IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/scaman/v34y2018i2p215-224.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Women directors contribution to organizational innovation: A behavioral approach

Author

Listed:
  • Torchia, Mariateresa
  • Calabrò, Andrea
  • Gabaldon, Patricia
  • Kanadli, Sadi Bogac

Abstract

This paper aims to analyze the relationships between women directors (a demographic characteristic) and organizational innovation (a predictor of firm performance) by considering the mediating role of the board’s decision-making culture. To scrutinize board processes and behaviors, we use survey data to test our hypotheses on a sample of 341 Norwegian firms. The results suggest that women directors contribute positively and significantly to organizational innovation. Furthermore, the positive relationship between women directors and the level of organizational innovation is mediated by some decision-making culture dimensions: the degree of cognitive conflict and the degree of preparation and involvement during board meetings. Implications for theory and practice and future research directions are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Torchia, Mariateresa & Calabrò, Andrea & Gabaldon, Patricia & Kanadli, Sadi Bogac, 2018. "Women directors contribution to organizational innovation: A behavioral approach," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 215-224.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:scaman:v:34:y:2018:i:2:p:215-224
    DOI: 10.1016/j.scaman.2018.02.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956522117300015
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.scaman.2018.02.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Singh, Val & Terjesen, Siri & Vinnicombe, Susan, 2008. "Newly appointed directors in the boardroom:: How do women and men differ," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 48-58, February.
    2. Fariborz Damanpour & Shanthi Gopalakrishnan, 2001. "The Dynamics of the Adoption of Product and Process Innovations in Organizations," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(1), pages 45-65, January.
    3. Schwenk, Charles R., 1990. "Effects of devil's advocacy and dialectical inquiry on decision making: A meta-analysis," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 161-176, October.
    4. Violina P. Rindova, 1999. "What Corporate Boards have to do with Strategy: A Cognitive Perspective," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(7), pages 953-975, December.
    5. Seierstad, Cathrine & Opsahl, Tore, 2011. "For the few not the many? The effects of affirmative action on presence, prominence, and social capital of women directors in Norway," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 44-54, March.
    6. van den Brink, Marieke & Holgersson, Charlotte & Linghag, Sophie & Deé, Sharon, 2016. "Inflating and down playing strengths and weaknesses—Practicing gender in the evaluation of potential managers and partners," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 20-32.
    7. Fabio Zona & Alessandro Zattoni, 2007. "Beyond the Black Box of Demography: board processes and task effectiveness within Italian firms," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(5), pages 852-864, September.
    8. Zahra, Shaker A. & Garvis, Dennis M., 2000. "International corporate entrepreneurship and firm performance: The moderating effect of international environmental hostility," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 15(5-6), pages 469-492.
    9. John E. Ettlie & William P. Bridges & Robert D. O'Keefe, 1984. "Organization Strategy and Structural Differences for Radical Versus Incremental Innovation," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 30(6), pages 682-695, June.
    10. Mariateresa Torchia & Andrea Calabrò & Morten Huse, 2011. "Women Directors on Corporate Boards: From Tokenism to Critical Mass," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 102(2), pages 299-317, August.
    11. Fama, Eugene F & Jensen, Michael C, 1983. "Separation of Ownership and Control," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 26(2), pages 301-325, June.
    12. McDougall, Patricia Phillips & Oviatt, Benjamin M., 1996. "New venture internationalization, strategic change, and performance: A follow-up study," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 11(1), pages 23-40, January.
    13. Karen A. Bantel & Susan E. Jackson, 1989. "Top management and innovations in banking: Does the composition of the top team make a difference?," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(S1), pages 107-124, June.
    14. Valacich, Joseph S. & Schwenk, Charles, 1995. "Devil's Advocacy and Dialectical Inquiry Effects on Face-to-Face and Computer-Mediated Group Decision Making," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 158-173, August.
    15. David J. Teece & Gary Pisano & Amy Shuen, 1997. "Dynamic capabilities and strategic management," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(7), pages 509-533, August.
    16. Mariateresa Torchia & Andrea Calabrò & Michèle Morner, 2015. "Board of Directors’ Diversity, Creativity, and Cognitive Conflict," International Studies of Management & Organization, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 45(1), pages 6-24, January.
    17. Andersson, Svante, 2004. "Internationalization in different industrial contexts," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 851-875, November.
    18. Katalin Takacs Haynes & Amy Hillman, 2010. "The effect of board capital and CEO power on strategic change," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(11), pages 1145-1163, November.
    19. Nikos Vafeas, 2003. "Length of Board Tenure and Outside Director Independence," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(7‐8), pages 1043-1064, September.
    20. Frambach, Ruud T. & Schillewaert, Niels, 2002. "Organizational innovation adoption: a multi-level framework of determinants and opportunities for future research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 163-176, February.
    21. Val Singh & Susan Vinnicombe & Phyl Johnson, 2001. "Women Directors on Top UK Boards," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 9(3), pages 206-216, July.
