Study: Who Is Governing Whom? Senior Managers, Governance and the Structure of Generosity in Large U.S. Firms (Christopher Marquis and Matthew Lee, Harvard Business School, 2011)
Finding: More women on boards and senior management teams correlate with greater giving by their companies.
Note about The Woman Effect Research Index: This study was performed by researchers not affiliated with InPower Women. Our Research Index includes all relevant research to the subject of women, business and power. We do not influence how the research was conducted or reported by the researchers. In our abstracts, we focus on pulling out the most actionable advice for individual women. To suggest additional research we should index, or discuss our choice of abstract focus, please contact us
InPower Insight: Women in leadership bring different and balancing criteria to governance decisions. While this dynamic can affect philanthropic generosity, it can effect business decisions too.
Summary:
It turns out that many factors lead some corporations to be more generous than others with their philanthropic investments. It also turns out that the presence of women on the board and senior management is one of those factors and that the more women on the board, and in senior leadership, the more likely a company is to give more.
This Harvard Business School study finds that companies with more female board members are prone to donating more money. It is thought that because women are more apt to give more in general, and value external relationships, female board members help to influence the support of more charitable causes. The study also hypothesized another explanation, which is that women board members often come from positions at nonprofit organizations.
According to a study by the Center for Women’s Business Research, businesses owned by women with assets of 1 million donated 10, 000 dollars to charity yearly.
Personal Coaching Tip: Don’t underestimate the way your personal values can impact your organization’s values – especially in the company of other women. As you move into leadership, the things you value and the reasons you value them become more important because you have greater impact on greater resources. The best way to have the greatest impact is to value what you value and use your influence and leadership credibility to help others value it too!
Guide to Women in Leadership
Organizations with women in their executive suites regularly out-perform others. Yet rising female executives (and their mentors) are frustrated at how hard it is to break through the glass ceiling. In this extensive guide, Executive Coach Dana Theus shares her tried and true strategies to help women excel into higher levels of leadership and achieve their executive potential.
