Features that contribute to senior female representation at an organisation
- Authors: Palmer, Alison
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Women executives , Organizational change , Financial services industry - South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/124612 , uj:20939
- Description: Abstract: The Business Women’s Association of South Africa’s Women in Leadership Census 2015 reported that only 34 of 273 JSE-listed companies and 20 state-owned enterprises had 25% or more female representation at executive manager- and board level (BWASA, 2015). Research for this minor-dissertation was carried out in one of these organisations. The gendered nature of organisations and an organisation’s influence on its employees’ gendered behaviour in the working environment, have not yet been examined in the South African financial services context. There is, therefore, a need to investigate organisations that appear to exhibit both traditional and non-traditional gendered behaviour, to better understand the underlying factors and organisational features that contribute to this behaviour. The aim of this study was to identify the organisational features that contributed to a high representation of women executives in an organisation operating within the male-dominated South African financial services industry. A case study strategy was utilised. The unit of analysis was senior and executive managers. A Glaserian grounded theory approach was employed, and the use of semi-structured interviews allowed for the emergence of themes that could be further interrogated, ultimately developing theory to explain the phenomenon being studied. Following Bhaskar’s (2008) critical realist stratified ontology, it was found that a key factor was the composition of the candidate pool from which executive positions had been filled. Through a process of retroduction, two features were identified as having had an impact on the candidate pool, the first being the organisation’s attractiveness as perceived by those outside the organisation. The second feature that influenced the number of women at executive level at FS Org was the role of gatekeeper played by the CEO. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge regarding the gendered organisation, and identifies features that have promoted women’s advancement in this specific case. Recommendations are provided for further research to gain insight into organisational features across industries that contribute to the representation of women at executive management level. , M.Phil.
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- Authors: Palmer, Alison
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Women executives , Organizational change , Financial services industry - South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/124612 , uj:20939
- Description: Abstract: The Business Women’s Association of South Africa’s Women in Leadership Census 2015 reported that only 34 of 273 JSE-listed companies and 20 state-owned enterprises had 25% or more female representation at executive manager- and board level (BWASA, 2015). Research for this minor-dissertation was carried out in one of these organisations. The gendered nature of organisations and an organisation’s influence on its employees’ gendered behaviour in the working environment, have not yet been examined in the South African financial services context. There is, therefore, a need to investigate organisations that appear to exhibit both traditional and non-traditional gendered behaviour, to better understand the underlying factors and organisational features that contribute to this behaviour. The aim of this study was to identify the organisational features that contributed to a high representation of women executives in an organisation operating within the male-dominated South African financial services industry. A case study strategy was utilised. The unit of analysis was senior and executive managers. A Glaserian grounded theory approach was employed, and the use of semi-structured interviews allowed for the emergence of themes that could be further interrogated, ultimately developing theory to explain the phenomenon being studied. Following Bhaskar’s (2008) critical realist stratified ontology, it was found that a key factor was the composition of the candidate pool from which executive positions had been filled. Through a process of retroduction, two features were identified as having had an impact on the candidate pool, the first being the organisation’s attractiveness as perceived by those outside the organisation. The second feature that influenced the number of women at executive level at FS Org was the role of gatekeeper played by the CEO. This study contributes to the existing body of knowledge regarding the gendered organisation, and identifies features that have promoted women’s advancement in this specific case. Recommendations are provided for further research to gain insight into organisational features across industries that contribute to the representation of women at executive management level. , M.Phil.
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The career growth of female managers : experiences at a financial institution in South Africa
- Authors: Singh, Ruweshka
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Women executives , Leadership in women
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/283349 , uj:30556
- Description: M.Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) , Abstract: While there has been a significant change in the profile of organisations in the twentieth century with the inclusion of women into the workforce, the representation of women at senior and top management levels continues to be a challenge for organisations worldwide. Various studies have looked at the cause of this challenge and have positioned various reasons for why many women are unable to ascend into the senior ranks of organisations. Leadership style, diversity, culture and the “glass ceiling phenomenon” are some of the reasons provided for the under-representation of women in senior and top management levels. However, there has been no theory that has been developed to fully explain why women are unable to break through the “glass ceiling” into senior and top management. In South Africa specifically, the under-representation of women in senior and top management level has been referred to by the Department of Labour as “the missing women phenomenon”. Companies comply with the legislative measures that have been implemented to address this challenge, and fully commit to train and develop women however the advancement of women into senior and top management is not evident. The researcher intends with this study, to examine the experiences of women in senior and top management levels to determine if there is a deeper, underlying reason, or reasons, that is preventing the ascension of women into senior and top management positions. For this qualitative research study, the researcher adopted an interpretivistic epistemology. Grounded theory methodology was used by the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of women in the workplace. The intention of the researcher was to create a framework from which theory may be developed that assisted to explain the challenges women experience in the workplace. In identifying and understanding these challenges, appropriate actions may be implemented to address them, thereby assisting in the advancement of women into senior and top management...
- Full Text:
- Authors: Singh, Ruweshka
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Women executives , Leadership in women
- Language: English
- Type: Masters (Thesis)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/283349 , uj:30556
- Description: M.Phil. (Leadership in Performance and Change) , Abstract: While there has been a significant change in the profile of organisations in the twentieth century with the inclusion of women into the workforce, the representation of women at senior and top management levels continues to be a challenge for organisations worldwide. Various studies have looked at the cause of this challenge and have positioned various reasons for why many women are unable to ascend into the senior ranks of organisations. Leadership style, diversity, culture and the “glass ceiling phenomenon” are some of the reasons provided for the under-representation of women in senior and top management levels. However, there has been no theory that has been developed to fully explain why women are unable to break through the “glass ceiling” into senior and top management. In South Africa specifically, the under-representation of women in senior and top management level has been referred to by the Department of Labour as “the missing women phenomenon”. Companies comply with the legislative measures that have been implemented to address this challenge, and fully commit to train and develop women however the advancement of women into senior and top management is not evident. The researcher intends with this study, to examine the experiences of women in senior and top management levels to determine if there is a deeper, underlying reason, or reasons, that is preventing the ascension of women into senior and top management positions. For this qualitative research study, the researcher adopted an interpretivistic epistemology. Grounded theory methodology was used by the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of women in the workplace. The intention of the researcher was to create a framework from which theory may be developed that assisted to explain the challenges women experience in the workplace. In identifying and understanding these challenges, appropriate actions may be implemented to address them, thereby assisting in the advancement of women into senior and top management...
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