The influence of organisational culture stereotypes in promoting women leaders to senior leadership positions

Abstract

In this age of changing business environment and complexity, diversity and inclusiveness are imperative. The organisations’ ability to shift from the traditional perceptions and cultural stereotypes to a more inclusive behaviour and inclusive culture will help the entity stay competitive. Research on the underrepresentation of women in senior leadership roles has been extensively researched. However, women continue to be underrepresented in the upper echelons of power. Even though investigation associating women, performance and barriers have been researched, there seems to be some gaps in how the culture of an organisation influences the uptake of women leaders into senior leadership roles. This research, therefore, attempts to explore the stereotypes experienced by women leaders in organisations and how these influence their career progression. The study adopted a qualitative method with sixteen semi-structured, open – ended interviews conducted with women leaders who work in middle and senior management level. The female leaders’ experiences were analysed through a thematic data analysis which was conducted to determine and identify key themes from the data collected from the interviews. The study identified eleven themes aimed at answering the research questions. These themes include family, respect, work environment, perception of performance, resource support, career planning, personal characteristics, trust, policies, flexibility and mentorship. The findings contribute to literature by introducing new insights that contribute to the limited uptake of female leaders and combining with recommendations to improve the uptake of female leaders. The outcome of the study resulted in a proposed framework model that can be applied to increase the progression of female leaders into senior leadership roles. Recommendations for future studies and limitations of the study are presented. Practical implications of the study are stated.