While many organisations in male-dominated occupations are investing large resources in order to increase and retain women with the aim of achieving gender balance, responsibility for diversity management on a daily basis relies on line managers. To learn more about the underlying mechanism of line managers’ engagement in managing diversity and, thus, fostering inclusion in such settings, this study proposes and tests a model of male line managers’ experiences and traits on the one hand, and subordinates’ outcomes on the other. In addition, it investigates the role of lateral relationships at a male-dominated workplace. In a field study conducted from 172 pairs of line manager-subordinate dyads at a highly technical and male-dominated research institute in Norway, it was observed that male line managers’ experiences and traits did not relate to female subordinates’ perceived support nor inclusion. Further, the results show that perceived supervisor, but not co-worker, support contributes to female employees’ inclusion, while factors beyond workplace social support and inclusion predict their embeddedness in the job. Hence, the present study indicates that perceptions of line managers’ support are highly important for effective diversity management on the line in male-dominated occupations. Theoretical and practical implications, together with suggestions for future research, are discussed.
Published in | American Journal of Management Science and Engineering (Volume 6, Issue 2) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11 |
Page(s) | 34-50 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Job Embeddedness, Line Manager, Male-Dominated Occupations, Perceived Inclusion, Perceived Supervisor Support, Traits
[1] | Abramovic, G., & Traavik, L. E. M. (2017). Support for diversity practices in Norway: Depends on who you are and whom you have met. European Management Journal, 35, 454–463. |
[2] | Allport, G. (1954). The nature of prejudice. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. |
[3] | Baron, R., & Kenny, D. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51 (6), 1173–1182. |
[4] | Barsade, S. G. (2002). The ripple effect: Emotional contagion and its influence on group behaviour. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47, 644–675. |
[5] | Barth, E., Hardoy, I., Schøne, P., & Østbakken, K. M. (2013). Lønnsforskjeller mellom kvinner og menn – Hva har skjedd på 2000-tallet? Institutt for Samfunnsforskning, Rapport 2013:7 |
[6] | Batson, C. D. (1998). Altruism and prosocial behavior. In D. T. Gilbert, S. T. Fiske, & G. Lindzey (Eds.), The Handbook of social psychology (Vol. 2, 4th edition, pp. 282–316). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. |
[7] | Bilimoria, D., Joy, S., & Liang, X. (2008). Breaking barriers and creating inclusiveness: Lessons of organisational transformation to advance women faculty in academic science and engineering. Human Resource Management, 47 (3), 423–441. |
[8] | Birdi, K., Clegg, C., Patterson, M., Robinson, A., Stride, C. B., Wall, T. D., & Wood, S. J. (2008). The impact of human resource and operational management practices on company productivity: A longitudinal study. Personnel Psychology, 61, 467–501. |
[9] | Bliese, P. D. (2000). Within-group agreement, non-independence, and reliability – Implications for data aggregation and analysis. In K. J. Klein & S. W. J. Kozlowski (Eds.), Multilevel theory, research, and methods in organisations (pp. 349–379). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. |
[10] | Bobocel, D. R. (2013). Coping with unfair events constructively or destructively: The effects of overall justice and self-other orientation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 98 (5), 720–731. |
[11] | Boekhorst, J. A. (2014). The role of authentic leadership in fostering workplace inclusion: A social information processing perspective. Human Resource Management, 54 (2), 241–264. |
[12] | Catalyst. (2021). Statistical overview of women in the workplace. Retrieved from https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-the-workforce-global (assessed on March 1st, 2021). |
[13] | Catalyst. (2021). Women in male-dominated industries and occupations. Retrieved from https://www.catalyst.org/research/women-in-male-dominated-industries-and-occupations (assessed on March 1st, 2021). |
[14] | Chatman, J. A., Boisnier, A. D., Spataro, S. E., Anderson, C., & Berdahl, J. L. (2008). Being distinctive versus being conspicuous: The effects of numeric status and sex-stereotyped tasks on individual performance in groups. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 107, 141–160. |
[15] | Chatman, J., & O’Reilly, C. A. (2004). Asymmetric reactions to work group sex diversity among men and women. Academy of Management Journal, 47 (2), 193–208. |
[16] | Chattopadhyay, P., George, E., & Ng, C. K. (2015). Hearts and minds: Integrating regulatory focus and relational demography to explain responses to dissimilarity. Organisational Psychology Review, doi: 10.1177/2041386615574540 |
[17] | Chavez, C. I., & Weisinger, J. Y. (2008). Beyond diversity training: A social infusion for cultural inclusion. Human Resource Management, 47 (2), 331–350. |
[18] | Chen, J. M., & Moons, W. G. (2015). They won’t listen to me: Anticipated power and women’s disinterest in male-dominated domains. Group Process & Intergroup Relations, 18 (1), 116–128. |
