Nineteenth International Conference on Knowledge, Culture, and Change in Organizations

Abstract

In this article, we discuss new knowledge related to managing gender bias in the context of women in leadership. The research explored how women on corporate boards cope with gender bias. Researchers Tajfel and Turner’s social identity theory to explain intergroup discrimination and Eagly and Karau’s role congruity theory of prejudice to explain the exclusion of women from corporate boards provided the conceptual lens of the study. Interviews with six women on corporate boards from Canada, journaling, and analysis of physical artifacts related to women were the data sources. Seven themes emerged in the data related to gender bias and experiences of the women using Yin’s five phases of analysis. The themes occur at the individual, organizational, and societal levels. This article is to set the foundation as to how women can transform themselves from within, skills needed, techniques to use, and effective preparation to manage the bias.