The False Summit: An Exploration of the Unique Challenges Faced by Women in Senior Leadership Roles

Background and RationaleGender inequality in the workplace is currently attracting significant attention, yet equality continues to be elusive in many organisations. Nowhere is this more noticeable than in the... [ view full abstract ]

Background and Rationale

Gender inequality in the workplace is currently attracting significant attention, yet equality continues to be elusive in many organisations. Nowhere is this more noticeable than in the under-representation of women in senior business leadership roles. Women are increasingly less represented as they climb the corporate ladder. A recent Irish study by Kirrane et al. (2016) shows that although women make up 40 - 50% of managers in entry-level management positions, at each ensuing rung of the corporate ladder, they become less represented, with only 17% of CEO positions being held by women. Another recent study of the Irish financial sector by The 30% Club (2018) shows that although women outnumber men in entry-level management, women hold only 13% of CEO roles. Similar international studies show that the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles is not uniquely an Irish issue (EIGE, 2017; McKinsey, 2016; Phillips et al., 2016). Considering the spotlight on gender equality in the workplace, there is surprisingly little research aimed at those women who have succeeded in securing senior leadership roles in business organisations (Glass and Cook, 2016; Sadler and Linenberger, 2017).

Studies show that many senior female leaders feel like ‘outsiders on the inside’ (Cormier, 2006; Moore, 1988). They face difficulty integrating with others at a similar level. They may experience loneliness, isolation and feel that they are evaluated unfairly at the top because of their gender (Cormier, 2006). Despite the range of policies and measures to promote gender equality and more specifically gender equality in senior leadership roles, little has changed, and in some cases, the issue has gotten worse (Kirrane et al., 2016; McKinsey, 2016). This leads us to conclude that a deeper examination, one on the most fundamental human level, is necessary to gain a more complete understanding of how women are perceived in senior leadership positions, and how they perceive themselves in their role as socially dictated outsider leaders.

O'Riordan et al. (2017) describe the outsider leader as one who may ostensibly be an insider due to their role or position, but still have attributes that make them different. These differences may include a range of physical, social or behavioural criteria, including age, gender, ethnicity or tenure. Although the concept of the outsider leader is well established in popular and classical culture, there has been little exploration of the topic within the social sciences, and little is known about what makes those employed in organisations consider themselves insiders or outsiders. (Karelaia and Guillén, 2014; King, 2002; O'Riordan et al., 2017; Richman and Leary, 2009; Stamper and Masterson, 2002).

This paper seeks to explore the concept of the outsider leader with the overlay of gender, through the lens of social identity theory (SIT). Our perception of who we are is a combination of our personal identity, which includes characteristics, idiosyncrasies and accomplishments, and our social identity, which is our self-concept that stems from membership in groups that are important to us (Kite and Whitley, 2016; Myers and Twenge, 2013; Scheepers and Derks, 2016). Social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner, 1979) explores this interaction between the personal and social identities. The objective of SIT is to predict under what conditions people tend to view themselves as individuals or as group members, and predict based on perceived group status certain intergroup behaviours (Greenaway et al., 2015; Levine and Hogg, 2010).

SIT is particularly useful as it describes the cognitive processes that group members use to create the ‘them and us’ or the insider and outsider paradigm (Forsyth, 2018). SIT also predicts the threat responses and behaviour of the in-group towards an outsider even though the outsider might ostensibly be an insider due to their role or position. According to SIT, an outsider leader can be perceived as a threat to the identity and continuity of a group simply by failing to conform or being different to the accepted group stereotypes (Hogg and Blaylock, 2012; O'Riordan et al., 2017). This represents a valuable and enlightening lens through which we can examine female leadership in the context of seeking to understand how women are perceived by others and how they perceive themselves in senior corporate leadership roles. 

Methodology

The authors undertake a review of the recent academic literature (e.g. 1998 -2017) that focuses on CEO/ senior female leadership in corporate settings and outsider leadership through a gender lens. This review is conducted in a systematic manner using word strings to help identify relevant publications, as we seek to surface – from a range of sources – the prevailing thinking on this important topic. Using thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006), we identify and explore the main themes unveiled within this literature that contribute to the feelings of outsiderness of some women in senior corporate leadership positions and examine these themes through the lens of social identity theory.

Key results

Women in top leadership positions face unique challenges. These challenges differ to those encountered during their climb up the corporate ladder.  However, they originate from the same social, cultural and psychological factors contributing to the glass ceiling, found to be a distinctly gender phenomenon (Cotter et al., 2001) In this paper we term these obstacles ‘False Summit’ barriers. In mountaineering, a false summit is initially thought to be the peak of the mountain. However, as one approaches it quickly become apparent that it is not the actual peak. False summits are known to have negative psychological effects on climbers. Similarly, women who make it to the top of an organisation are often surprised that there are still many obstacles that stand in their way. This can contribute to social dissimilarity and an unsupportive environment between men and women in top positions (Eagly and Johnson, 1990; Piterman, 2008). In concurrence with SIT, these dissimilarities are often exaggerated to ‘maximise’ both the likenesses and the differences of the outsider, in this case, women leaders (Buckingham et al., 2013). As a result of the percieved differences, women may be viewed as tokens or suffer from ‘Solo Status’. Solo status further raises visibility and exaggerates negative stereotypes (Cook and Glass, 2014), as individuals may be put forward as representative of all female leaders. Furthermore, ‘solos’ are prone to social ostracisation and being excluded from vital professional networks, which limits access to information, mentors, and peer support which inhibits the potential of these outsiders to succeed (Cook and Glass, 2013; Cook and Glass, 2014; Taylor, 2010).

Contributions

This paper contributes a social identity perspective on the issues of gender equality and the feelings of outsiderness that many senior women leaders encounter. Previous research has shown that job dissatisfaction, stemming from perceived feelings of isolation and outsiderness have resulted in many senior women leaders leaving their firms or the workforce entirely (Cormier, 2006). This dissatisfaction has significant diversity, performance and social implications for organisations. We believe that this paper takes a previously under-explored perspective that will help highlight and provide new insights into the area of gender based outsider business leadership.