Skip to main content

Board Diversity and Firm Effects

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Corporate Governance and Diversity in Boardrooms

Abstract

This chapter proposes a systematization of the different impacts of board diversity on the firm. Since the board acts as the main governing body, its characteristics affect its way of operating and, as a consequence, its outcomes. The authors review extant literature on the various types of effects that board diversity generates in relation to the corporate social performance of the firm, the organizational performance, the firm’s innovation, and the risks faced by the firm. Furthermore, the chapter provides a deeper focus on the effects of the board diversity on the firm’s financial performance, being also propaedeutic to the development of a new conceptual framework proposed by the authors and illustrated in Chapter 5.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Adams, R. B., & Ferreira, D. (2009). Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and performance. Journal of Financial Economics, 94(2), 291–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ahern, K., & Dittmar, A. (2012). The changing of the boards: The impact on firm valuation of mandated female board representation. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 127(1), 137–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ararat, M., Aksu, M., & Cetin, A. T. (2010). Impact of board diversity on boards’ monitoring intensity and firm performance: Evidence from the Istanbul Stock Exchange (SSRN Paper). Available at: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1572283.

  • Avery, D. R., McKay, P. F., & Wilson, D. C. (2007). Engaging the aging workforce: The relationship between perceived age similarity, satisfaction with coworkers, and employee engagement. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(6), 1542–1556.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barsade, S. G., Ward, A. J., Turner, J. D. F., & Sonnenfeld, J. A. (2000). To your heart’s content: A model of affective diversity in top management teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 45(4), 802–836.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, R., Guenster, N., & Otten, R. (2004). Empirical evidence on corporate governance in Europe: The effect on stock returns, firm value and performance. Journal of Asset Management, 5(2), 91–104.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, G. S. (1964). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis, with special reference to education. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckman, C. M., & Haunschild, P. R. (2002). Network learning: The effects of partners’ heterogeneity of experience on corporate acquisitions. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47(1), 92–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bernile, G., Bhagwat, V., & Yonker, S. (2018). Board diversity, firm risk, and corporate policies. Journal of Financial Economics, 127(3), 588–612.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bianco, M., Ciavarella, A., & Signoretti, R. (2015). Women on corporate boards in Italy: The role of family connections. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 23(2), 129–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brancato, C. K., & Patterson, D. J. (1999). Board diversity in US corporations: Best practices for broadening the profile of corporate boards. New York: Research Report 1230-99—The Conference Board.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, K., & Mínguez-Vera, A. (2008). Gender diversity in the boardroom and firm financial performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 83(3), 435–451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, D. A., D’Souza, F., Simkins, B. J., & Simpson, W. G. (2010). The gender and ethnic diversity of US boards and board committees and firm financial performance. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 18(5), 396–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, D. A., Simkins, B. J., & Simpson, W. G. (2003). Corporate governance, board diversity, and firm value. The Financial Review, 38(1), 33–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, L. H., Gramlich, J., & Houser, K. A. (2019). The effects of board gender diversity on a firm’s risk strategies. Accounting & Finance, 59(2), 991–1031.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, L. T. W., Chan, R. Y. K., & Leung, T. Y. (2010). Management demography and corporate performance: Evidence from China. International Business Review, 19(3), 261–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, S., Ni, X., & Tong, J. Y. (2016). Gender diversity in the boardroom and risk management: A case od R&D investment. Journal of Business Ethics, 136(3), 599–621.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarkson, M. B. E. (1995). A stakeholder framework for analyzing and evaluating corporate social performance. The Academy of Management Review, 20(1), 92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cochran, P. L., Wartick, S. L., & Wood, R. A. (1984). The average age of boards and financial performance, revisited. Quarterly Journal of Business & Economics, 23(4), 57–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cox, T. H., & Blake, S. (1991). Managing cultural diversity: Implications for organizational competitiveness. Academy of Management Perspectives, 5(3), 45–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cremers, K. J. M., & Nair, V. B. (2005). Governance mechanisms and equity prices. The Journal of Finance, 60(6), 2859–2894.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darmadi, S. (2011). Board diversity and firm performance: The Indonesian evidence. Corporate Ownership and Control, 8(2–4), 450–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson, P. (1997). In at the deep end: Conducting processual research on organisational change. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 13(4), 389–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eklund, J. E., Palmberg, J., & Wiberg, D. (2009). Ownership structure, board composition, and investment performance (Working paper). Centre for Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies, Stockholm.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrari, G., Ferraro, V., Profeta, P., & Pronzato, C. (2016). Gender quotas: Challenging the boards, performance, and the stock market (CESifo Working Paper Series 6084).

