Katrin Scharfenkamp

Perceived roles of women directors on supervisory boards: Insights from a qualitative study

The (under-)representation of women on corporate boards is much debated among the public as well as in academia. In our exploratory article, we contribute to the literature by investigating women directors’ perceived roles by interviewing female as well as male board members and by employing the critical incident technique to address potential problems of social acceptancy. In the perception of board members, women directors fulfil three roles: they widen the boards’ perspectives and thus act as (unique) experts, they objectify discussions and they act as mediators.

Women Directors' Roles on Corporate Boards: Insights from a Qualitative Study

Previous research on women directors mostly explores the link between women directors and firm performance. The potential mediators explaining this link are largely under-researched. In our exploratory paper, we investigate women directors’ roles in interviews with female and male board members. In the perception of board members, women directors widen the board’s perspectives as unique experts, they objectify discussions, and they act as mediators. By giving first indications on when and how women directors fulfil these roles, our study contributes to the literature on why women directors are sometimes found to enhance firm performance and sometimes they are not.