case study on female leadership

Representation Matters: Building Case Studies That Empower Women Leaders

Ten years before Harvard Business School published its first case study, activists across Europe celebrated the first International Women’s Day. They demanded, among other things, the right for women to hold public office and an end to employment discrimination. In short, they demanded more opportunities for women to lead.

At HBS, we create case studies to help teach students to become future leaders. Each case generally focuses on one organization and features a protagonist, often an executive facing a difficult decision or challenge. Learners put themselves in the shoes of a protagonist when they think through a decision point or reflect on the leadership journey described in the case. But who are these “model” leaders?

Since 2015, the HBS Gender Initiative has been analyzing gender representation in HBS cases. After all, we know that the identity of leaders we discuss in the classroom directly impacts not only how students learn, but how they see themselves. With only two years to soak in these cases as an MBA student, academic institutions have a short-but-critical time to prepare women for a world where “leader” still equals “male” in many spheres.

Cases can play a key role in reinforcing stereotypes, which conflate leadership with masculinity. When the industry or subject of the case is traditionally associated with men and masculinity, the leader-equals-male effect compounds.

"A robust body of research has found that seeing or hearing about female leaders improves women’s self-perception and performance."

Ultimately, women end up holding back during discussions about topics considered to be masculine even when they are the most knowledgeable group members, not only diminishing their own performance but depriving others of their insights.

In contrast, a robust body of research has found that seeing or hearing about female leaders improves women’s self-perception and performance, countering what is known as stereotype threat, or the risk of identifying with a negative stereotype about one’s group. In this case, that women are less capable than men in certain domains. Studies have found that viewing photos of famous female leaders or reading about women in their intended career field empowered women to:

• Give longer, better speeches that are equal in length to those of male peers.
• Eliminate gender gaps in performance on math problems and tests.
• Rate themselves more highly on career-related characteristics like intelligence and competence.
• More strongly associate leadership with women.

Increasing the number of women case protagonists that students encounter is an evidence-based measure that can ensure that women are on equal footing in the classroom.

Understanding the elusive female protagonist

Knowing this, we wanted to look at the HBS case output and curricula through a gender lens. We first took a deep dive into the cases published between 2008 and 2015 and found that 20 percent of cases written by HBS faculty included a female protagonist. However, there was substantial variation among academic departments. That finding suggests that there was not yet a systematic effort to diversify case protagonists.

With that insight in mind, we delved into faculty characteristics. Were some faculty more likely to write cases with a female protagonist? We did not find large variations by rank, nor volume. Regardless of a professor’s case output or career status, about 20 percent of cases contained a female protagonist.

Faculty gender did appear to make some difference: 26 percent of cases written by women included a female protagonist, compared with 19 percent for men. While there are undoubtedly other faculty characteristics that could influence protagonist gender, these three key qualities—seniority, gender, and overall case writing volume—seemed to make only a small difference at most.

Getting diverse cases to classrooms

We did find a major gender difference in one aspect of case writing that may at first glance seem minor: teaching notes. While 40 percent of cases with male protagonists included a teaching note—an outline guiding instructors in facilitating class discussion—just 10 percent of female-protagonist cases did.

Is this teaching note gap important? Another study we conducted suggests that these notes significantly impact the representation—or lack thereof—of women leaders in business school curricula. Even after taking various other factors into account, such as discipline, page length, title, the author’s experience, and the size of the company discussed in the case, we found that the presence of a teaching note improved case adoption by educators outside HBS. If cases with female protagonists are less likely to have an accompanying teaching note, they’re less likely to reach learners around the world.

"The data show that students’ responses to a case are about more than the text itself."

Exploring gender in case production offered one set of insights, but we also wanted to understand how it figured in the HBS classroom during the same time period. Excluding cases without protagonists—those that explore an issue or region, for example—we found that 23 percent of cases used in first-year MBA instruction had a female protagonist. That number shrank to 15 percent for second-year students.

The numbers were similar for HBS Executive Education participants during that time. Only 15 percent of cases taught through the School’s four comprehensive leadership programs had a female protagonist. Among courses that focused on a specific topic, such as innovation or strategy, 19 percent of cases featured a female protagonist.

What do students think?

We explored MBA students’ reactions to case protagonists during that time, using ratings they provided at the end of a required leadership course. Women gave slightly higher ratings to female-protagonist cases than cases that highlighted men, but male students rated female-focused cases significantly lower.

However, class visits from case protagonists—whether in person or virtually—narrowed these gaps. Male students rated cases with an in-class female protagonist more highly than cases in which the protagonist didn’t come to class. The same pattern was true for female students and male-protagonist cases.

The data show that students’ responses to a case are about more than the text itself. Lower student evaluations of a case may not neatly correlate with its quality or effectiveness. Cases whose protagonists join the classroom clearly resonate and may even help students to see leadership as more gender-neutral. Role models are powerful, and the additional engagement of seeing and hearing the person, not just reading about them, undoubtedly amplifies that power.

While we did not analyze the use of case videos, where protagonists may not be live but students can still hear from them directly, it seems likely that these tools would also positively impact evaluations.

Slow but meaningful change

Has there been measurable change since we carried out these analyses? In the academic year 2020-21, 27 percent of new field cases featured a female protagonist, as did 27 percent of cases used in the first year of MBA instruction at HBS. Change is happening, although its pace may feel slow to MBA students.

Student advocacy has played, and continues to play, a vital role in efforts to diversify the curriculum, impacting students who matriculate long after today’s student leaders graduate. Back in 1972, the newly-formed Women’s Student Association presented their “Guidelines for Avoiding Discrimination against Women in Written Materials” to top HBS administrators, and have been elevating the issue of gender in cases ever since.

Although applying a gender lens to case writing and teaching is important, we would be remiss not to emphasize that gender is far from the only identity that matters in cases. It’s critical that the protagonists whom learners encounter represent racial and other forms of diversity beyond gender, but we weren’t able to extend our analytical work because we lacked sufficient data.

"Role models are one component of transformative change. "

While the School began systematically tracking protagonist gender about 10 years ago, data on race, ethnicity, and other identities were generally missing from the case library. However, we’re glad to report that in 2020 the School launched a process to collect, with protagonists’ consent, data on race and ethnicity. So far, we know that just under 30 percent of cases used in first-year MBA instruction feature a protagonist of color.

There is more work to do, but by investing in data collection, analysis, and reporting, we can keep making progress toward a truly diverse curriculum and ensure that business education includes everyone.

Tackling the systems at the root of inequality

Long before there were women protagonists in the classroom, the HBS Women’s Student Association brought female leaders like Muriel Siebert, the first woman to hold a seat on the New York Stock Exchange, to campus. Ten years ago, the HBS Women’s 50th commemoration offered an opportunity for HBS to recognize the enormous impact that women leaders have had on the School and on the world.

The work continues today. At the Gender Initiative, we look for opportunities to bring to life the stories of a diverse and passionate array of changemakers, through projects like Pathways to a Just Digital Future and our Glass-Shattering Leaders case series , and our teaching material collections .

Role models are one component of transformative change. In tandem with clear and unbiased management processes, a commitment from leaders at all levels to inclusive practices, and equitable opportunity structures, they can undo patterns of disadvantage that prevent community members from thriving.

This systemic approach, which we advocated in our recent book , Glass Half-Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work , allows organizations to get at the underlying drivers of inequity and build new structures to close gender—and other—gaps.

Much has changed in the world over the last 100 years, yet too many aspiring leaders still face barriers rooted in bias. To realize the hopes of those early International Women’s Day activists—to make power more accessible and recognize the capabilities of marginalized voices—we need to tackle the systems that keep these barriers locked in place and move away from a narrow view of what leadership really looks like.

About the Authors

Colleen Ammerman is the director of the HBS Gender Initiative. Boris Groysberg is the Richard P. Chapman Professor of Business Administration.

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Women in the Workplace 2023

Women in the Workplace

This is the ninth year of the Women in the Workplace report. Conducted in partnership with LeanIn.Org , this effort is the largest study of women in corporate America and Canada. This year, we collected information from 276 participating organizations employing more than ten million people. At these organizations, we surveyed more than 27,000 employees and 270 senior HR leaders, who shared insights on their policies and practices. The report provides an intersectional look at the specific biases and barriers faced by Asian, Black, Latina, and LGBTQ+ women and women with disabilities.