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira, D. (2010). Board diversity. In R. Anderson & H. K. Baker (Eds.), Corporate governance: A synthesis of theory, research, and practice (pp. 225–242). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Frink, D. D., & Ferris, G. R. (1998). Accountability, impression management, and goal setting in the performance evaluation process. Human Relations, 51(10), 1259–1283.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Galia, F., & Zenou, E. (2012). Board composition and forms of innovation: Does diversity make a difference? European Journal of International Management, 6(6), 630–650.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gompers, P., Ishii, J., & Metrick, A. (2003). Corporate governance and equity prices. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 118(1), 107–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hambrick, D. C., & Mason, P. A. (1984). Upper echelons: The organization as a reflection of its top managers. Academy of Management Review, 9(2), 193–206.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hermalin, B. E., & Weisbach, M. S. (1988). The determinants of board composition. The Rand Journal of Economics, 19(4), 589–606.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herrmann, P., & Datta, D. K. (2005). Relationships between top management team characteristics and international diversification: An empirical investigation. British Journal of Management, 16(1), 69–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillman, A. J., Cannella, A. A., & Harris, I. C. (2002). Women and racial minorities in the boardroom: How do directors differ? Journal of Management, 28(6), 747–763.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillman, A. J., & Dalziel, T. (2003). Boards of directors and firm performance: Integrating agency and resource dependence perspectives. Academy of Management Review, 28(3), 383–396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hillman, A. J., Withers, M. C., & Collins, B. J. (2009). Resource dependence theory: A review. Journal of Management, 35(6), 1404–1427.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hitt, M. A., Hoskisson, R. E., Johnson, R. A., & Moesel, D. D. (1996). The market for corporate control and firm innovation. Academy of Management Journal, 39(5), 1084–1119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, L. R., & Maier, N. R. (1966). An experimental reexamination of the similarity-attraction hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 3(2), 145–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jianakoplos, N. A., & Bernasek, A. (1998). Are women more risk averse? Economic Inquiry, 36(4), 620–630.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joecks, J., Pull, K., & Vetter, K. (2013). Gender diversity in the boardroom and firm performance: What exactly constitutes a “critical mass?”. Journal of Business Ethics, 118(1), 61–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kanter, R. M. (1977). Some effects of proportions on group life: Skewed sex ratios and responses to token women. American Journal of Sociology, 82(5), 965–990.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, J. A., Ku, G., & Kray, L. J. (2014). The upside of emotionality: Women morally disengage less than men. 15th Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Austin, Texas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilduff, M., Angelmar, R., & Mehra, A. (2000). Top management-team diversity and firm performance: Examining the role of cognitions. Organization Science, 11(1), 21–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kotiranta, A., Kovalainen, A., & Rouvinen, P. (2007). Does female leadership boost firm profitability? (Discussion Papers 1110). The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kroll, M., Walters, B. A., & Le Son, A. (2007). The impact of board composition and top management team ownership structure on post-IPO performance in young entrepreneurial firms. Academy of Management Journal, 50(5), 1198–1216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lehman, C. M., & DuFrene, D. D. (2008). Business communication. Mason, OH: Thomson South-Western.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenard, M. J., Yu, B., York, A. E., & Wu, S. (2014). Impact of board gender diversity on firm risk. Managerial Finance, 40(8), 787–803.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, J., Zhang, Y., Chen, S., Jiang, W., Wen, S., & Hu, Y. (2018). Demographic diversity on boards and employer/employee relationship. Employee Relations, 20(2), 298–312.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loukil, N., & Yousfi, O. (2016). Does gender diversity on corporate boards increase risk-taking? Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences, 33(1), 66–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo, X., Kanuri, V. K., & Andrews, M. (2014). How does CEO tenure matter? The mediating role of firm-employee and firm-customer relationships. Strategic Management Journal, 35(4), 492–511.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Magnanelli, B. S., Nasta, L., & Raoli, E. (2020). Do female directors on corporate boards make a difference in family owned businesses? Journal of International Accounting Research, 19(1), 85–102.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mairesse, J., & Mohnen, P. (2005). The importance of R&D for innovation: A reassessment using French survey data. The Journal of Technology Transfer, special issue in memory of Edwin Mansfield, 30(1–2), 183–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matsa, D. A., & Miller, A. R. (2013). A female style in corporate leadership? Evidence from quotas. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 5(3), 136–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mattingly, J. E., & Berman, S. L. (2006). Measurement of corporate social action: Discovering taxonomy in the Kinder Lydenburg Domini ratings data. Business and Society, 45(1), 20–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, T., & Del Carmen Triana, M. (2009). Demographic diversity in the boardroom: Mediators of the board diversity-firm performance relationship. Journal of Management Studies, 46(5), 755–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milliken, F. J., & Martins, L. L. (1996). Searching for common threads: Understanding the multiple effects of diversity in organizational groups. Academy of Management Review, 21(2), 402–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohnen, P., & Röller, L. H. (2005). Complementarities in innovation policy. European Economic Review, 49(6), 1431–1450.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nielsen, B. B., & Nielsen, S. (2013). Top management team nationality diversity and firm performance: A multilevel study. Strategic Management Journal, 34(3), 373–382.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nygaard, K. (2011). Forced board changes: Evidence from Norway. NHH Department of Economics (Discussion Paper No. 5/2011).

