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An exploratory study of the experiences of women directors of U.S. public corporation boards of directors
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Gross, Mary Elizabeth. An exploratory study of the experiences of women directors of U.S. public corporation boards of directors. Retrieved from https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T38P6268

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TitleAn exploratory study of the experiences of women directors of U.S. public corporation boards of directors
NameGross, Mary Elizabeth (author); Cherniss, Cary (chair); Ballet, Michele (internal member); Rutgers University; Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology
Date Created2015
Other Date2015-01 (degree)
SubjectOrganizational Psychology, Women executives, Boards of directors, Discrimination in employment
Extent1 online resource (xi, 90 p.)
DescriptionThis dissertation was an exploratory study of the experiences of women directors of U.S. public corporations. The purpose of this study was to advance the understanding of women’s experiences as U.S. public company board directors in the hope that an increased level of understanding will also lead to increased representation of women in corporate director roles. This research used the theoretical frameworks of embedded intergroup relations (Alderfer, 1987) and tokenism (Kanter, 1977) as a basis for analysis and was conducted as a qualitative study utilizing McCracken’s (1988) qualitative research methods and a semi-structured interview protocol (Whyte, 1984). In-depth interviews were conducted with 12 participants; seven of whom were token females on the corporate boards on which they serve, four who were non-tokens, and one participant who was “mixed” (token on one corporate board and non-token on another). The analysis of the interview data yielded overall participant themes in three areas: Influences of one’s professional life on being a corporate board director, quality of experience in joining a U.S. public company board, and nature of experience participating on a U.S. public company board. In comparing responses of the token and non-token participant groups, one notable difference emerged – the perception by tokens that important conversations take place outside the boardroom. A surprising finding, given the theoretical frameworks, was the emergence of a meta-theme of the women corporate directors feeling confident in their capabilities and comfortable in their board director roles, regardless of whether they were tokens. Several explanations are offered for why the results of this study do not align with the theoretical expectations of embedded intergroup relations and tokenism. These include a potential lack of trust between the participants and the researcher (leading to hesitancy by participants to fully disclose negative experiences), the salience of other group memberships in the boardroom, and the overall environment (supra system) within which corporate boards operate, among others. Limitations of the study and implications for future research are also discussed. The key themes from this study can be helpful to U.S. public companies seeking women directors and to the women who aspire to those roles.
NotePsy.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Noteby Mary Elizabeth Gross
Genretheses, ETD doctoral
Persistent URLhttps://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T38P6268
Languageeng
CollectionGraduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
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