Are diversity management practices effective in reducing bias against female leaders? A mixed-method investigation

A common organisational response to gender stereotyping has been the introduction of diversity management policies, practices and initiatives, such as training on unconscious gender bias (Nishii, Khattab, Shemla, & Paluch, 2018). However, little work has assessed whether such practices are effective in reducing bias against female leaders and, if so, why they are effective. This research seeks to fill this gap examining whether, how and why diversity management initiatives affect employee (both male and female) perceptions of female leadership and behaviours towards male and female leaders. Specifically, this research will examine the influence of organisational diversity management initiatives on day-to-day interactions between female (compared to male) leaders and their employees, with an emphasis on the role of certain emotional displays for employee perceptions of leadership effectiveness.

The following research questions are proposed:

1. How do employees perceive, and react to, female leadership?

2. Do employee perceptions of female leader emotions, such as anger or pride, affect their evaluations of leadership effectiveness?

3. Are diversity management initiatives useful in counteracting biased perceptions of, and reactions to, female leader emotions? If so, why and which practices are most effective?

Methodology

To investigate these research questions, there will be two key stages. In the first project stage, 300 employees from a number of UK-based organisations will be invited to respond to a short daily questionnaire over a period of ten consecutive working days. 200 employees will have received 2 different types of diversity training (100 each), while 100 participants will act as a control group. This data will offer a detailed insight into the day-to-day employee reactions to their line manager's behaviour, including the emotions expressed as part of leadership. The aim is to determine, (1) whether or not there are differences in employee perceptions of their line manager's effectiveness,

competence, or trust depending on the line manager's gender, and if so, (2) whether organisational diversity management practices are effective in tackling this gender bias.

The second project stage will explore, through 20-30 qualitative interviews, why and when diversity management practices are (in)effective in tackling female leader-directed bias and stereotyping. Interviews will be carried out with both female line managers and their direct reports, with the aim of gaining a more contextually rich insight into the working, and diversity management, experiences of female leaders and their direct reports.

Impact

In addition to important theoretical and empirical contributions to the female leadership and diversity management literatures, we propose a number of practical benefits for organisations and management. We believe our research will provide a new lens through which organisations can better understand the daily experiences of their female leaders - and their employees - and whether, as well as how, their diversity management initiatives have a positive impact on female leader's (and employee's) working lives. We believe this is an important first step in engagement with companies across sectors and industries interested in evaluating the effectiveness of their diversity management programmes."