Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: International Research and Practice

by Susan Vinnicombe (Editor), Val Singh (Editor), Ronald J. Burke (Editor), Diana Bilimoria (Editor), Morten Huse (Editor)

Overview

This important new book addresses the growing international interest in women on corporate boards of directors.

The contributors explore the position of women on corporate boards and future trends in different countries including Australia, Canada, France, Iceland, Jordan, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Tunisia, the UK and the USA.

They go on to report the latest research on the experiences and different contributions made by women directors on corporate boards. Issues discussed include:

• How women directors champion difficult issues and debates


• How women influence boardroom behaviour


• The contribution of women directors' human and social capital


• Gendered experiences and the glass cliff


• The glass ceiling or a bottleneck?


• Networking to harness local power for national impact


• Women on board in best practice companies


• Whether critical mass makes a difference?


• Future directions for research.

Women on Corporate Boards of Directors brings together the significant international research base with suggestions aimed at individuals aspiring to board membership, women and men currently serving on corporate boards, companies interested in attracting women to their boards, and government bodies wanting to identify the challenges and opportunities facing them as they consider various options for increasing women's representation on corporate boards. This will also be an important book for academics interested in women directors, women's careers at senior levels in organizations and workforce diversity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781847204806
Publisher:	Edward Elgar Publishing
Publication date:	01/28/2009
Series:	New Horizons in Management series
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Edited by Susan Vinnicombe OBE, Professor of Organisational Behaviour and Diversity Management, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, UK and Professor, Simmons University, US, Val Singh, former Reader in Corporate Diversity Management, Deputy Director, International Centre for Women Leaders, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, UK, the late Ronald J. Burke, formerly Professor Emeritus, Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada, Diana Bilimoria, KeyBank Professor and Professor and Chair of Organizational Behavior, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University, US and Morten Huse, Professor Emeritus, Department of Communication and Culture, BI Norwegian Business School, Norway

Table of Contents

Contents:

Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: International Issues and Opportunities
Ronald J. Burke and Susan Vinnicombe

PART I: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
1. Women Board Directors in the United States: An Eleven Year Retrospective
Lois Joy

2. Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: The Canadian Perspective
Ronald J. Burke and Richard Leblanc

3. The Pipeline to the Board Finally Opens: Women’s Progress on FTSE 100 Boards in the UK
Ruth Sealy, Susan Vinnicombe and Val Singh

4. Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: The French Perspective
Mairi Maclean and Charles Harvey

5. New Zealand Women Directors: Many Aspire but Few Succeed
Rosanne Hawarden and Ralph E. Stablein

6. ‘Glacial at Best’: Women’s Progress on Corporate Boards in Australia
Anne Ross-Smith and Jane Bridge

7. The Quota Story: Five Years of Change in Norway
Marit Hoel

8. Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: The Icelandic Perspective
Thoranna Jónsdóttir

9. Women on Corporate Boards of Directors in Spanish Listed Companies
Celia de Anca

10. Contrasting Positions of Women Directors in Jordan and Tunisia
Val Singh

PART II: RESEARCH THEMES
11. Championing the Discussion of Tough Issues: How Women Corporate Directors Contribute to Board Deliberations
Nancy McInerney-Lacombe, Diana Bilimoria and Paul F. Salipante

12. Women Directors and the ‘Black Box’ of Board Behavior
Morten Huse

13. Do Women Still Lack the ‘Right’ Kind of Human Capital for Directorships on the FTSE 100 Corporate Boards?
Siri Terjesen, Val Singh and Susan Vinnicombe

14. Examining Gendered Experiences Beyond the Glass Ceiling: The Precariousness of the Glass Cliff and the Absence of Rewards
Michelle K. Ryan, Clara Kulich, S. Alexander Haslam, Mette D. Hersby and Catherine Atkins

15. On the Progress of Corporate Women: Less a Glass Ceiling than a Bottleneck?
Dan R. Dalton and Catherine M. Dalton

16. ION: Organizational Networking to Harness Local Power for National Impact
Susan M. Adams, Patricia M. Flynn and Toni G. Wolfman

17. Women on Corporate Boards of Directors: Best Practice Companies
Heather Foust-Cummings

18. Critical Mass: Does the Number of Women on a Corporate Board Make a Difference?
Sumru Erkut, Vicki W. Kramer and Alison M. Konrad

Directions for Future Research on Women on Corporate Boards of Directors
Diana Bilimoria

Index

Editorial Reviews

'After the first two chapters I was so absorbed I was almost reluctant to go to coffee and, as other coffee addicts will know, it is a rare book, especially a rare academic book - that can make one careless in observing the customary coffee break. . . I found that the way this book is written helped me to reflect on much of the gender research that I am involved in currently because the questions raised are so searching and far-reaching. Once again, the chapter authors combine brevity with thoroughness and depth in their examination of the themes, which made this a very rewarding book because it takes you so far in your thinking in just 240 pages. . . I feel energised by the debates that the book has opened up for me. I have done research in this particular area, but I now feel that I have explored different perspectives and new depths and I am grateful to the editors for that.'

Marianne Tremaine

'This timely collection of case studies and research from top academics around the world, will be of tremendous value to all those engaged in bringing about greater gender diversity in corporate boardrooms.'

Jacey Graham

'. . . a thorough and insightful examination of women on corporate boards of directors. . . I recommend the book as a read for practitioners, scholars, educators and others having an interest in human resource management. . . With its wealth of information, Women on Corporate Boards of Directors is a good addition to the extant literature that should represent an affordable value for the buyer.'

Mark Mone

'This book provides an excellent overview of contemporary international research and practice relating to women on corporate boards of directors. An important lesson learnt from this book is: rather than having only one or two competent and committed women on the boards of directors, an ideal number of three is not only "the right thing" but also "the bright thing" to do. Why? Research has documented a strong positive correlation between the share of board seats held by women and financial performance.'

Martin Hilb

'. . . a thorough and insightful examination of women on corporate boards of directors. . . I recommend the book as a read for practitioners, scholars, educators and others having an interest in human resource management. . . With its wealth of information, Women on Corporate Boards of Directors is a good addition to the extant literature that should represent an affordable value for the buyer.'

'This timely collection of case studies and research from top academics around the world, will be of tremendous value to all those engaged in bringing about greater gender diversity in corporate boardrooms.'

From the Publisher

‘There are still common barriers that women face across many countries that keep their representation on boards of directors low and relatively unchanging. I commend this excellent, outstanding book to both academics and business management constituencies, as well as individuals interested in serving on corporate boards. The authors should be congratulated for this important contribution to the literature.’

Marilyn Davidson

‘There are still common barriers that women face across many countries that keep their representation on boards of directors low and relatively unchanging. I commend this excellent, outstanding book to both academics and business management constituencies, as well as individuals interested in serving on corporate boards. The authors should be congratulated for this important contribution to the literature.’

 Marilyn Davidson

‘This timely collection of case studies and research from top academics around the world, will be of tremendous value to all those engaged in bringing about greater gender diversity in corporate boardrooms.’

 Jacey Graham