A few good women - on top management teams

A few good women – on top management teams

Krishnan H.A., ParkD. Journal of Business Research, December 2005, Vol. 58 No. 12, Start page: 1712 (9 pages)

Purpose – To investigate the impact of female representation on top management teams (TMTs) on the performance of Fortune 1000 companies. Design/methodology/approach – Extends Hambrick and Mason’s upper echelon framework to the issue of gender. Reviews the existing literature on the role of gender diversity in TMTs and considers the moderating role of environment characteristics such as munificence, dynamism and complexity. Analyses a sample of almost 700 organizations drawn from the 1998 Fortune1000. Findings – Obtains strong support for the hypothesis that the greater the proportion of women on the TMT, the better the organizational performance. Finds no evidence for the impact of any of the three environmental variables on organizational performance and considers whether that is a consequence of selecting a sample that operates in complex economic conditions and therefore shows little variation between companies in the economic characteristics of the business environment. Research limitations/implications – Raises questions as to how membership of women in the TMT adds value to the organization. Originality/value– Provides large-sample support for the direct impact of TMT women on organizational performance in Fortune 1000 firms.ISSN: 0148-2963Reference:35AA827

Keywords: Directors, Organizational performance, Senior management,Women executives