Beyond a seat at the table : Investigating gender differences in leaders\u2019 strategic conversation networks

Abstract

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Michigan State University. Psychology - Doctor of Philosophy, 2025Theories related to the strategic management of organizations, such as the UpperEchelons Theory (Hambrick & Mason, 1984) and the Resource-Based View (Wernerfelt, 1984), suggest that gender diversity in leadership groups can enhance organizational strategy because women will have a tangible and unique impact on strategic decision-making. However, empirical studies based on the Upper Echelons Theory and the Resource Based View have predominantly relied on demographic representation as a proxy for women\u2019s impact on strategy, assuming that the presence of women in leadership equates to their influence on strategic decision-making. Research on gender and networks would suggest that women leaders are not consistently involved in critical strategic conversations\u2014even if they are demographically represented in leadership groups. This raises an important question: Are women leaders participating in strategic conversations at the same rate as their men counterparts, or are they still on the sidelines? My dissertation addressed this question by drawing from theory and research at the intersection of gender and networks. I hypothesized that homophily tendencies, combined with the gender composition of organizations, makes women leaders (1) less likely than men to be connected with men leaders, but more likely than men to (2) reach outside of their own work groups to form connections, and (3) to form gender heterogeneous ties. In turn, the composition of women\u2019s network ties makes them less likely to occupy powerful, stable, and strong positions in strategic conversation networks. Further, I hypothesized that the extent to which leaders have connections with men leaders would be more strongly and positively associated with powerful network positions for women leaders than for men leaders. I tested my hypotheses in a sample of 673 upper- and middle-managers from 13 organizations across different industries who completed social network surveys. Results showed complex patterns. Despite women having lower network \u2018power\u2019 than men, results showed that women had significantly fewer men contacts in their strategic networks, and that such differences were unexpectedly related to increased network \u2018power\u2019 (degree centrality). The relationship between the proportion of men leader contacts and network power was more positive, but not significant for women leaders. Contrary to expectations, women also had fewer contacts outside of their immediate work groups, which led to increased network \u2018stability\u2019 (contact density). When considering the larger gender composition of each organization, having more women in organizational leadership positions or on the top management team strengthened the positive indirect effect of gender on network power through having fewer men contacts. Rather than being excluded from strategic conversations as the gender and networks literature might suggest, women appear to develop alternative networking approaches that can effectively increase their involvement in strategy networks. By moving beyond demographic representation to analyze how men and women leaders participate in strategic networks, the present dissertation offers important insights into the mechanisms that shape involvement in organizational strategy networks and women\u2019s career advancement.Description based on online resource. Title from PDF t.p. (Michigan State University Fedora Repository, viewed ).Includes bibliographical references