Purpose

Drawing from social capital theory, this study aims to investigate the manifested critical barriers in deriving and implementing gender diversity policies, paying particular attention to the role multiple directorships play in shaping the directors’ behavior and the dynamic of the board of directors. The study comprehends social capital as a multi-dimensional concept and uses combinations of interconnected internal, external, expressive and instrumental networks.

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses a mixed-method approach through which the quantitative approach is supplemented by a qualitative research method to comprehensively examine the development and impact of female directors’ networks in Australia. To do so, a large data set consisting of 2,527 observations of all Australian firms and data emerged from semi-structured interviews with female directors were brought together and analyzed.

Findings

The findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between the size of women’s directorate networks and firm performance. The study additionally explicates the key moderating factors influencing the optimal number of multiple directorships. The key power-based and psychological well-being-related benefits of the inter- and intra-organizational interactions and “open” directorate networks for individual directors are further discussed. The findings also elucidate the status quo vis-à-vis labyrinth metaphor and excessive numbers of directorships.

Social implications

The study should be of interest to those interested in effective gender diversity management. The findings would assist in enabling tangible outcomes for women through advanced processes and systematic investment in and institutionalization of well-structured, equitable opportunities provided via gender-responsive policies dedicated to the education and training of future female directors.

Originality/value

Calling for social dialogues and discussions on non-financial factors, this study adds to the scarce literature on influential factors related to diversity management policies and practices on the board of directors.

中文翻译：

---

董事会性别多元化：女性董事会网络综合分析及忙碌与绩效之间的联系

目的

本研究从社会资本理论出发，旨在调查在制定和实施性别多元化政策方面表现出的关键障碍，特别关注多位董事在塑造董事行为和董事会动态方面所起的作用。该研究将社会资本理解为一个多维概念，并使用相互关联的内部、外部、表达和工具网络的组合。

设计/方法/方法

本研究采用混合方法，定量方法辅以定性研究方法，全面考察澳大利亚女性导演网络的发展和影响。为此，收集并分析了一个包含对所有澳大利亚公司的 2,527 个观察结果和来自对女性董事的半结构化访谈的数据的大型数据集。

发现

研究结果揭示了女性董事会网络规模与公司绩效之间存在倒 U 型关系。该研究还解释了影响多个董事的最佳数量的关键调节因素。进一步讨论了组织间和组织内互动的关键基于权力和心理健康相关的好处以及个别董事的“开放”董事会网络。调查结果还阐明了迷宫隐喻的现状和过多的董事职位。

社会影响

那些对有效的性别多样性管理感兴趣的人应该对这项研究感兴趣。研究结果将有助于通过先进的流程和系统的投资以及通过致力于教育和培训未来女性董事的性别敏感政策提供的结构良好、公平的机会的制度化，为女性带来切实的成果。

原创性/价值

这项研究呼吁就非财务因素进行社会对话和讨论，增加了与董事会多元化管理政策和实践相关的影响因素的稀缺文献。