About the authors

This year’s research reveals some hard-fought gains at the top, with women’s representation in the C-suite at the highest it has ever been. However, with lagging progress in the middle of the pipeline—and a persistent underrepresentation of women of color 1 Women of color include women who are Asian, Black, Latina, Middle Eastern, mixed race, Native American/American Indian/Indigenous/Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Due to small sample sizes for other racial and ethnic groups, reported findings on individual racial and ethnic groups are restricted to Asian women, Black women, and Latinas. —true parity remains painfully out of reach.

The survey debunks four myths about women’s workplace experiences  and career advancement. A few of these myths cover old ground, but given the notable lack of progress, they warrant repeating. These include women’s career ambitions, the greatest barrier to their ascent to senior leadership, the effect and extent of microaggressions in the workplace, and women’s appetite for flexible work. We hope highlighting these myths will help companies find a path forward that casts aside outdated thinking once and for all and accelerates progress for women.

The rest of this article summarizes the main findings from the Women in the Workplace 2023 report and provides clear solutions that organizations can implement to make meaningful progress toward gender equality.

State of the pipeline

Over the past nine years, women—and especially women of color—have remained underrepresented across the corporate pipeline (Exhibit 1). However, we see a growing bright spot in senior leadership. Since 2015, the number of women in the C-suite has increased from 17 to 28 percent, and the representation of women at the vice president and senior vice president levels has also improved significantly.

These hard-earned gains are encouraging yet fragile: slow progress for women at the manager and director levels—representation has grown only three and four percentage points, respectively—creates a weak middle in the pipeline for employees who represent the vast majority of women in corporate America. And the “Great Breakup” trend we discovered in last year’s survey  continues for women at the director level, the group next in line for senior-leadership positions. That is, director-level women are leaving at a higher rate than in past years—and at a notably higher rate than men at the same level. As a result of these two dynamics, there are fewer women in line for top positions.

To view previous reports, please visit the Women in the Workplace archive

Moreover, progress for women of color is lagging behind their peers’ progress. At nearly every step in the pipeline, the representation of women of color falls relative to White women and men of the same race and ethnicity. Until companies address this inequity head-on, women of color will remain severely underrepresented in leadership positions—and mostly absent from the C-suite.

“It’s disheartening to be part of an organization for as many years as I have been and still not see a person like me in senior leadership. Until I see somebody like me in the C-suite, I’m never going to really feel like I belong.”

—Latina, manager, former executive director

Four myths about the state of women at work

This year’s survey reveals the truth about four common myths related to women in the workplace.

Myth: Women are becoming less ambitious Reality: Women are more ambitious than before the pandemic—and flexibility is fueling that ambition

At every stage of the pipeline, women are as committed to their careers and as interested in being promoted as men. Women and men at the director level—when the C-suite is in closer view—are also equally interested in senior-leadership roles. And young women are especially ambitious. Nine in ten women under the age of 30 want to be promoted to the next level, and three in four aspire to become senior leaders.

Women represent roughly one in four C-suite leaders, and women of color just one in 16.

Moreover, the pandemic and increased flexibility did not dampen women’s ambitions. Roughly 80 percent of women want to be promoted to the next level, compared with 70 percent in 2019. And the same holds true for men. Women of color are even more ambitious than White women: 88 percent want to be promoted to the next level. Flexibility is allowing women to pursue their ambitions: overall, one in five women say flexibility has helped them stay in their job or avoid reducing their hours. A large number of women who work hybrid or remotely point to feeling less fatigued and burned out as a primary benefit. And a majority of women report having more focused time to get their work done when they work remotely.

The pandemic showed women that a new model of balancing work and life was possible. Now, few want to return to the way things were. Most women are taking more steps to prioritize their personal lives—but at no cost to their ambition. They remain just as committed to their careers and just as interested in advancing as women who aren’t taking more steps. These women are defying the outdated notion that work and life are incompatible, and that one comes at the expense of the other.

Myth: The biggest barrier to women’s advancement is the ‘glass ceiling’ Reality: The ‘broken rung’ is the greatest obstacle women face on the path to senior leadership

For the ninth consecutive year, women face their biggest hurdle at the first critical step up to manager. This year, for every 100 men promoted from entry level to manager, 87 women were promoted (Exhibit 2). And this gap is trending the wrong way for women of color: this year, 73 women of color were promoted to manager for every 100 men, down from 82 women of color last year. As a result of this “broken rung,” women fall behind and can’t catch up.

Progress for early-career Black women remains the furthest behind. After rising in 2020 and 2021 to a high of 96 Black women promoted for every 100 men—likely because of heightened focus across corporate America—Black women’s promotion rates have fallen to 2018 levels, with only 54 Black women promoted for every 100 men this year.

While companies are modestly increasing women’s representation at the top, doing so without addressing the broken rung offers only a temporary stopgap. Because of the gender disparity in early promotions, men end up holding 60 percent of manager-level positions in a typical company, while women occupy 40 percent. Since men significantly outnumber women, there are fewer women to promote to senior managers, and the number of women decreases at every subsequent level.

Myth: Microaggressions have a ‘micro’ impact Reality: Microaggressions have a large and lasting impact on women

Microaggressions are a form of everyday discrimination that is often rooted in bias. They include comments and actions—even subtle ones that are not overtly harmful—that demean or dismiss someone based on their gender, race, or other aspects of their identity. They signal disrespect, cause acute stress, and can negatively impact women’s careers and health.

Years of data show that women experience microaggressions at a significantly higher rate than men: they are twice as likely to be mistaken for someone junior and hear comments on their emotional state (Exhibit 3). For women with traditionally marginalized identities, these slights happen more often and are even more demeaning. As just one example, Asian and Black women are seven times more likely than White women to be confused with someone of the same race and ethnicity.

As a result, the workplace is a mental minefield for many women, particularly those with traditionally marginalized identities. Women who experience microaggressions are much less likely to feel psychologically safe, which makes it harder to take risks, propose new ideas, or raise concerns. The stakes feel just too high. On top of this, 78 percent of women who face microaggressions self-shield at work, or adjust the way they look or act in an effort to protect themselves. For example, many women code-switch—or tone down what they say or do—to try to blend in and avoid a negative reaction at work. Black women are more than twice as likely as women overall to code-switch. And LGBTQ+ women are 2.5 times as likely to feel pressure to change their appearance to be perceived as more professional. The stress caused by these dynamics cuts deep.

Women who experience microaggressions—and self-shield to deflect them—are three times more likely to think about quitting their jobs and four times more likely to almost always be burned out. By leaving microaggressions unchecked, companies miss out on everything women have to offer and risk losing talented employees.

“It’s like I have to act extra happy so I’m not looked at as bitter because I’m a Black woman. And a disabled Black woman at that. If someone says something offensive to me, I have to think about how to respond in a way that does not make me seem like an angry Black woman.”

—Black woman with a physical disability, entry-level role

Myth: It’s mostly women who want—and benefit from—flexible work Reality: Men and women see flexibility as a ‘top 3’ employee benefit and critical to their company’s success

Most employees say that opportunities to work remotely and have control over their schedules are top company benefits, second only to healthcare (Exhibit 4). Workplace flexibility even ranks above tried-and-true benefits such as parental leave and childcare.

As workplace flexibility transforms from a nice-to-have for some employees to a crucial benefit for most, women continue to value it more. This is likely because they still carry out a disproportionate amount of childcare and household work. Indeed, 38 percent of mothers with young children say that without workplace flexibility, they would have had to leave their company or reduce their work hours.

But it’s not just women or mothers who benefit: hybrid and remote work are delivering important benefits to most employees. Most women and men point to better work–life balance as a primary benefit of hybrid and remote work, and a majority cite less fatigue and burnout (Exhibit 5). And research shows that good work–life balance and low burnout are key to organizational success. Moreover, 83 percent of employees cite the ability to work more efficiently and productively as a primary benefit of working remotely. However, it’s worth noting companies see this differently: only half of HR leaders say employee productivity is a primary benefit of working remotely.

