The effectiveness of a Critical Mass of female board members to expose and resolve invisible dynamics in the boardroom

Abstract

Women still face invisible barriers that delay their upward mobility in organisations. These invisible barriers are poorly understood or ignored by organisations, as a result, gender transformation at the top is perpetually slow. Building from the (In)visibility theory, this study examined how invisible dynamics that underpin the shortage of women on boards can be addressed. The feminist literature has gained increasing attention, yet solutions to invisible barriers faced by women are lacking. This paper pulled the (In)visibility and Critical Mass Theories together to examine whether the presence of a Critical Mass resolves the invisible gendered dynamics in the boardroom. A qualitative method was used to collect and analyse data on sixteen women and their lived experiences of male-dominated boardrooms. The findings supported the criticsÕ argument that numeric representation is too simplistic to resolve invisible gendered dynamics. The study established that four main forces can counter the invisible dynamics that women face in the boardroom. These include Self-awareness and Confidence; The Role of a Chairperson; Resilience and Purpose, as well as Competence and Experience. Contrary to the (In)visibility theory, participants in this study did not withdraw or conceal their gender when exposed to hostile boardroom dynamics. The reasons for this are explored.