Why and when female directors are less engaged in their board duties: An interface perspective

2021/06/12 by Michelle K. Weck, Michelle Weck, Dennis B. Veltrop +3 · 57 citations
Business, Management and Accounting · Engineering · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Business #Computer science #Corporate Finance and Governance #Corporate governance #Economics #Engineering #Family Business Performance and Succession #Gender Diversity and Inequality #Interface (matter) #Law #Management #On board #Perspective (graphical) #Political science #Politics #Psychology #Public relations #Representation (politics) #Social psychology #Task (project management)

paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.lrp.2021.102123

published in Long Range Planning 55(3), 102123 (Elsevier BV)

openalex publication_date 2021/06/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

Female representation on boards is perhaps one of the most studied topics in board-governance research. At the same time, much is unknown about female directors' task engagement within boards. Drawing from psychological theory on societal gender beliefs, our study tests whether the impact of director gender on supervisory task engagement hinges on status dynamics in two relational interfaces: the director–board interface and the director–CEO interface. According to this perspective, female directors show less task engagement because gender is a diffuse status cue that creates status differentiation within the director–board interface. Multi-source board survey data (n = 61 boards, n = 315 directors) confirms that, within the confines of the boardroom, female directors do, indeed, receive lower-status ratings than male directors. This effect is weaker when boards have a female chair. Furthermore, lower status explains perceived lower task engagement of female directors, but this link critically hinges on the CEO–director interface. The impact of status differences is more pronounced when directors intersect with a relatively dominant CEO. All in all, the results demonstrate that relational interfaces play a key role for female directors’ task engagement in their board duties.

Citations

• It's All about Me: Narcissistic Chief Executive Officers and Their Effects on Company Strategy and Performance
• THE STRATEGIC CONTEXT OF EXTERNAL NETWORK TIES: EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF DIRECTOR APPOINTMENTS ON BOARD INVOLVEMENT IN STRATEGIC DECISION MAKING.
• Common method biases in behavioral research: A critical review of the literature and recommended remedies.
• Demographic Diversity in the Boardroom: Mediators of the Board Diversity–Firm Performance Relationship
• Personality and leadership: A qualitative and quantitative review.
• Gender, Status, and Leadership
• Work Group Diversity and Group Performance: An Integrative Model and Research Agenda.
• Glass Breaking, Strategy Making, and Value Creating: Meta-Analytic Outcomes of Women as CEOs and TMT members
• The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations.

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