We examined how the relationship between diversity in the boardroom and corporate governance operates across three continents.

Key Facts

    • Working with Henley, Strathclyde and Brunel business schools, our findings indicate that the presence of a minority of women on the board has an insignificant effect on board performance.

    • Yet, the chairperson鈥檚 role is vital in leading the change for recruiting and evaluating candidates and their commitment to the board with diversity and governance in mind.

    • Our study also sheds light on the multifaceted reasons why women directors appear to be resisting the discourse of gender quotas.

Impact of our research

Our study highlights the fact that board diversity is not always directly related to corporate performance but it certainly impacts on the quality of decisions at the board level.

And there is a need to evaluate the efficacy of recent regulations on board diversity.

In addition, it is also important to encourage women to join boards through education, mentoring and networking.

Why the research was commissioned

Despite considerable progress that organisations have made during the past 20 years to increase the representation of women at board level, they still hold few board seats.

Drawing on a study involving top companies with women directors in the UK, the United States and Ghana, we provided a better understanding of how the relationship between board gender and corporate governance operates.

Why Cranfield?

The University is well known for leading research on women on boards and is also regarded as a leader for its value-relevant research for improving management practice.