that minorities will have a voice
the Margaret Thatcher effect
there is no guarantee that those in positions of power will represent the interests of groups with whom they share an identity
perception of men vs. women on gender-related barriers
Most women report experiencing gender-related barriers, but most men disagree with this perception
who takes the lead on addressing gender bias?
women
how do women in leadership overcome or deal with prejudice?
they use strategies such as mentoring, education, coaching, networking, and self-promotion
7 emergent themes that corporate leaders interviewed by Roberts & Brown revealed
- discrimination
- harassment
- organization climate
- well-being
- disruption
- empowerment
- leading
discrimination in Roberts & Brown’s study
discrimination occurred in 75% of data sources
harassment in Roberts & Brown’s study
harassment, including bullying and violence, occurred in 63% of data sources
organization climate in Roberts & Brown’s study
organizational climate, including the “old boy’s club”, special interest groups, diversity, and identity occurred in 88% of data sources
how does organization climate emerge?
from social information processes
well-being in Roberts & Brown’s study
- Well-being, made up of stress, family conflict, and expectations of society was brought up in 3% of data sources
- Although most women ignore gender bias, it may take a toll on their well-being
disruption in Roberts & Brown’s study
disruption, including role-challenged leaving, target, and exclusion from decision-making occurred in 88% of cases
empowerment
a meaningful shift in the experience of power attained through an individual’s interactions in the social world that build confidence, connections, and consciousness of authenticity in an individual
empowerment in Roberts & Brown’s study
Included efficacy, entrepreneurship, skill building, knowledge building, a mentor relationship, networking, and relationship building, which occurred in 100% of data sources
leading in Roberts & Brown’s study
made up of purposeful goals, support systems, inclusion, advocacy for change, CEO experience, impression, management and governance, which occurred in 100% of data sources
how did women in leadership describe their experiences?
based on men’s behaviour of discrimination and harassment toward them
how did women create change within themselves?
using empowerment
limitations of Roberts and Brown’s study
- The methodology was beyond the researcher’s control
- The data sources were unique experiences
- Potential for researcher bias
