Ellen A. Fagenson

At the Heart of Women in Management Research: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches and Their Biases

This paper examines the dominant theoretical approaches in the field of women in management (WIM) that have been applied to explain womens limited ability to assume organizational positions of significant power. The propositions of traditional (gender-centered and organization structure perspectives) and a newer theoretical perspective (gender-organization-system approach) are discussed. It is proposed that the theories embraced by WIM researchers bias the factors they examine, the methodologies they employ, the statistical techniques they apply, the results they obtain and the conclusions they reach. This is shown to be a particular problem with the gender-centered and organization structure perspectives and not the gender-organization-system approach.

Perceptions of the Sex-Role Stereotypic Characteristics of Entrepreneurs: Women's Evaluations:

This study examined womens perceptions of the sex-role stereotypic characteristics of the successful entrepreneur. Women in female-headed companies gave greater weight to feminine attributes than women who worked in companies headed by men. However, both groups assigned more weight to masculine attributes in the profile of the successful entrepreneur.

Strategies for developing women managers: how well do they fulfil their objectives?

Examines the effectiveness of management development programmes for women to determine if these programmes are achieving the three objectives that they intend to serve: developing knowledge and skills necessary for effective leadership; reducing negative prejudice against women; and helping women to advance into and through the ranks of management. Three types of programme are considered: single sex management training programmes, mixed‐sex management training programmes and mentoring programmes. Concludes that some programmes are making more meaningful contributions towards these objectives than others. Offers recommendations for the most appropriate use of each type of programme.

The Activities of Organization Development Practitioners at the Turn of the Decade of the 1990s: A Study of Their Predictions

Organization development practitioners generated predictions about the activities they would engage in at the turn of the decade. Factor analyses were conducted and revealed 13 different activity factors. Examination of these factors suggest that group development and action research activities are predicted to be engaged in to a great degree in the future, whereas strategic planning and forecasting will be given much less attention.

Organization Development Practitioners' Activities and Interventions in Organizations during the 1980s

A study was undertaken to determine the activities and interventions organization development (OD) practitioners engaged in during the 1980s. After interviews with practitioners and an examination of the OD literature, a survey was developed listing various activities and asking respondents to indicate the extent to which they had been involved in these activities. This survey was then administered to 142 participants of a professional development program for OD and human resource management practitioners, of whom 71 returned completed questionnaires. The responses were analyzed using factor analysis, which revealed five different activity factors. An examination of these factors suggests that OD practitioners engaged in management style enhancement, strategy development, culture change, technology integration, and employee development during the 1980s. The results are discussed in terms of the relationships among these activities, the business environment, and the organization development field at large.