Women on Corporate Boards of Directors

Vinnicombe et al. provide a thorough and insightful examination of women on corporate boards of directors. The book is targeted toward academicians and practitioners in personnel, diversity management, organizational behaviour and gender studies. This investigation emanates from two perspectives. The authors start by summarising the representation of women as corporate board members across a myriad of nations that include the USA, Canada, the UK, France, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Iceland, Spain, Jordan and Tunisia. Through focusing on this array, Vinnicombe et al. are able to accentuate the divergent approach nations have taken to address the status of female directors. For instance, the reader is told that Norwegian firms are required to have women comprize a 40 percent quota of their board of directorships. However, the authors do not utilize the Norwegian statistics to place a false pretence on the audience that women are making steady progress to equality in corporate governance. In fact, they emphasize the glacial progress women have made into the board hemisphere. This fact is underscored with statistics indicating that just 14 percent of New Zealand's Board seats are filled by female Directors, and that this population has declined to 8 percent in Iceland.

The authors do a good job suggesting why board representation has been inconsistent worldwide. When examining the corporate sector in Norway, the quote system is demarcated as the primary explanation for the increased number of women in directorship. Specifics are detailed on the process of creating and enacting the “Quota Law Regulation”. Additionally, Vinnicombe et al. cite factors contributing to the lack of gender equality within corporate governance. Joy, in her depiction of the US governance, emphasizes a lack of informal networks along with few role models and shortages of qualified mentors. While Burke and Leblanc indicate that corporate leaders charge the lack of interest among women for the failure to achieve gender diversity on Canadian boards. Other reasons are varied from the adoption of masculinity structures in Australia to a lack of social capital in the Icelandic sector. This analysis clearly reveals the integral importance of networking to the advancement of women into visible leadership roles.

Another perceptive feature of the book is the comparative appraisal of female directorship status within Jordan and Tunisia. In this final chapter of Part I of the book, Singh shows the stark difference between the two nations in terms of board representation. The initial segment of the chapter concentrates on highlighting the paucity of Jordanian women as board representatives. Only 13 percent was identified as directors; Singh also discusses the barriers to gender diversity through enumerating several factors ranging from the business culture to stereotyping. Contrary to the travails faced by Jordanian women, the author depicts the corporate culture as being more gender equitable in Tunisia. The underpinning of this equality is a two‐tier corporate board structure denoted as Le Conseil d'Administration and L' Equipe Dirigeante. The former is a supervisory board of between three and 12 members, while the latter is primarily composed of family business representatives who receive renewable six‐year appointments. As such, female directors represent 37 percent of the Tunisian board seats. The chapter concludes with international comparisons that summarize some of the key facts from Part I.

The second part of the book communicates research themes on gender diversity within corporate governance compiled by a skilful set of scholars. Specific topics include “championing the tough issues”, “the black box of board behaviour”, “and the right kind of human capital required by female directors”, “gendered experiences beyond the glass ceiling”,“interorganizational networking”,“ best practice companies and critical mass”. These themes are presented theoretically and empirically through the employment of a variety of investigative designs. Particularly, the investigators use survey research, trend analysis, documentation analysis and personal interviews to achieve their respective objectives. These chapters are written with clarity and logic. Consequently, the reader is acquainted with a myriad of rich studies relating to the service of women in corporate governance.

In reflection, I have learned several lessons from reading Women on Corporate Boards of Directors, of which four will be expounded upon. The first message that assisted in expanding my knowledge base is the glass cliff. Ryan et al. denote this phenomenon as a state where women are subjected to more risk and criticism than their male peers. Further, the authors emphasize that women are often perceived as crisis managers and thus for that reason can achieve appointments on the boards of organizations having a significant chance of realizing failure. The second salient lesson learned is the importance of critical mass to board dynamics. Specifically, I was acquainted with how three or more female directors can have a positive influence on the collaborative endeavours and bringing forth issues that can improve corporate performance. Hence, my third discovery is the championing of issues through the corporate board. This knowledge was inculcated through providing awareness and understanding of the championing process. To provide a clear depiction of this process, McInerney‐Lacombe et al. present a conceptual model. This paradigm shows that a director's characteristics and gender influences the championship effort. Thus, this attempt is affected by how well they exercise their influence, persistence and resilience to the cause, and through utilising a team approach. It is theorized that these elements can affect the effectiveness of the champion's role as well as overall board performance. My final lesson learned relates to InterOrganization (ION). The mission of this organization is to strengthen the cause for greater representation of women in corporate governance. Adams et al. provide specific details on ION including strategic goals, dissemination, board member recruitment, creating partnerships and sharing best practices.

As a developing scholar, my knowledge base was further expanded by the final chapter. This essay, written by Bilimoria, focuses on directions for future research including the advancement of theoretical inquiry, examination of intersectional aspects of gender diversity in the boardroom and an analysis of unisexual points‐of‐view. In addition, a need is shown for more investigative works relating to the direct impact of female representation on corporate boards, and the glass cliff phenomenon from an empirical point of view. Finally, the author, near the end of the chapter, stresses the importance of directing future research toward governmental regulations and practices as well as toward board governmental practices across a multitude of organizational types.

My professional responsibilities encompass scholarly, teaching and consultation duties. I believe that the enlightenment received through this read will be a positive in my career advancement. The book readings have helped direct my future scholarship toward important gender diversity and corporate governance issues. Additionally, I can acquaint my students with the mechanisms of the boardroom and how they are influenced by gender roles. In regards to consulting, I am now more adept with explaining and providing examples on the linkage between gender diversity and the performance of corporate boards.

In conclusion, I recommend the book as a read for practitioners, scholars, educators and others having an interest in human resource management. Although the transient through writing styles can be taxing at times, it is a minor weakness among many positives. With its wealth of information, Women on Corporate Boards of Directors is a good addition to the extant literature that should represent an affordable value for the buyer.