The Glass Floor - A Qualitative Study on Female Management Representation Through The Lens of Dominant Narratives
Abstract: Previous studies have shown positive implications on firm performance as a result of gender diverse teams. Commonly the research on women-in-management is centered around the difficulties women face when attempting to reach top management positions. This study aims to examine another situation within a case organization in which women are overrepresented at top management level in relation to middle management. Although ambitious goals of increasing the share of female managers have been set, no development has been made in the last decade. Using the concept of dominant narratives with a focus on sensemaking processes, this interpretivist, qualitative study examines how people within the organization speak about and make sense this issue and the subsequent causes. A secondary level of the thesis includes the study of how dominant narratives could potentially impact change processes. Though six dominant narratives were identified, it could not be concluded that these narratives hindered change processes regarding women in management by limiting the sensemaking abilities of the organizational members. It could however be suggested that this inertia was caused by a lack of coherent connection to long-term goals concerning women-in-management within the narratives.
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