For women, hybrid or remote work is about a lot more than flexibility. When women work remotely, they face fewer microaggressions and have higher levels of psychological safety.

Employees who work on-site also see tangible benefits. A majority point to an easier time collaborating and a stronger personal connection to coworkers as the biggest benefits of working on-site—two factors central to employee well-being and effectiveness. However, the culture of on-site work may be falling short. While 77 percent of companies believe a strong organizational culture is a key benefit of on-site work, most employees disagree: only 39 percent of men and 34 percent of women who work on-site say a key benefit is feeling more connected to their organization’s culture.

Not to mention that men benefit disproportionately from on-site work: compared with women who work on-site, men are seven to nine percentage points more likely to be “in the know,” receive the mentorship and sponsorships they need, and have their accomplishments noticed and rewarded.

A majority of organizations have started to formalize their return-to-office policies, motivated by the perceived benefits of on-site work (Exhibit 6). As they do so, they will need to work to ensure everyone can equally reap the benefits of on-site work.

Recommendations for companies

As companies work to support and advance women, they should focus on five core areas:

• tracking outcomes for women’s representation
• empowering managers to be effective people leaders
• addressing microaggressions head-on
• unlocking the full potential of flexible work
• fixing the broken rung, once and for all

Sixty percent of companies have increased their financial and staffing investments in diversity, equity, and inclusion over the past year. And nearly three in four HR leaders say DEI is critical to their companies’ future success.

1. Track outcomes to improve women’s experience and progression

Tracking outcomes is critical to any successful business initiative. Most companies do this consistently when it comes to achieving their financial objectives, but few apply the same rigor to women’s advancement. Here are three steps to get started:

Measure employees’ outcomes and experiences—and use the data to fix trouble spots. Outcomes for drivers of women’s advancement include hiring, promotions, and attrition. Visibility into other metrics—such as participation in career development programs, performance ratings, and employee sentiments—that influence career progression is also important, and data should be collected with appropriate data privacy protections in place. Then, it’s critically important that companies mine their data for insights that will improve women’s experiences and create equal opportunities for advancement. Ultimately, data tracking is only valuable if it leads to organizational change.

Take an intersectional approach to outcome tracking. Tracking metrics by race and gender combined should be table stakes. Yet, even now, fewer than half of companies do this, and far fewer track data by other self-reported identifiers, such as LGBTQ+ identity. Without this level of visibility, the experiences and career progression of women with traditionally marginalized identities can go overlooked.

Share internal goals and metrics with employees. Awareness is a valuable tool for driving change—when employees are able to see opportunities and challenges, they’re more invested in being part of the solution. In addition, transparency with diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals and metrics can send a powerful signal to employees with traditionally marginalized identities that they are supported within the organization.

2. Support and reward managers as key drivers of organizational change

Managers are on the front lines of employees’ experiences and central to driving organizational change. As companies more deeply invest in the culture of work, managers play an increasingly critical role in fostering DEI, ensuring employee well-being, and navigating the shift to flexible work. These are all important business priorities, but managers do not always get the direction and support they need to deliver on them. Here are three steps to get started:

Clarify managers’ priorities and reward results. Companies need to explicitly communicate to managers what is core to their roles and motivate them to take action. The most effective way to do this is to include responsibilities like career development, DEI, and employee well-being in managers’ job descriptions and performance reviews. Relatively few companies evaluate managers on metrics linked to people management. For example, although 61 percent of companies point to DEI as a top manager capability, only 28 percent of people managers say their company recognizes DEI in performance reviews. This discrepancy may partially explain why not enough employees say their manager treats DEI as a priority.

Equip managers with the skills they need to be successful. To effectively manage the new demands being placed on them, managers need ongoing education. This includes repeated, relevant, and high-quality training and nudges that emphasize specific examples of core concepts, as well as concrete actions that managers can incorporate into their daily practices. Companies should adopt an “often and varied” approach to training and upskilling and create regular opportunities for coaching so that managers can continue to build the awareness and capabilities they need to be effective.

Make sure managers have the time and support to get it right. It requires significant intentionality and follow-through to be a good people and culture leader, and this is particularly true when it comes to fostering DEI. Companies need to make sure their managers have the time and resources to do these aspects of their job well. Additionally, companies should put policies and systems in place to make managers’ jobs easier.

3. Take steps to put an end to microaggressions

Microaggressions are pervasive, harmful to the employees who experience them, and result in missed ideas and lost talent. Companies need to tackle microaggressions head-on. Here are three steps to get started:

Make clear that microaggressions are not acceptable. To raise employee awareness and set the right tone, it’s crucial that senior leaders communicate that microaggressions and disrespectful behavior of any kind are not welcome. Companies can help with this by developing a code of conduct that articulates what supportive and respectful behavior looks like—as well as what’s unacceptable and uncivil behavior.

Teach employees to avoid and challenge microaggressions. Employees often don’t recognize microaggressions, let alone know what to say or do to be helpful. That’s why it’s so important that companies have employees participate in high-quality bias and allyship training and receive periodic refreshers to keep key learnings top of mind.

Create a culture where it’s normal to surface microaggressions. It’s important for companies to foster a culture that encourages employees to speak up when they see microaggressions or other disrespectful behavior. Although these conversations can be difficult, they often lead to valuable learning and growth. Senior leaders can play an important role in modeling that it is safe to surface and discuss these behaviors.

4. Finetune flexible working models

The past few years have seen a transformation in how we work. Flexibility is now the norm in most companies; the next step is unlocking its full potential and bringing out the best of the benefits that different work arrangements have to offer. Here are three steps to get started:

Establish clear expectations and norms around working flexibly. Without this clarity, employees may have very different and conflicting interpretations of what’s expected of them. It starts with redefining the work best done in person, versus remotely, and injecting flexibility into the work model to meet personal demands. As part of this process, companies need to find the right balance between setting organization-wide guidelines and allowing managers to work with their teams to determine an approach that unlocks benefits for men and women equally.

Measure the impact of new initiatives to support flexibility and adjust them as needed. The last thing companies want to do is fly in the dark as they navigate the transition to flexible work. As organizations roll out new working models and programs to support flexibility, they should carefully track what’s working, and what’s not, and adjust their approach accordingly—a test-and-learn mentality and a spirit of co-creation with employees are critical to getting these changes right.

Few companies currently track outcomes across work arrangements. For example, only 30 percent have tracked the impact of their return-to-office policies on key DEI outcomes.

Put safeguards in place to ensure a level playing field across work arrangements. Companies should take steps to ensure that employees aren’t penalized for working flexibly. This includes putting systems in place to make sure that employees are evaluated fairly, such as redesigning performance reviews to focus on results rather than when and where work gets done. Managers should also be equipped to be part of the solution. This requires educating managers on proximity bias. Managers need to ensure their team members get equal recognition for their contributions and equal opportunities to advance regardless of working model.

5. Fix the broken rung for women, with a focus on women of color

Fixing the broken rung is a tangible, achievable goal and will set off a positive chain reaction across the pipeline. After nine years of very little progress, there is no excuse for companies failing to take action. Here are three steps to get started:

Track inputs and outcomes. To uncover inequities in the promotions process, companies need to track who is put up for and who receives promotions—by race and gender combined. Tracking with this intersectional lens enables employers to identify and address the obstacles faced by women of color, and companies can use these data points to identify otherwise invisible gaps and refine their promotion processes.

Work to de-bias performance reviews and promotions. Leaders should put safeguards in place to ensure that evaluation criteria are applied fairly and bias doesn’t creep into decision making. Companies can take these actions:

• Send “bias” reminders before performance evaluations and promotion cycles, explaining how common biases can impact reviewers’ assessments.
• Appoint a “bias monitor” to keep performance evaluations and promotions discussions focused on the core criteria for the job and surface potentially biased decision making.
• Have reviewers explain the rationale behind their performance evaluations and promotion recommendations. When individuals have to justify their decisions, they are less likely to make snap judgments or rely on gut feelings, which are prone to bias.