[19] | Chiaburu, D. S., & Harrison, D. A. (2008). Do peers make the place? Conceptual synthesis and meta-analysis of coworker effects on perceptions, attitudes, OCBs, and performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93 (5), 1082–1103. |
[20] | Coyle-Shapiro, J. A-M., Kessler, I., & Purcell, J. (2004). Exploring organizationally directed citizenship behaviour: Reciprocity or “it’s my job”? Journal of Management Studies, 41 (1), 85–106. |
[21] | Crossley, C. D., Bennett, R. J., Jex, S. M., & Burnfield, J. L. (2007). Development of a global measure of job embeddedness and integration into a traditional model of voluntary turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 1031–1042. |
[22] | Davis, M. H. (1983). Measuring individual differences in empathy: Evidence for a multidimensional approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44 (1), 113–126. |
[23] | De Dreu, C. K. W. (2006). Rational self-interest and other orientation in organisational behaviour: A critical appraisal and extension of Meglino and Korsgaard (2004). Journal of Applied Psychology, 91 (6), 1245–1252. |
[24] | De Dreu, C. K. W., & Nauta, A. (2009). Self-Interest and other-orientation in organisational behaviour: Implications for job performance, prosocial behaviour, and personal initiative. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94 (4), 913–926. |
[25] | Douglas, C., Ferris, G. R., Buckley, M. R., & Gundlach, M. J. (2003). Organisational and social influences on leader–member exchange processes: Implications for the management of diversity. In Graen, G. (Ed.), Dealing with diversity, (pp. 59–90). Greenwich, CT: Information Age. |
[26] | Duffy, M. K., Ganster, D. C., Shaw, J. D., Johnson, J. L., & Pagon, M. (2006). The social context of undermining behaviour at work. Organisational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes, 101, 105–121. |
[27] | Eagly, A. H., & Karau, S. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice toward female leaders. Psychological Review, 109, 573–598. |
[28] | Eagly, A. H., Wood, W., & Diekman, A. B. (2000). Social role theory of sex differences and similarities: A current appraisal. In T. Eckes, & H. M. Trautner (Eds.), The developmental social psychology of gender (pp. 123–175). New York: Psychology Press. |
[29] | Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchinson, S., & Sowa, D. (1986). Perceived organisational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 500–507. |
[30] | Elvestuen, G., & Valaker, S. (2021). Who is an Inclusive Leader? – The Relationship between Line Managers’ Experiences and Traits, and Employees’ Perceived Inclusion. International Journal of Managerial Studies and Research, 9 (3), 28–41. |
[31] | Ely, R. J. (1995). The power in demography: Women’s social constructions of gender identity at work. Academy of Management Journal, 38, 589–634. |
[32] | Fast, N. J., Burris, E. R., & Bartel, C. A. (2014). Managing to stay in the dark: Managerial self-efficacy, ego defensiveness, and the aversion to employee voice. Academy of Management Journal, 57 (4), 1013–1034. |
[33] | Feather, N. T., & McKee, I. R. (2012). Values, right-wing authoritarianism, social dominance orientation, and ambivalent attitudes toward women. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 42 (10), 2479–2504. |
[34] | Fenton-O’Creevy, M. (2001). Employee involvement and the middle manager: saboteur or scapegoat? Human Resource Management Journal, 11 (1), 24–40. |
[35] | Fink, J. S., Pastore, D. L., & Riemer, H. A. (2003). Managing employee diversity: Perceived practices and organisatioal outcomes in NCAA division III athletic departments. Sport Management Review, 6, 147–168. |
[36] | Fortune. (2015). Globally, women gain corporate seats – but not in the US. Retrieved from http://fortune.com/2015/01/13/catalyst-women-boards-countries-us (assessed on March 1st, 2021). |
[37] | Gerbasi, M. E., & Prentice, D. A. (2013). The self- and other-interest inventory. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105 (3), 495–514. |
[38] | Germain, M. L., Herzog, M. J. R., & Hamilton, P. R. (2012). Women employed in male-dominated industries: Lessons learned from female aircraft pilots, pilots-in-training and mixed-gender flight instructors. Human Resource Development International, 15 (4), 435–453. |
[39] | Godard, J. (2001). High performance and the transformation of work? The implications of alternative work practices for the experience and outcomes of work. Industrial and Labour Review, 54 (4), 776–805. |
[40] | Gong, Y., Chow, I. H. S., & Ahlstrom, D. (2011). Cultural diversity in China: Dialect, job embeddedness and turnover. Asia Pacific Journal of Management, 28, 221–238. |
[41] | Gonzalez, J. A., & Denisi, A. S. (2009). Cross-level effects of demography and diversity climate on organisational attachment and firm effectiveness. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 30, 21–40. |
[42] | Harris, L. (2001). Rewarding employee performance: Line managers’ values, beliefs and perspectives. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 12 (7), 1182–1192. |
[43] | Harrison, D. A., Kravitz, D. A., Mayer, D. M., Leslie, L. M., & Lev-Arey, D. (2006). Understanding attitudes toward affirmative action programmes in employment: Summary and meta-analysis of 35 years of research. Journal of Applied Psychology, 91 (5), 1013–1036. |
