More Women on Boards

An International Perspective

Edited by:
Lynne E. Devnew, University of Phoenix
Marlene Janzen Le Ber, Brescia University College
Mariateresa Torchia, International University of Monaco
Ronald J. Burke, York University

A volume in the series: Women and Leadership. Editor(s): Susan R. Madsen, Utah Valley University. Karen A. Longman, Azusa Pacific University. Faith Wambura Ngunjiri, Concordia College, MN.

Published 2018

More Women on Boards: An International Perspective is the seventh volume in the Women and Leadership: Research, Theory, and Practice book series. The purpose of this volume is to explore the complexity of issues related to increasing the number of women on boards of directors around the world: how these issues have been understood; how they have been more and less successfully addressed in different countries and industries; and how they are similar, and yet different, as a results of cultural and legal differences. In the Introduction and 18 chapters included in this book, 42 researchers, activists, and practitioners who were raised or work today in at least 17 countries on 6 continents seek to answer the questions: “Why have women on boards?” “Why is adding women to boards so challenging?” “What actions increase the number of women on boards?” and “What can we learn from situations where there are women board members?”

In seeking to answer these questions, the authors summarize previously existing research and share the results of their own recent qualitative and quantitative research studies conducted in many different countries. Both “fix the woman” and “fix the society” challenges and solutions are explored. Stories of women who have successfully joined and, in many cases, led boards of directors are shared. It is clear to us, and we believe will be clear to those who read this book, that there is no single program that will lead to gender equality on boards; however we believe that the authors in this volume provide a rich variety of research and well supported suggestions for addressing the challenges. When local cultures are considered and multiple suggestions implemented as appropriate, we are confident we will, together, increase the number of women on boards throughout the world.

CONTENTS
Introduction, Lynne E. Devnew, Marlene Janzen Le Ber, Mariateresa Torchia and Ronald J. Burke. PART I: WHY HAVE WOMEN ON BOARDS? Do Women on Boards Create Value for the Organization? A Review of the Literature, Emmanuel Zenou. The Business Utility Case for Women on Boards: Going Beyond the Surface, Morten Huse. Group Level Androgyny: One Way for Boards of Directors to Navigate the Paradoxes in Complex Decision-Making? Danielle Mercer, Catherine Loughlin, and Kara A. Arnold. PART II: WHY IS ADDING WOMEN TO BOARDS SO CHALLENGING? Mimetic Isomorphism of Board Gender Diversity in the World, Amalia Carrasco and Claude Francoeur. Directors’ Discursive Resistance to Gender Board Quota: The Belgian Case, Hannelore Roos and Patrizia Zanoni. Why Are There So Few Women on Boards? Voices From the Boardroom in the United States, Vasilia Vasiliou and Susan M. Adams. Chinese Women’s Representation on Corporate Boards of Directors and Institutional Interventions, Zhi Luan. Women Board Directors: Africa on the Rise, Rosemary M. Muriungi. PART III: WHAT ACTIONS INCREASE THE NUMBER OF WOMEN ON BOARDS? Those Who Serve and Those Who Aspire to Serve: Looking Back, Looking Ahead, Siri Terjesen, Heather Foust-Cummings, and Lauren Trombetta. Women’s Pathway to the Boardroom: The Intermediary Role of Executive Search Firms, Tanja Reimer. Preparing Women for Corporate Boards in the Biotechnology Industry, Lynn Johnson Langer, Carolyn Brougham, and Dawn Hocevar. Analysis of the Perceived Role and Value of Women’s Support Networks in Helping Women Gain a Board Position, Ruth Sacks and Fatima Maatwk. Nonprofit Board Membership: Benefits for Women’s Career and Leadership Development, Wendy M. Murphy and Danna Greenberg. Using Power and Influence to Create Gender Diverse Boardrooms: The Role of Public Policy, Vicki W. Kramer and Seletha R. Butler. PART IV: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM SITUATIONS WHERE THERE ARE WOMEN BOARD MEMBERS? When Women Lead: Cultivating Diversity From the Top, Malli Gero and Evelyn Garrity. The Adaptive Gender: Female CEOs, Board Context, and the Completion of M&As in the U.S. Food Industry, Gerwin van der Laan, Katrin Muehlfeld, and Anna Salomons. Women Directors’ Perceptions of Their Contributions on Boards: An Exploratory Study From India, Vasanthi Srinivasan and Rejie George. Leadership in Governance: Women Board Chairs, Monique Cikaliuk, Ljiljana Eraković, Brad Jackson, Chris Noonan, and Susan Watson. About the Editors. About the Contributors.