Invest in career advancement for women of color. Companies should make sure their career development programs address the distinct biases and barriers that women of color experience. Yet only a fraction of companies tailor career program content for women of color. And given that women of color tend to get less career advice and have less access to senior leaders, formal mentorship and sponsorship programs can be particularly impactful. It’s also important that companies track the outcomes of their career development programs with an intersectional lens to ensure they are having the intended impact and not inadvertently perpetuating inequitable outcomes.

Practices of top-performing companies

Companies with strong women’s representation across the pipeline are more likely to have certain practices in place. The following data are based on an analysis of top performers—companies that have a higher representation of women and women of color than their industry peers (Exhibit 7).

This year’s survey brings to light important realities about women’s experience in the workplace today. Women, and particularly women of color, continue to lose the most ground in middle management, and microaggressions have a significant and enduring effect on many women—especially those with traditionally marginalized identities. Even still, women are as ambitious as ever, and flexibility is contributing to this, allowing all workers to be more productive while also achieving more balance in their lives. These insights can provide a backdrop for senior leaders as they plan for the future of their organizations.

Emily Field is a partner in McKinsey’s Seattle office; Alexis Krivkovich and Lareina Yee are senior partners in the Bay Area office, where Nicole Robinson is an associate partner; Sandra Kügele is a consultant in the Washington, D.C., office.

The authors wish to thank Zoha Bharwani, Quentin Bolton, Sara Callander, Katie Cox, Ping Chin, Robyn Freeman, James Gannon, Jenn Gao, Mar Grech, Alexis Howard, Isabelle Hughes, Sara Kaplan, Ananya Karanam, Sophia Lam, Nina Li, Steven Lee, Anthea Lyu, Tess Mandoli, Abena Mensah, Laura Padula, David Pinski, Jane Qu, Charlie Rixey, Sara Samir, Chanel Shum, Sofia Tam, Neha Verma, Monne Williams, Lily Xu, Yaz Yazar, and Shirley Zhao for their contributions to this article.

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International Journal of Leadership and Change

Home > IJLC > Vol. 6 (2018) > Iss. 1

Article Title

Female Leaders - It’s Not Just About Gender: A Case Study

Nancy Lambe Jeanne D. Maes

From the passing of the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, females have competed for previously all male-held jobs. Suddenly finding themselves on unfamiliar ground, women needed workplace survival guides more than workplace success guides. Over the years, numerous studies have tracked women on their way to the top of organizations. These studies noted while there are more women in the workplace today, overall women are still struggling with career advancement and, in particular, with role models for successful managerial leadership. As of 2014, nearly 52% of all professional-level positions in the United States were held by women; yet they held only 14.6% of senior management positions and only 4.6% of Fortune 500 CEO positions. Though the authors found a plethora of articles offering career advice and tips for working women, there was a paucity addressing best practices for female executives. Thus, to fill this gap in the literature, the authors approached the subject from a practical angle and offer lessons learned for women managers from one of the authors who was the first female director of manufacturing at a Fortune 500 company.

Recommended Citation

Lambe, Nancy and Maes, Jeanne D. (2018) "Female Leaders - It’s Not Just About Gender: A Case Study," International Journal of Leadership and Change : Vol. 6: Iss. 1, Article 9. Available at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijlc/vol6/iss1/9

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Women across the world bear a disproportionate burden of poverty in terms of material deprivation, discrimination, and denial of their basic rights. This means they often have little opportunity to influence the processes and institutions which shape their lives. The under-representation of women’s voices in decision-making and agenda-setting at all levels mean that their interests tend to be under-represented in critical policy-making fora, and their skills, experience, and knowledge under-utilized. This entrenches both gender inequality and the poverty confronted by women and their communities on a daily basis. There are, however, many examples where women have found the courage and the opportunities to challenge the status quo and become active citizens and successful leaders in political, economic and civil institutions, with inspiring results. This book brings together lessons and experience in building up women’s involvement from Oxfam GB and its partners. Women’s Leadership and Participation illustrates methodological approaches and learning points, covering a range of issues, from women’s participation in national elections to female decision-making in community livelihood initiatives. It asks the questions: what are the structural barriers to women’s leadership and participation? How can women be encouraged to take up leadership positions? Once they are leading, how can women (and men) be supported to carry out their roles effectively and for progressive purposes? The case studies in this book are also available as individual papers.

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• Hoare, Joanna
• Gell, Fiona

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• Practical Action Publishing

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Honors College Theses

Women in leadership: a comparative case study on successful leadership.

Christine Newcomb , University of Massachusetts Boston

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Open Access Honors Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science (BS)

Margaret Cadieux

Rajini Srikanth

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Business | Business Administration, Management, and Operations | Leadership Studies | Women's Studies

The purpose of this report is to understand what makes a successful female leader. Since there are so few women in executive level positions, especially chief executive officer positions, I became interested in analyzing how successful leaders act in contrast with how unsuccessful leaders act. To analyze, I will focus on the leadership of two prominent businesswomen, one who has been successful in their tenure, and one who has been unsuccessful. Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors, Inc. has been successful throughout her tenure, while Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo has been unsuccessful in turning the company around. I will analyze the similarities and differences between these leaders. Factors that will be considered include education, leadership style, reactions during moments of controversy and/or crisis, and their response to difficult issues. I expect to find that the success, or failure, of these women is mainly due to their styles of leadership as well as their level of emotional intelligence and communication style. Mary Barra exhibited a transformational style of leadership during her tenure, while expressing a high level of emotional intelligence. Marissa Mayer failed to adapt to the organizational culture of Yahoo and exhibited a transactional style of leadership and low level of emotional intelligence. External factors are also considered.

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Newcomb, Christine, "Women in Leadership: A Comparative Case Study on Successful Leadership" (2017). Honors College Theses . 29. https://scholarworks.umb.edu/honors_theses/29

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Google and Women Transforming Leadership case study

A successful partnership.

The tech industry is one of the worst offenders in terms of gender representation.

Google was very aware of this imbalance, with employment data from 2017 showing that only 31% of their total workforce is female, and only 25% of leadership positions are held by women. The company has since made a commitment to increasing diversity and supporting women.

To help tackle the issue, Google set up a business-wide essay competition for female staff. The winners would have their essay published and the opportunity to attend Oxford Saïd’s Women Transforming Leadership programme. Having run the competition twice now, Google has sent 5 individuals on the programme.

We are so fortunate to work for an organisation that is self-aware and actively engages in initiatives to support individuality and the promotion of a diverse workplace. Erica Lucia Head of Strategic Partnerships, Google Analytics

Reflecting on the programme, Google attendees have praised the value in learning about different, gender-neutral leadership styles, the focus on learning your own strengths rather than one-size-fits-all approach, and feeling confident and invigorated as they headed back to the office. The business has improved the culture as a whole, with participants sharing the tools and techniques they learned on the programme with their colleagues.

The impact goes much further than just the people attending the programme or just women – it trickles down to everyone. Amy Young Top Partner Lead, Global Partnerships

• : Nonprofit & Social Sector , Telecommunications & Media

Women in Cable Telecommunications Celebrates 1,000th Leadership Institute Graduate

Client Profile & Challenge

With too few women in executive ranks and corporate boardrooms,  Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT)  formed as a nonprofit in 1979. Their mission: to establish a collaborative conduit for industry women interested in professional advancement.

Toward that goal, WICT reached out to us in 1994 for assistance designing an executive leadership education experience for women in senior- and upper-middle management levels. With seed money from Bob Magness and JC Sparkman, 2 cable industry pioneers, the Betsy Magness Leadership Institute (BMLI) was born.

Solution & Results

Sara King, now principal of her own consulting firm, was at CCL when the first class of 24 leaders arrived. “The program filled a strong need for women navigating a male-dominated environment,” King says. “BMLI gave them a place to talk about their challenges, learn from female role models, and build a lasting network.”

Through the years, BMLI gained prestige among aspiring female leaders, and a competitive application process ensued. Today, a total of 54 annual participants from an array of companies, disciplines, and worldwide locations participate.

