Women leaders and organizational diversity: their critical role in promoting diversity in organizations

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of women leaders in enhancing and managing diversity in organizations. Design/methodology/approach The approach of this paper is to combine the findings of two fields of research, namely, effectiveness of women leaders, and organizational diversity, and propose that women leaders have a critical role to play in enhancing organizational diversity and its effectiveness. Findings The main findings of the paper are that women leaders outperform their male counterparts in many of the necessary skills and competencies required to create democratic and inclusive organizations. Their leadership style is also best suited to effectively manage and take advantage of diversity in organizations. Practical implications Women leaders can create a very significant impact on creating inclusive environments in which diversity is valued and on organizational performance overall. Thus, it is imperative for firms to overcome gender bias and create meritocracies in which women leaders can be hired, retained, and promoted. Social implications Societies need to create grassroots change where perceptions of women in the workplace change. Originality/value The study creates a connection between two bodies of literature: one that explores the effectiveness of women leaders on leadership competencies and the second that looks at diversity in organizations, and how organizations can take advantage of this diversity. It shows that women leaders are well suited to promote and manage diversity in organizations by virtue of their skills and leadership style.