    22. Nikos Vafeas, 2003. "Length of Board Tenure and Outside Director Independence," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30, pages 1043-1064.
    23. Nicholas van der Walt & Coral Ingley, 2003. "Board Dynamics and the Influence of Professional Background, Gender and Ethnic Diversity of Directors," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(3), pages 218-234, July.
    24. Fariborz Damanpour, 1996. "Organizational Complexity and Innovation: Developing and Testing Multiple Contingency Models," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 42(5), pages 693-716, May.
    25. Guoquan Chen & Chunhong Liu & Dean Tjosvold, 2005. "Conflict Management for Effective Top Management Teams and Innovation in China," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 277-300, March.
    26. David M. Schweiger & William R. Sandberg, 1989. "The utilization of individual capabilities in group approaches to strategic decision‐making," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 10(1), pages 31-43, January.
    27. Caspar Rose, 2007. "Does female board representation influence firm performance? The Danish evidence," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 15(2), pages 404-413, March.
    28. Linda Argote & Henrich R. Greve, 2007. "A Behavioral Theory of the Firm ---40 Years and Counting: Introduction and Impact," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 18(3), pages 337-349, June.
    29. Van den Brink, Marieke & Stobbe, Lineke, 2014. "The support paradox: Overcoming dilemmas in gender equality programs," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 163-174.
    30. Niclas L. Erhardt & James D. Werbel & Charles B. Shrader, 2003. "Board of Director Diversity and Firm Financial Performance," Corporate Governance: An International Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(2), pages 102-111, April.
    31. David A. Carter & Betty J. Simkins & W. Gary Simpson, 2003. "Corporate Governance, Board Diversity, and Firm Value," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 38(1), pages 33-53, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ana Fitriana Poerana & Jenny Ratna Suminar & Purwanti Hadisiwi & Edwin Rizal, 2023. "Symbolic Interactionism and Communication Patterns: Insights from Army Wives Union Organizations (Persit-KCK), Indonesia," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-20, March.
    2. De Massis, Alfredo & Muñoz-Bullón, Fernando & Sanchez-Bueno, Maria J. & Velasco, Pilar & Vismara, Silvio, 2024. "Executive gender and firm leverage decisions: The role of firm ownership and governance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    3. Miryam Martínez-Martínez & Manuel M. Molina-López & Ruth Mateos de Cabo & Patricia Gabaldón & Susana González-Pérez & Gregorio Izquierdo, 2021. "Awakenings: An Authentic Leadership Development Program to Break the Glass Ceiling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-23, July.
    4. Raquel Ferreras-Garcia & Jordi Sales-Zaguirre & Enric Serradell-López, 2021. "Sustainable Innovation in Higher Education: The Impact of Gender on Innovation Competences," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-13, April.
    5. Anna Odrowaz-Coates, 2021. "Definitions of Sustainability in the Context of Gender," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-12, June.
    6. Einarsdottir, Thorgerdur & Rafnsdottir, Gudbjorg Linda & Sigurdardottir, Margret Sigrun & Torfason, Magnus Thor, 2020. "Networks, homogeneity and gender in Icelandic business elites," Scandinavian Journal of Management, Elsevier, vol. 36(1).
    7. Ishwar Khatri, 2023. "Board gender diversity and sustainability performance: Nordic evidence," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(3), pages 1495-1507, May.
    8. Kyunga Na & Kwangsoo Shin, 2019. "The Gender Effect on a Firm’s Innovative Activities in the Emerging Economies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-24, April.
    9. Kanadlı, Sadi Boĝaç & Torchia, Mariateresa & Gabaldon, Patricia & Calabrò, Andrea, 2020. "Effects of Task Conflict on Board Task Performance in Family Firms: The Importance of Board Openness," Journal of Family Business Strategy, Elsevier, vol. 11(2).
    10. Liliana Nicoleta Simionescu & Ştefan Cristian Gherghina & Hiba Tawil & Ziad Sheikha, 2021. "Does board gender diversity affect firm performance? Empirical evidence from Standard & Poor’s 500 Information Technology Sector," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 7(1), pages 1-45, December.
    11. Lukasz Derdowski & Torvald Øgaard & Einar Marnburg & Gro Ellen Mathisen, 2018. "Creative and innovative behaviours of corporate directors: an elusive role of task-related conflicts," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(4), pages 1045-1069, December.
    12. Pongelli, Claudia & Majocchi, Antonio & Bauweraerts, Jonathan & Sciascia, Salvatore & Caroli, Matteo & Verbeke, Alain, 2023. "The impact of board of directors’ characteristics on the internationalization of family SMEs," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(2).
    13. Guclu Atinc & Saurabh Srivastava & Sonia Taneja, 2022. "The impact of gender quotas on corporate boards: a cross-country comparative study," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 26(3), pages 685-706, September.
    14. Won-Sik Hwang & Ho-Sung Kim, 2022. "Does the adoption of emerging technologies improve technical efficiency? Evidence from Korean manufacturing SMEs," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 59(2), pages 627-643, August.
    15. Beloskar, Ved Dilip & Haldar, Arunima & Gupta, Anupama, 2024. "Gender equality and women’s empowerment: A bibliometric review of the literature on SDG 5 through the management lens," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    16. Sara Saggese & Fabrizia Sarto & Riccardo Viganò, 2021. "Do women directors contribute to R&D? The role of critical mass and expert power," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 25(2), pages 593-623, June.
    17. Giovanna Campopiano & Patricia Gabaldón & Daniela Gimenez-Jimenez, 2023. "Women Directors and Corporate Social Performance: An Integrative Review of the Literature and a Future Research Agenda," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 182(3), pages 717-746, January.
    18. Tutun Mukherjee & Som Sankar Sen, 2022. "Impact of CEO attributes on corporate reputation, financial performance, and corporate sustainable growth: evidence from India," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 1-50, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Tleubayev, Alisher & Bobojonov, Ihtiyor & Gagalyuk, Taras & Glauben, Thomas, 2020. "Board gender diversity and firm performance: Evidence from the Russian agri-food industry," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 23(1), pages 35-53.
    2. Helena Isidro & Márcia Sobral, 2015. "The Effects of Women on Corporate Boards on Firm Value, Financial Performance, and Ethical and Social Compliance," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 132(1), pages 1-19, November.
    3. Ahmadi, Ali & Nakaa, Nejia & Bouri, Abdelfettah, 2018. "Chief Executive Officer attributes, board structures, gender diversity and firm performance among French CAC 40 listed firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 218-226.
    4. Nadia Loukil & Ouidad Yousfi, 2022. "Do CEO’s traits matter in innovation outcomes?," Journal of International Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 375-403, September.
    5. Wang, Tawei & Hsu, Carol, 2013. "Board composition and operational risk events of financial institutions," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 2042-2051.
    6. Mehdi Nekhili & Hayette Gatfaoui, 2013. "Are Demographic Attributes and Firm Characteristics Drivers of Gender Diversity? Investigating Women’s Positions on French Boards of Directors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 118(2), pages 227-249, December.
    7. Bowo Setiyono & Amine Tarazi, 2018. "Does Diversity of Bank Board Members Affect Performance and Risk? Evidence from an Emerging Market," CSR, Sustainability, Ethics & Governance, in: Belén Díaz Díaz & Samuel O. Idowu & Philip Molyneux (ed.), Corporate Governance in Banking and Investor Protection, chapter 0, pages 185-218, Springer.
    8. Shamsul Abdullah, 2014. "The causes of gender diversity in Malaysian large firms," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 18(4), pages 1137-1159, November.
    9. Mauro Romano & Alessandro Cirillo & Christian Favino & Antonio Netti, 2020. "ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) Performance and Board Gender Diversity: The Moderating Role of CEO Duality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-16, November.
    10. Celia Anca & Patricia Gabaldon, 2014. "The Media Impact of Board Member Appointments in Spanish-Listed Companies: A Gender Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(3), pages 425-438, July.
    11. Nuria Reguera-Alvarado & Pilar Fuentes & Joaquina Laffarga, 2017. "Does Board Gender Diversity Influence Financial Performance? Evidence from Spain," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 141(2), pages 337-350, March.
    12. López-Cabarcos, M. Ángeles & Vizcaíno-González, Marcos & López-Pérez, M. Luisa, 2023. "Gender diversity on boards: Determinants that underlie the proposals for female directors," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    13. Nguyen, Tuan & Nguyen, An & Nguyen, Mau & Truong, Thuyen, 2021. "Is national governance quality a key moderator of the boardroom gender diversity–firm performance relationship? International evidence from a multi-hierarchical analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 370-390.
    14. Ammar Ali Gull & Ammar Abid & Rashid Latief & Muhammad Usman, 2021. "Women on board and auditors’ assessment of the risk of material misstatement," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 11(4), pages 679-708, December.
    15. Beate Elstad & Gro Ladegard, 2012. "Women on corporate boards: key influencers or tokens?," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 16(4), pages 595-615, November.
    16. Hidaya Lawati & Khaled Hussainey & Roza Sagitova, 2021. "Disclosure quality vis-à-vis disclosure quantity: Does audit committee matter in Omani financial institutions?," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 57(2), pages 557-594, August.
    17. Naeem Tabassum & Satwinder Singh, 2020. "Corporate Governance and Organisational Performance," Springer Books, Springer, number 978-3-030-48527-6, December.
    18. Sabrina Wieland & Benjamin Flavel, 2015. "The influence of gender diverse corporate boards on employee-orientation," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 19(4), pages 825-848, November.
    19. Sanjukta Brahma & Chioma Nwafor & Agyenim Boateng, 2021. "Board gender diversity and firm performance: The UK evidence," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(4), pages 5704-5719, October.
    20. Asad, Muhammad & Akbar, Saeed & Li, Jing & Shah, Syed Zulfiqar Ali, 2023. "Board diversity and corporate propensity to R&D spending," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:scaman:v:34:y:2018:i:2:p:215-224. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/872/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.