Why Does Board Gender Diversity Matter and How Do We Get There? The Role of Shareholder Activism in Deinstitutionalizing Old Boys’ Networks

This essay bridges together social network and institutional perspectives to examine how women on boards, by breaking up directors’ homophilous (e.g., all-male) networks, contribute to board effectiveness. It proposes that through real and symbolic representations, women enhance perceptions of the b...

Descripción completa

Guardado en:  
Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Perrault, Elise (Autor)
Tipo de documento: Electrónico Artículo
Lenguaje:Inglés
Verificar disponibilidad: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Gargar...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Publicado: Springer Science + Business Media B. V 2015
En: Journal of business ethics
Año: 2015, Volumen: 128, Número: 1, Páginas: 149-165
Otras palabras clave:B corporate boards
B Institutional Change
B Social Networks
B Board diversity
B Women on boards
B Corporate governance
B shareholder activism
Acceso en línea: Volltext (JSTOR)
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Descripción
Sumario:This essay bridges together social network and institutional perspectives to examine how women on boards, by breaking up directors’ homophilous (e.g., all-male) networks, contribute to board effectiveness. It proposes that through real and symbolic representations, women enhance perceptions of the board’s instrumental, relational, and moral legitimacy, leading to increased perceptions of the board’s trustworthiness which in turn fosters shareholders’ trust in the firm. Envisioning the gender diversification of boards as an event of institutional change, this article considers the critical role of shareholder activists and legislative support from the SEC in the deinstitutionalization of old boys’ networks and the reinstitutionalization of gender diverse boards. This work is substantiated with evidence obtained through 34 semi-structured interviews, archival and documentary evidence.
ISSN:1573-0697
Obras secundarias:Enthalten in: Journal of business ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1007/s10551-014-2092-0