    Google Scholar 

  • Oxelheim, L., & Randøy, T. (2003). The impact of foreign board membership on firm value. Journal of Banking & Finance, 27(12), 2369–2392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. A., Philpot, J., & O’Shaughnessy, K. C. (2007). African-American diversity in the boardrooms of the US Fortune 500: Director presence, expertise and committee membership. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 15(4), 558–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pfeffer, J. (1972). Size and composition of corporate boards of directors. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17, 218–229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, S., & Spiker, B. (2005). Establishing the positive contributory value of older workers: A positive psychology perspective. Organizational Dynamics, 34(2), 153–167.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pitts, D. (2009). Diversity management, job satisfaction, and performance: Evidence from U.S. federal agencies. Public Administration Review, 69(2), 328–338.

    Google Scholar 

  • Randøy, T., Thomsen, S., & Oxelheim, L. (2006). A Nordic perspective on corporate board diversity. Oslo: Nordic Innovation Centre. Available at http://www.nordicinnovation.net/.

  • Rhode, D., & Packel, A. K. (2012). Diversity on corporate boards: How much difference does difference make? Rock center for corporate governance working paper series 89 SSRN Journal, pp. 1–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberge, M.-E. (2013). A multi-level conceptualization of empathy to explain how diversity increases group performance. International Journal of Business and Management, 8(3), 122–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, G., & Dechant, K. (1997). Building a business case for diversity. Academy of Management Perspectives, 11(3), 21–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose, C. (2007). Does female board representation influence firm performance? The Danish evidence. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 15(2), 404–413.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sapienza, P., Zingales, L., & Maestripieri, D. (2009). Gender differences in financial risk aversion and career choices are affected by testosterone. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(36), 15268–15273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tajfel, H. (1982). Social identity and intergroup relations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terjesen, S., Sealy, R., & Singh, V. (2009). Women directors on corporate boards: A review and research agenda. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 17(3), 320–337.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torchia, M., Calabrò, A., & Huse, M. (2011). Women directors on corporate boards: From tokenism to critical mass. Journal of Business Ethics, 102(2), 299–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Torchia, M., Calabrò, A., Huse, M., & Brogi, M. (2010). Critical mass theory and women directors’ contribution to board strategic tasks. Corporate Board: Role, Duties and Composition, 6(3), 42–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vo, D. H., & Nguyen, T. M. (2014). The impact of corporate governance on firm performance: Empirical study in Vietnam. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 6(6), 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walt, N., & Ingley, C. (2003). Board dynamics and the influence of professional background, gender and ethnic diversity of directors. Corporate Governance, 11(3), 218–234.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zahra, S. A., & Garvis, D. M. (2000). International corporate entrepreneurship and firm performance. Journal of Business Venturing, 15(5–6), 469–492.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, L. (2012). Board demographic diversity, independence, and corporate social performance. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 12(5), 686–700.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Barbara Sveva Magnanelli .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Magnanelli, B.S., Pirolo, L. (2021). Board Diversity and Firm Effects. In: Corporate Governance and Diversity in Boardrooms. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56120-8_4

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics