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Increasing the Number of Women on Boards: The Role of Actors and Processes

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Abstract

Understanding the spread of national public policies to increase the percentage of women on boards is often presented using different types of institutional theory logic. However, the importance of the political games influencing these decisions has not received the same attention. In this article, we look beyond the institutional setting by focusing on the role of actors. We explore processes that include who the critical actors that drive and determine these policies are, and what motivates them to push for change. We employ a processual design approach using a longitudinal country-comparative case study exploring the case of Norway, England, Germany and Italy. We map the political games, both inside and outside legislative areas, including the micro-politics among various actors and groups of actors in the selected countries. Data are collected through participation observations, interviews and text analyses. The study contributes by filling important gaps in the literature by embedding the discussion about women on boards in politicking and national public policies and by introducing dynamic perspectives. Finally, by using a processual design approach, we capture the reality of the women on board debates at different points of time and in different actor and motivational contexts. The study has consequences for how policy-makers and businesses may follow up and act, based on the debates.

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Notes

  1. We define opportunistic researchers as researchers who are more interested in maximising their own output rather than contributing to the discipline, impact or policy-driven changes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Sussex, East Sussex, UK

    Cathrine Seierstad

  2. BI, Oslo, Norway

    Gillian Warner-Søderholm

  3. University of Witten Herdecke, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

    Mariateresa Torchia & Morten Huse

Authors
  1. Cathrine Seierstad
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  2. Gillian Warner-Søderholm
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  3. Mariateresa Torchia
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  4. Morten Huse
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Cathrine Seierstad.

Appendices

Appendix 1: Actor Interactions Norway

Appendix 2: Actor Interactions England

Appendix 3: Actor Interactions Germany

Appendix 4: Actor Interactions Italy

Appendix 5

See Table 4.

Table 4 Motivational factors
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Seierstad, C., Warner-Søderholm, G., Torchia, M. et al. Increasing the Number of Women on Boards: The Role of Actors and Processes. J Bus Ethics 141, 289–315 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2715-0

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