Susan Jin Davis, chief sustainability officer at Comcast NBCUniversal, was a graduate of the class in 2010-2011 and returned as a faculty member in 2018-2019. “BMLI graduates have increased credibility and visibility in their companies, positioning them for new opportunities,” she says.

Seeing the program through different perspectives has enriched her as she helps develop the next generation of female leaders. As a BMLI participant, Jin Davis discovered that no matter how high up in an organization one rises, there are always learning opportunities. As a faculty member, she continues to absorb information from program participants. “It’s that reciprocity of learning that happens.”

Sloan Kennedy, vice president of Domestic Network Distribution and Director of Affiliate Sales at HBO, applied to be in the program when she was in her late 30s and relatively new to HBO. Now, she finds strength and camaraderie in other BMLI alumnae at HBO. “We have fired up group chats online and in person to galvanize support for women leaders, increasing attendance for women leadership programs, speaking engagements, industry committees, and leadership award recognition at HBO,” says Kennedy.

“The effort provides exposure for effective and positive leadership through executives that speak to the professional and personal strengths of one another. We challenge and cheer one another in true BMLI spirit!”

This year, as we recognize our quarter-century bond with WICT, we celebrate another milestone: BMLI’s 1,000th graduate.

“In CCL, WICT found the ideal partner, well versed in providing best-in-class leadership development and bursting with faculty and staff committed to their clients’ success,” says Maria E. Brennan, CAE, WICT president, and CEO. “CCL cares about our members as much as we do.”

Each year, we adapt the curriculum to address challenges and changes in an industry that has experienced unparalleled growth, numerous tech advances, new disrupters, and a series of consolidations. “Throughout the ebbs and flows, the industry has remained steadfast in its support of women’s leadership, and its recognition of WICT’s capacity to positively impact companies’ diversity and inclusion goals — and also their bottom line,” Brennan says.

About 10 years ago, after BMLI alumnae expressed a desire to sharpen their skills and reconnect, the annual 2-day Betsy Magness Graduate Institute (BMGI) was established. In addition to networking, participants learn the latest leadership research from business luminaries.

“The partnership WICT shares with CCL is one of the longest-running relationships we have had with an education provider,” Brennan says. “We look forward to seeing what the next 25 years will bring!”

IMPACT OF THE CCL-WICT PARTNERSHIP 1

In addition to the impact on their careers, BMLI alumnae also report personal growth, such as:

• Enhanced self-awareness;
• Improved resilience, wellbeing, and overall health;
• Improved confidence; and
• New and strengthened relationships and social support.

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We offer customized women’s leadership development programs designed to equip women who are already proven leaders with the knowledge and skills needed to have greater impact and broader influence within their organizations.

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Andi Williams, Director of the Nonprofit and Population Health Leadership practices for Societal Impact at CCL, has been awarded the 2024 Shirley Chater Enduring Leadership Award by NurseTRUST.

CCL has partnered with The Financial Academy to further develop leadership effectiveness in the financial sector of Saudi Arabia.

We’ve once again been named a top provider of leadership training on Training Industry.com’s global Top 20 Leadership Training Companies list.

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Case Study – Women In Leadership Program

One of the nation’s largest independent, employee-owned insurance brokerage firms

THE PROBLEM

The organization lacked women at the highest levels of leadership and women were not receiving as many advancement opportunities as their male counterparts.  

THE SOLUTION

PRADCO developed and executed a multi-year program to help female leaders develop the leadership behaviors and competencies needed to advance their careers and improve business outcomes. The Striving for Excellence: Women in Leadership program was rolled out in multiple phases with women working at different levels within the organization. Participants were assessed to identify their existing strengths, coached on ways to develop areas where they were not as strong, and provided opportunities for cross-functional networking, peer coaching and sharing of experiences.  

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Nearly 18% of the organization’s total workforce participated in the program.
• Less than 5% of the organization’s supervisors were female at the start of the program. Five years and six phases of the program later, more than 50% of supervisors were female.
• Of those women, 30% held positions at the top levels of the organization.

What Employees Had To Say

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Ethics of Care and Employees: The Impact of Female Board Representation and Top Management Leadership on Human Capital Development Policies

• Original Paper
• Published: 17 April 2024

Cite this article

• Conor Callahan 1   na1 ,
• Arjun Mitra 2   na1 &
• Steve Sauerwald   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-0126-9741 3   na1  

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While scholarly research on the relationship between female board representation and strategic decision-making has gained momentum, employee policy outcomes have remained relatively understudied. Integrating theory from the ethics of care perspective with research on the glass ceiling and workplace voice, we seek to understand the circumstances under which female directors influence policy changes for firm employees. We argue that firms with increasing female board representation are more likely to enact human capital development policies benefiting firm employees. However, this positive relationship will ultimately diminish as boards accrue an increasing number of female directors. We further predict that the presence of a female leader at the firm (serving in the role of either the CEO or the board chair) will moderate this diminishing effect. Using a sample of S&P 1500 firms, we find support for our hypotheses. The findings from this study provide evidence that while female board representation is positively related to human capital development policies, this effect is nuanced and impacted by the presence of female leadership at the top of organizations. Our paper extends existing research on the nature of female directors’ influence on ethical decisions, emphasizing the impact of these directors on employees.

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Callahan, C., Mitra, A. & Sauerwald, S. Ethics of Care and Employees: The Impact of Female Board Representation and Top Management Leadership on Human Capital Development Policies. J Bus Ethics (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-024-05673-4

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Original research article, women and leadership: how do women leaders contribute to companies' sustainable choices.

• Department of Economics, Society, Politics, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Urbino, Italy

The current political, economic and social scenario is characterized by continuous and rapid changes. Companies are therefore called to face a significant change, which requires the definition of policies and strategies strongly oriented toward sustainable development, becoming fundamental for long-term success and competitiveness. In this perspective, female leadership plays a key role. Over time, women have demonstrated the ability to successfully manage the challenges imposed by social dynamics and environmental change. Despite the growing number of studies on women as sustainable development leaders, there is still little empirical evidence on how women contribute to the to the companies' sustainable development. The paper aims to address this gap by developing a qualitative multiple case study based on the administration of questionnaires to five Italian companies characterized by the presence of women in leadership positions. Therefore, the objectives of the research work are: (i) to analyze how female leadership facilitates the company's transition toward sustainability; (ii) to define a “typical profile” of sustainable woman leader in terms of main characteristics, actions and challenges. Findings suggest that female leadership contributes to the promotion and implementation of environmental and social practices through several characteristics intrinsic to their nature, such as the ability to emphasize and listen and the predisposition to sharing and collaboration. In addition, sustainable women leaders exhibit the following main traits: thinking systematically/holistically, managing complexity, and inclusive approach to leadership. This study allows to enrich the literature related to the relationship between sustainability and female leadership, providing empirical evidence on the topic.

Introduction

The obvious changes that characterize the current economic, political and social scenario have prompted companies to question traditional business management models, which are excessively profit-oriented and less concerned with the needs of the community. Nowadays, the exclusive profit orientation is inadequate and potentially dangerous for the survival of the company, which cannot avoid the new and critical awareness assumed by the large number of stakeholders about the impacts generated by the company's activity in the surrounding context. The attention paid to the relations with the different social actors thus becomes a critical success factor and requires the integration of social needs into the company's strategies in order to achieve a lasting and defensible competitive advantage. In this perspective, the topic of sustainable development has gained increasing attention and has become the focus of an important political, academic and managerial debate ( Wilkinson et al., 2001 ; Hall et al., 2010 ; Shinbrot et al., 2019 ).

The definition of sustainable development that is still widely accepted today is the one formulated in the Brundtland Report carried out in 1987 by the World Commission on Environment and Development ( Schaefer and Crane, 2005 ). The report defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” ( World Commission on Environment Development, 1987 , p. 43). This concept is the result of the greater awareness of the exhaustibility of the planet's resources and the consequent need to preserve the quality of the natural heritage ( Fernández et al., 2021 ), through the definition of economic-social development models that are more balanced than those adopted in the past. Based on this, the three main dimensions of sustainable development are economic growth, environmental protection and social equality ( Mensah, 2019 ; Milenković et al., 2021 ).

