What personality traits are suggested in the stories of the women leaders who serve on these various boards?
Case: Diversity Competency
Women on Corporate Boards34
In recent years, the absolute number of accomplished and successful women leaders invited to serve on the board of directors of major corporations, such as the Fortune 1000 list, has increased. However, the absolute number of female leaders on any one board, relative to the total members on a board, remains relatively small. To have just one woman member on a board is quite common. This case presents some of the diversity-related experiences and issues of board composition in terms of male and female membership. The stories presented in this case are from those female leaders and a few male CEOs who are highly successful in their own right. For obvious reasons, most of these stories are based on experiences of female leaders who need to remain anonymous.
One Woman on the Board
Woman director: I was the only woman in a room of guys. I’m not shy, but trying to get your voice heard around the table is not easy. You can make a point that is valid. Two minutes later “Joe” says exactly the same thing, and all the guys congratulate him. It is hard, even at our level, to get your voice heard. You have to find a way to wedge in, and they come to realize you are not going away.
Woman director: It is kind of like “Who is this person? She’s a lot different than we are.” Not collegial. Not a lot of conversation, not a lot of interaction. On this board, where I’m the only woman and the only African American, it’s very different than the other two boards on which I serve where there are two women—the interaction with board members, openness, and acceptance of new members like me.
Woman director: Initially it felt like I was playing catch-up. Other directors seemed to understand, and I didn’t. A lot of what happened seemed to have been worked out in committees I didn’t sit on or on golf courses. It was an old-boy network until I asked, “How did that get decided?” Then they began to ask what I thought.
Woman director: They look at you skeptically as to how you got there. First you’d better show men why you’re there—women don’t get the benefit of the doubt. Board meetings are pretty brutal.
Male CEO on a board: Shareholders had been asking, “When are you going to have a woman?” So they put a woman on just to say they had a woman. She had to break down brick walls to be heard. She had to work hard to get into the conversation, almost like not being there. Management was not interested in her competency. It was an old boys’ club, and no one on the board wanted a female.
Two or More Women on the Board
Woman director: On this board, from day one it was so special. Amazing! Actually that board has the most women. It is very much a team. Professionalism—everyone did their homework and everyone is supportive of each other but very challenging—a lot of dialogue and constructive criticism. Woman director: Three women board members is kind of a charm. When the third woman came, it was easier. The dynamic among the women became slightly more interactive. It isn’t based on the fact that the first woman is not a friend. In fact, she is someone I didn’t know at all. She’s become a friend, but before all that happened, it changed the dynamic between us as women. If the three of us got into a conversation, there was no awkward feeling.
Woman director: On my board with four women, the invisibility issue never happened. I became effective quickly. I happen to be the lead director of that board. If you look at that board, the head of the governance committee is a woman, the head of the compensation committee is a woman, the CEO is a woman, and the head of the audit committee is a guy. There is no problem with women in leadership on that board.
Woman director: For the time being, women and people of color are outsiders in the boardroom. The dynamics of being someone who hasn’t had the same experiences are that one asks different questions. One of the most valuable things in the boardroom is the questions asked. Why are we doing that? I see this increasingly on the dynamic on compensation. There was difficulty in setting limits by those who have benefited from the non-limits in the past—former CEOs. I don’t want them to question mine; I won’t question yours. Most women and minorities have not been CEOs and bring different perspectives to corporate compensation.
Male CEO and chairman of the board: As there were more women, the first woman became more active. They were all more active as the number of women increased. It’s a group dynamic. When you bring on one of any demographic group, they’re trying to figure out how they fit. With more, that’s not an issue. They were more vocal, more willing to push their issues when more women were added to the board. More relaxed.
Woman corporate secretary to the board: The women board members are incredibly humanizing. They treat staffers better. They are less hierarchical. They are affirming of staff. They compliment them on reports—in meetings and outside. They are also critical but are much more likely to find time to be positive and personal. Thanking people publicly. That makes the board less remote and intimidating to staff. People talk differently now that there are more women. I did not notice this when there were two women. It is happening more now. At audit committee meetings, there are now several top executives who are women. So with the women on the audit committee, there are a lot of women in the room. It is much more conversational and less hierarchical and, as a result, all the directors get better information.
Questions
1. What aspects of power and political behaviors are suggested in these stories?
2. What personality traits are suggested in the stories of the women leaders who serve on these various boards?
3. Based on these stories, did the male members of these boards tend to reflect Theory X or Theory Y propositions?
4. Based on these stories, how would you tend to characterize the female board members in relation to the behavioral model of leadership?
