Status evaluations of senior executive women leaders in Australian organisations: strategies and support mechanisms

Status evaluations of senior executive women leaders
in Australian organisations: strategies and support mechanisms

This thesis is expected to make a major contribution to diversity management practices within Australia – and to the literature more broadly - by explicating what type of strategies and support mechanisms are required for women to excel in leadership positions. The thesis explores the status-imposed limitations on senior executive women’s agency in Australian workplaces through the lens of status characteristics theory (SCT). It adds to existing theory by employing an empirical lens of the actual workplace experiences of Australian women in leadership. This thesis suggests that women leaders are aware of status-imposed limitations on their agency and identify a range of successful behaviours to shorten the path of relevance and increase their power-prestige rankings. Findings suggest that status is as important as power and resources in perceptions of workplace competence. Perceptions through cultural assessments are made about women and these perceptions limit women leaders’ agency. Furthermore, this thesis provides significant empirical confirmation that personal and institutional support mechanisms significantly assist women leaders’ progression. The thesis extends current thinking and elevates status beliefs and characteristics to those of resources and power.