Over time, this concept has evolved profoundly and has taken on specific connotations depending on the context of application ( Du Pisani, 2006 ; Bilan, 2013 ; Shi et al., 2019 ). At corporate level, the definition of strategies oriented toward sustainable development translates into the adoption of a three-dimensional approach that finds its expression in the so-called “Triple Bottom Line” of Elkington (1994) , based on the integration of economic, social and environmental sustainability. In this view, the dimensions identified by the Triple Bottom Line are generally identified as the 3P ( Slaper and Hall, 2011 ), namely:

(i) Profits —refers to the objectives of an economic nature, indispensable for the survival and development of the company itself;

(ii) People —refer to the social results that enable the company to meet the needs of the various stakeholders, implementing activities that contribute to the growth and wellbeing of society;

(iii) Planet —refers to the environmental objectives to which the company must pay attention in terms of ecological balance, trying to minimize environmental impact.

Companies are therefore called to face a significant change, which requires the definition of policies and strategies strongly oriented toward the joint pursuit of economic, social and environmental objectives, which are fundamental for long-term success and competitiveness. In this context, the leader figures are crucial, since their actions are an essential factor in guiding the enterprise toward a sustainable transformation ( Metcalf and Benn, 2013 ).

“A leader is one or more people who selects, equips, trains, and influences one or more follower(s) who have diverse gifts, abilities, and skills and focuses the follower(s) to the organization's mission and objectives causing the follower(s) to willingly and enthusiastically expend spiritual, emotional, and physical energy in a concerted coordinated effort to achieve the organizational mission and objectives.” ( Winston and Patterson, 2006 , p. 7).

In fact, leadership can be considered as a social influence process ( Omolayo, 2007 ), in which the leader seeks the voluntary participation of collaborators in an effort to achieve common goals. Although there are different approaches to the concept of leadership, scholars agree that the leader for sustainability must exhibit specific skills ( Visser and Courtice, 2011 ; Metcalf and Benn, 2013 ; Tideman et al., 2013 ), such as motivating and engaging employees in the change process, emotional intelligence, and problem solving. According to McCann and Holt (2010) , sustainability leadership is intended to be concerned with creating current and future benefits while improving the lives of all actors involved.

In this sense, women play a key role as promoters of a sustainability-focused approach. Throughout time, women have demonstrated their value and abilities in addressing the challenges imposed by social dynamics and environmental changes. For instance, several studies have explained how women are uniquely positioned as stewards of natural resources ( Quisumbing et al., 2001 ; Nightingale, 2011 ). In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro officially confirmed the position of women with respect to the future of sustainable development, stating in principle 20 that “women have a vital role in environmental management and development. Their full participation is therefore essential to achieve sustainable development” ( Agenda 21, 1992 ; UN General Assembly, 1992 ). Women, in fact, have been shown to possess a number of characteristics embedded in their nature that makes their commitment to the sustainability issue much stronger than that of men ( Zelezny et al., 2000 ; Fernández et al., 2021 ). According to Agarwal et al. (2020) , women possess some crucial capacities to achieve sustainable change, such as innovative and creative perspective, leadership attitude, social awareness and a good ability to identify opportunities. Cicchiello et al. (2021) demonstrate that a higher percentage of women directors in the Board of Directors strengthens the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals' practices and external assurance of sustainability reporting. A study conducted by Galletta et al. (2022) in the banking industry shows that increasing the proportion of female directors improves financial and environmental performance because women are more attentive to the social dimension and stakeholders' expectations than men directors. Nevertheless, not all women have the same effect on a company's environmental performance. According to Issa et al. (2021) , female directors with advanced education and a social engagement background are positively associated with sustainability performance.

Feminist scholarship on gender diversity indicates that women tend to have more altruistic and empathetic attitudes ( Boulouta, 2013 ; Glass et al., 2016 ; Acevedo-Duque et al., 2021 ) than their male counterparts, showing particular concern for the wellbeing of others and caring for interpersonal relationships. The empirical analysis by Bulmer et al. (2021) , realized in Spain, shows that the wellbeing of employees is a priority for women managers.

Such communal attributes are inevitably reflected in women's leadership style ( Carli and Eagly, 2016 ) and become essential in fostering the transition to sustainable development. Women leaders appear to be more stakeholder and long-term oriented than men ( Glass et al., 2016 ), who tend to adopt a shareholder and short-term orientation. For instance, women are better able to combine the interests of multiple stakeholders, including communities, employees, suppliers and customers, with the performance-based interests of shareholders ( Brammer et al., 2007 ; Harrison and Coombs, 2012 ). Eagly et al. (2003) state that the female style exhibits optimism about goals and future states, new perspectives for solving problems and completing tasks and focuses on the development and mentoring of followers. The women's characteristics recall servant leadership which is leadership for the service of people and country ( Sendjaya and Sarros, 2002 ; Gandolfi and Stone, 2018 ). Different studies also highlight that female leadership encourages the pursuit of innovative initiatives, while male leaders are more anchored in traditional practices ( Eagly et al., 2003 ; Adams and Funk, 2012 ; Francis et al., 2021 ). Furthermore, women have unique leadership approaches to build trust among workers, focus on conflict resolution and facilitate collaboration ( Westermann et al., 2005 ; Eagly and Carli, 2007 ), while men tend to adopt a dominant leadership style. Thus, women managers foster a diversity of perspectives and opinions ( Weiner et al., 2019 ; Kadi-Montiel and Acevedo-Duque, 2021 ). Additionally, female leadership is characterized by an enterprising spirit, a capacity to build work teams, and the ability to make decisions in times of crisis ( Acevedo-Duque et al., 2021 ). Women, inside the domestic context, are considered able to organize themselves, the ability to plan family activities, and facing to adversity ( Vimal et al., 2021 ). All these abilities are fundamental characteristics of a manager. These common leadership traits contribute to make women more inclined to the implementation of social and environmental strategies, which presuppose a completely innovative and relational approach to business management. A sustainability-driven company defines its policies, strategies and actions on the basis of the stakeholders involved and the economic, social and environmental impact of its activities.

Despite the growing number of studies on women as sustainable development leaders, there is still little empirical evidence on how women contribute to the companies' sustainable development. This paper aims to address this gap by developing a qualitative multiple case study based on the administration of questionnaires to five Italian companies characterized by the presence of women in leadership positions. Thus, the research questions are the following:

(i) What are the main characteristics of a female sustainability leader?

(ii) What does a female sustainability leader implement the main actions?

(iii) What does a female sustainability leader face the main challenges?

The paper is organized as follows: Section Research Methodology describes the research methodology, Section Results presents the empirical results and Section Conclusions and Limitations discusses the main conclusions and limitations.

Research Methodology

We focus our attention on Italy because it is a country with a highly conservative gender culture ( Maida and Weber, 2022 ). Italy's World Economic Forum, Global Gender Gap Report (2020 ) is equal to 0.707 (0.00 imparity, 1.00 parity), and it gets in 76 rank out of 153 countries. Italy is 117 rank in economic participation and opportunity according to the Global Gender Gap Index rankings by subindex (2020). Italy is 44 rank in political empowerment of women. Additionally, Italy is 19 in the global gender gap index ranking in the region “Western Europe and North America”. Only Greece, Malta, and Cyprus have a lower index.

Given the limited empirical evidence on the topic under study, the methodology of the multiple case study is very useful as it allows to understand contemporary phenomena and practices and to provide material on current issues that are still poorly known ( Gummesson, 2002 ). We employed the multiple case study ( Yin, 2009 ) based on five Italian companies with women in a leadership role to investigate how female leadership can contribute to company sustainability and define a “typical profile” of a sustainable woman leader.

According to Baxter and Jack (2008) , this approach leads to a clearer comprehension and characterization of the phenomenon examined, providing a strong and reliable evidence. Moreover, the multiple case study enables a direct comparison between the cases highlighting the similarities and the differences.

The research method for this study is a mixed-method based ( Creswell and Clark, 2017 ). Qualitative and quantitative data are included to answer research questions. We employed the questionnaire with open-ended questions and multiple-choice questions, and the website and two databases (Aida—Bureau Van Dijk; Atoka—Cerved Group). The triangulation of data ( Patton, 1999 ) requests multiple data collection tools to provide depth to studying phenomena from various perspectives. Indeed, the adoption of different collection techniques is strongly encouraged for the reliability of the information, limiting the distortions, and ensuring a better study quality.

Case Studies

The questionnaire was addressed to women who hold a leadership position within the five companies included in the study. These firms operate in the Marche region and were selected since they play a crucial role in the development of the territory and are important examples of best practices for other companies in the market. Furthermore, they have been collaborating for years with universities in multiple research projects, demonstrating a growing attention to gender equality and sustainability issues.

Questionnaire

The survey is divided into four sections, as shown in Appendix Tables A1–A4 . The questions are defined to address the research issues illustrated above and achieve the objectives of the study. Some of them are single-answer, some are multiple-answer and others are open-ended.

Data Collection and Analysis

The Google Form online tool was used to share the link to the survey. The estimated time to complete the questionnaire was 4–8 min and 6 responses were obtained from February 2022 to April 2022. The women surveyed hold the positions of Head of Line, Head of Product Development, Head of Sales or Head of Administration. The results were analyzed through descriptive statistics and were then triangulated with secondary data (i.e., website, Atoka—Cerved Group, Aida—Bureau van Dijk) to complete the description of the company profile.

The following paragraphs outline the results obtained from the survey conducted. To this end, this section has been divided into four parts, following the structure of the questionnaire. In this perspective, the first section presents the general characteristics of the five companies investigated. The second section analyzes the sustainability female leaders of the firms under study in terms of leadership styles, skills, attributes and knowledge. The third section describes the sustainability actions implemented by these women leaders. Finally, the fourth section focuses on the typical female traits that foster the implementation of sustainable business strategies and the challenges female leaders face in this regard.

Company Profiles

All of the companies analyzed operate in the manufacturing sector and have been on the market for over 21 years. In addition, most of them are large (2 out of 5 companies) and small (2 out of 5 companies), while only one company is classified as a medium-sized company ( Figure 1 ).

Figure 1 . Company size.

Table 1 summarizes the data of the five companies with reference to negative events (it considers various negative events, including protests, prejudicial events, bankruptcies, insolvency proceedings; the score takes into account the age and type of negative event, the current state of the event, the type of subject and the type of link) innovativeness score (it is given to companies based on the content of their websites that measures the innovativeness factors of the company. The score is normalized using the percentile method: a score of 60 means that the company has a raw score higher than 60% of the companies), foreign propensity score (it measures the interest of a company to have relations with foreign markets. The companies for which we have evidence of foreign relations fall into the “certain” class and have a score equal to 100. For the others, a machine learning model allows us to estimate a value between 0 and 99, where the class is related to the score distribution), company age, revenues and number of employees.

Table 1 . Company information.

Being a Female Sustainability Leader

As illustrated in Figure 2 , the majority of female respondents have been in a leadership position for more than 6 years (4 out of 6 women), the remaining two women have been leaders for <3 and 1 years, respectively. Furthermore, they confirm the presence of other female leaders, which, however, are <10% across investigated companies.

Figure 2 . Time in leadership position.

The leadership styles that best describe the approach to sustainability of the women involved in the study are the inclusive and visionary ones, which were each selected 4 and 3 times ( Figure 3 ). The creative and altruistic options were chosen only once, while the radical style was never selected.

Figure 3 . Sustainability leadership style.

The ability to manage complexities is considered by most of the women leaders responding (4 out of 6) as critical to leading the firm in a sustainability-oriented approach ( Figure 4 ). Long-term vision and knowing how to address challenges dynamically and creatively are also skills considered important by leaders analyzed who selected these options twice in both cases. Less emphasis was placed on vision communication and making difficult choices in a timely and appropriate manner, which were chosen 1 and 0 times, respectively.

Figure 4 . Sustainability leader skills.

Figure 5 shows that thinking systematically/holistically and curiosity/open-mindedness are the characteristics that best describe the approach to sustainability adopted by the women leaders of the companies surveyed, who chose these answers 4 and 3 times. Being caring/having moral values and self-awareness/empathy were selected only in 2 and 1 cases, while courageousness/visionary was never chosen.

Figure 5 . Sustainability characteristics.

Finally, half of the women leaders surveyed felt that knowledge of the dynamics and possibilities for change should be possessed by a sustainable leader, while 2 out of 6 women leaders believed that knowledge of organizational influences and impacts is important ( Figure 6 ). On the other hand, knowledge of different stakeholder perspectives and knowledge of global challenges and dilemmas were selected only once.

Figure 6 . Sustainability knowledge.

Acting as a Female Sustainability Leader

As regards the environmental dimension, the main activities implemented by the sustainable women leaders concern the correct management of waste (4 out of 6) and the reduction of waste of energy, water and raw materials (4 out of 6) ( Figure 7 ). The selection of suppliers belonging to sustainable chains and the use of low-impact transportation are not implemented by any of the women leaders under study. The remaining environmental actions, on the other hand, are promoted by at least one of the female leaders called to answer the questionnaire.

Figure 7 . Environmental activities.

As indicated in Figure 8 , all the women leaders of the five companies analyzed implement at least one of the social activities listed in the questionnaire. Employee communication/dialogue activities is the most promoted action; in fact, it is implemented by 4 out of 6 women leaders. Corporate welfare projects and the promotion of local employment are implemented by 3 women leaders, while the other activities are promoted by at least 2 female leaders.

Figure 8 . Social activities.

In addition, women leaders at 4 out of 5 companies promoted the adoption of corporate certifications. Specifically, all 4 certified companies hold ISO 9001 quality certification, 3 companies have ISO 14001 environmental certification, and only one company holds ISO 45001 occupational health and safety certification. Three women leaders also say they have ongoing projects related to improving waste management and using renewable energy sources and smart working.

Contributions and Challenges of a Female Sustainability Leader

The ability to emphasize and listen and the predisposition to sharing and collaboration are considered the two typical traits of female leadership that are ablest to increase the effectiveness of implementing sustainable development strategies. In fact, these attributes were chosen, respectively, by 5 and 4 women leaders out of a total of 6 ( Figure 9 ). Even the overall and long-term vision of the surrounding reality (2 out of 6) and the problem solving (3 out of 6) are considered natural female characteristics capable of facilitating the implementation of sustainable strategies within the companies examined. On the contrary, greater sensitivity to environmental issues has been selected only one time, while flexibility is not among the typical female attributes considered instrumental to the success of business sustainability.

Figure 9 . Sustainability female leader attributes.

As shown in Figure 10 , half of the women leaders surveyed (3 out of 6) believe that the lack of support from top management due to gender biases is the main obstacle to be faced by a female leadership oriented toward sustainable development. The lack of dialogue, collaboration, interest and sharing of the same values on sustainability are also considered obstacles to the success of a sustainable female leadership (each selected 2 times out of 6). The lack of funds or materials/resources/skills were never mentioned.

Figure 10 . Sustainability female leader challenges.

At the end of the questionnaire, 4 of the 6 women leaders suggest the importance of introducing training and awareness activities on the sustainability issue and the role of women within the company, in order to be able to promptly face the challenges of the radical change already underway.

Conclusions and Limitations

The main objectives of the study were to understand how women leaders contribute to corporate sustainability and to define a “typical profile” of a sustainable woman leader. In this sense, it allows to enrich the literature related to the relationship between sustainability and female leadership, providing empirical evidence on the topic. As stated by Fernández et al. (2021 ), there is still a lack of empirical studies on the impact that women leaders have on sustainable business transformation.

Specifically, the findings show that women leaders contribute to the sustainability of the five companies through several characteristics intrinsic to their nature, such as the ability to emphasize and listen and the predisposition to sharing and collaboration. Such evidence helps to support the theoretical framework of different scholars, who state that women tend to have altruistic and empathetic behavior and promote collaboration among workers ( Westermann et al., 2005 ; Eagly and Carli, 2007 ; Boulouta, 2013 ; Glass et al., 2016 ; Acevedo-Duque et al., 2021 ). However, women still encounter difficulties in fulfilling their role as sustainable leaders, among which the lack of support due to gender stereotypes comes first. This problem was felt most in the smaller companies highlighting a lower sensitivity on gender parity than in larger firms.

The study also allowed to identify the main characteristics, skills and leadership styles of female leaders. In this way, it is possible to define a profile of sustainable women leaders with the following traits: thinking systematically/holistically, managing complexity, and inclusive approach to leadership ( Weiner et al., 2019 ; Acevedo-Duque et al., 2021 ; Kadi-Montiel and Acevedo-Duque, 2021 ). In addition, it was found that the main actions implemented by the women leaders surveyed are waste of energy, water and raw materials and proper waste management with regard to the environmental dimension ( Quisumbing et al., 2001 ; Nightingale, 2011 ), employee communication/dialogue activities, corporate welfare projects and promotion of local employment with respect to the social component ( Galletta et al., 2022 ). Concerning these actions, it is important to point out that they do not depend exclusively on the women leaders surveyed but are the result of decisions made at the corporate governance level. Furthermore, it is possible to note that both environmental and social activities are mainly implemented within the large and medium-sized companies analyzed. This result would seem to confirm the difficulty that small Italian enterprises still face in sustainable transformation, such as the lack of financial and human resources ( Iraldo et al., 2011 ). Finally, the analysis has helped to highlight the important role played by women leaders in promoting and implementing environmental and social practices, encouraging the transition to more sustainable business models.

The implications are relevant. Women leaders can contribute to sustainability; consequently, the political efforts oriented toward gender equality will probably have positive effects also in terms of sustainability. This link will have to be investigated. Thus, the role of female leaders deserves our attention, mainly in a context as Italian context where the culture is anchored to gender stereotypes and the companies are principally small and medium-sized enterprises, with a lack of resources and a significant gender gap.

The research presents some limitations. First, the empirical analysis is limited to only five companies that belong to a specific region of Italy. In addition, the questionnaire was filled out exclusively by female leaders. To further validate the results, it could be interesting to increase the number of companies, also considering other geographic areas and including male leaders. In this way, multiple contexts can be considered and the different approaches of male and female leaders to sustainability can be compared and analyzed.

Data Availability Statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

Ethics Statement

Ethical review and approval was not required for the study on human participants in accordance with the local legislation and institutional requirements. The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author Contributions

GP, FM, and FP: introduction, research methodology, results, conclusion, and limitations. All authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material

The Supplementary Material for this article can be found online at: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2022.930116/full#supplementary-material

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Keywords: women, leadership, business sustainability, gender, sustainable development

Citation: Pierli G, Murmura F and Palazzi F (2022) Women and Leadership: How Do Women Leaders Contribute to Companies' Sustainable Choices? Front. Sustain. 3:930116. doi: 10.3389/frsus.2022.930116

Received: 27 April 2022; Accepted: 01 June 2022; Published: 05 July 2022.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2022 Pierli, Murmura and Palazzi. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Federica Murmura, federica.murmura@uniurb.it

This article is part of the Research Topic

Women in Sustainability: Organizational Sustainability 2021

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Lessons from Beyoncé on Navigating Exclusion

• Ella F. Washington,
• Hildana Haileyesus,
• Laura Morgan Roberts

The star’s path from CMA Awards backlash to Cowboy Carter is a case study in strategic response.

In 2016, Beyoncé’s performance at the CMA Awards sparked backlash from fans complaining about everything from her attire to her lack of connection to the genre. This year, she released her first country album, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Her actions over the past eight years have been a case study in how to navigate workplace exclusion. As a first step, it often makes sense to exit the conversation and wait for a better moment to respond. Then, work behind the scenes, ideally with collaborators, to push for change. Finally, consider focusing on your own authenticity and strengths to create your own lane within your organization or outside it.

Beyoncé, the globally revered singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur, last month released her new album Cowboy Carter.   However, this project is much more than another musical release from a leading star. It offers a case study in how to navigate workplace exclusion.

• Ella F. Washington  is an organizational psychologist; the founder and CEO of Ellavate Solutions, a DEI strategy firm; and a professor of practice at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business. She is the author of  The Necessary Journey: Making Real Progress on Equity and Inclusion  (HBR Press, November 2022) and  Unspoken: A Guide to Cracking the Hidden Corporate Code  (Forbes Books, May 2024). 
• Hildana Haileyesus  is a DEI consultant at  Ellavate Solutions with a background in training and facilitation, client strategy, and research. She has worked across higher education and business and applies a sociological lens to equity-driven change efforts.
• Laura Morgan Roberts is a Frank M. Sands Sr. Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. She is an organizational psychologist and the coeditor of Race, Work and Leadership: New Perspectives on the Black Experience (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019).

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How Americans see the state of gender and leadership in business

Women now account for record shares of Fortune 500 chief executives and board members in the United States – 10.6% and 30.4%, respectively. Still, the share of women in top business leadership positions remains well below their share of the population.

Pew Research Center conducted this study to explore Americans’ views about the current state of gender and business leadership.

This analysis is based on a survey of 5,057 U.S. adults conducted July 17-23, 2023. Everyone who took part is a member of the Center’s American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Address-based sampling ensures that nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATP’s methodology .

Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

A majority of Americans (55%) say there are too few women in top executive business positions, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. This is down somewhat from 59% who said this in 2018 .

Among those who say there are too few women in top business positions, most (79%) say it would be ideal to have the same number of women and men in these roles. One-in-ten say having more women than men would be ideal. The same share (10%) say it would be ideal to have more women in these positions than there are now, but still not as many women as men.

Related: Women and Political Leadership Ahead of the 2024 Election

Why aren’t there more women in top executive business positions?

Americans see many factors as major reasons why there aren’t more women in top executive business positions, such as:

• Women having to do more to prove themselves than men (58% say this is a major reason)
• Gender discrimination (50%)
• Family responsibilities (48%)
• Many businesses not being ready to hire women for these positions (43%)
• Sexual harassment creating an environment that makes it harder for women to succeed (40%)

Will there ever be as many women as men in top executive business positions?

Americans are divided on this question. Half say that, even as more women move into management roles, men will continue to hold more of these top positions. A similar share (48%) say that as more women move into management roles, it’s only a matter of time before there are as many women as men in top executive positions in business. 

How views vary by gender

On nearly every question we asked, women and men express different views about the current state of gender and business leadership:  

• 65% of women say there are too few women in top executive business positions, compared with 45% of men. Men are more likely than women to say the number of women in these positions is about right (46% vs. 29%).
• 55% of women say men will continue to hold more top executive business positions in the future. In turn, more than half of men (54%) say it’s only a matter of time before there are as many women as men in these roles.
• By large margins, women are more likely than men to see nearly all of the potential obstacles we asked about as major reasons why there aren’t more women in top business leadership positions.

How views vary by party

There are also differences in the views of Democrats and Democratic leaners when compared with Republicans and those who lean to the GOP. Among these differences:

• 76% of Democrats say there are too few women in top business leadership positions, compared with 33% of Republicans. A majority of Republicans (56%) say the number of women in these positions is about right.
• Most Democrats say women having to do more to prove themselves than men (73%) and gender discrimination (67%) are major reasons why there aren’t more women in top business leadership positions. This compares with 42% and 30% of Republicans, respectively.
• Among Republicans, family responsibilities are cited more often than any other factor as a major reason why there aren’t more women in top leadership positions in business. Similar shares of Republicans (48%) and Democrats (49%) see this as a major reason.

Gender differences among Republicans and Democrats

On many questions, there are differences by gender within each party. Republican and Democratic women are more likely than their male counterparts to say there are too few women in top business leadership positions and to point to certain factors as major obstacles for women.

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis , along with responses, and the survey methodology .

• Business & Workplace
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• Gender & Leadership

Juliana Menasce Horowitz is an associate director of research at Pew Research Center

A look at small businesses in the U.S.

Majorities of adults see decline of union membership as bad for the u.s. and working people, a look at black-owned businesses in the u.s., from businesses and banks to colleges and churches: americans’ views of u.s. institutions, 2023 saw some of the biggest, hardest-fought labor disputes in recent decades, most popular.

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