[44] | Henry, P. J., Sidanius, J., Levin, S., & Pratto, F. (2005). Social dominance orientation, authoritarianism, and support for intergroup violence between the Middle East and America. Political Psychology, 26(4), 569–583. |
[45] | Herdman, A. O., & McMillan-Capehart, A. (2010). Establishing a diversity program is not enough: Exploring the determinants of diversity climate. Journal of Business & Psychology, 25, 39–53. |
[46] | Huffman, M. L., Cohen, P. N., & Pearlman, J. (2010). Engendering change: Organisational dynamics and workplace gender desegregation, 1975–2005. Administrative Science Quarterly, 55, 255–277. |
[47] | Islam, M. R., & Hewstone, M. (1993). Dimensions of contact as predictors of intergroup anxiety, perceived out-group variability, and out-group attitude: An integrative model. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19 (6), 700–710. |
[48] | Jackson, S. E., Brett, J. F., Sessa, V. I., Cooper, D. M., Julin, J. A., & Peyronnin, K. (1991). Some differences make a difference: Individual dissimilarity and group heterogeneity as correlates of recruitment, promotions, and turnover. Journal of Applied Psychology, 76 (5), 675–689. |
[49] | Jansen, W. S., Otten, S., & van der Zee, K. I. (2015). Being part of diversity: The effects of an all-inclusive multicultural diversity approach on majority members’ perceived inclusion and support for organisational diversity efforts. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 18 (6), 817–832. |
[50] | Jansen, W. S., Otten, S., & van der Zee, K. I. (2016). Being different at work: How gender dissimilarity relates to social inclusion and absenteeism. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, doi: 10.1177/1368430215625783 |
[51] | Janssens, M., & Zanoni, P. (2007). What makes an organisation inclusive? Work contexts and diversity management practices favouring ethnic minorities’ inclusion. Paper presented at the SUS.DIV annual meeting, Athens, Greece. |
[52] | Jiang, K., Liu, D., McKay, P. F., Lee, T. W., & Mitchell, T. R. (2012). When and how is job embeddedness predictive of turnover? A meta-analytic investigation. Journal of Applied psychology, 97 (5), 1077–1096. |
[53] | Joshi, A., & Roh, H. (2009). The role of context in work team diversity research: A meta-analytic review. Academy of Management Journal, 52 (3), 599–627. |
[54] | Kalev, A., Dobbin, F., & Kelly, E. (2006). Best practices or best guesses? Assessing the efficacy of corporate affirmative action and diversity policies. American Sociological Review, 71, 589–617. |
[55] | Kanter, R. M. (1977). Men and women of the corporation. New York: Basic Books. |
[56] | Kenny, D. A., Kashy, D. A., & Cook, W. L. (2006). Dyadic data analysis. New York: The Guilford Press. |
[57] | Kidder, D. L., Lankau, M. J., Chrobot-Mason, D., Mollica, K. A., & Friedman, R. A. (2004). Backlash toward diversity initiatives: Examining the impact of diversity program justification, personal and group outcomes. International Journal of Conflict Management (2004–current), 15 (1), 77–102. |
[58] | Klein, K. J., Bliese, P. D., & Kozlowski, S. W. J. (2000). Multilevel analytical techniques: Commonalities, differences and continuing questions. In K. J. Klein & S. W. J. Kozlowski (Eds.), Multilevel theory, research, and methods in organisations (pp. 512–553). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. |
[59] | Koch, A. J., D’Mello, S. D., & Sackett, P. R. (2015). A meta-analysis of gender stereotypes and bias in experimental simulations of employment decision making. Journal of Applied Psychology, 100 (1), 128–161. |
[60] | Korsgaard, M. A., Meglino, B. M., & Lester, S. W. (1996). The effect of other-oriented values on decision making: A test of propositions of a theory of concern for others in organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 68 (3), 234–245. |
[61] | Korsgaard, M. A., Meglino, B. M., & Lester, S. W. (2004). The effect of other orientation on self-supervisor rating agreement. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25, 873–891. |
[62] | Kulik, C. T. (2014). Working below and above the line: The research-practice gap in diversity management. Human Resource Management Journal, 24(2), 129–144. |
[63] | Küpper, B., & Zick, A. (2011). Inverse gender gap in Germany: Social dominance orientation among men and women. International Journal of Psychology, 46(1), 33–45. |
[64] | Kuvaas, B., Dysvik, A., & Buch, R. (2014). Antecedents and employee outcomes of line managers’ perceptions of enabling HR practices. Journal of Management Studies, 51 (6), 845–868. |
[65] | Lee, T. W., & Mitchell, T. R. (1994). An alternative approach: The unfolding model of voluntary employee turnover. Academy of Management Review, 19 (1), 51–89. |
[66] | Mayer, D., Nishii, L., Schneider, B., & Goldstein, H. (2007). The precursors and products of justice climates: Group leader antecedents and employee attitudinal consequences. Personnel Psychology, 60, 929–963. |
[67] | McKay, P. F., Avery, D. R., Tonidandel, S., Morris, M. A., Hernandez, M., & Hebl, M. R. (2007). Racial differences in employee retention: Are diversity climate perceptions the key? Personnel Psychology, 60, 35–62. |
[68] | Meglino, B. M., & Korsgaard, M. A. (2004). Considering rational self-interest as a disposition: Organisational implications of other orientation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(6), 946–959. |
[69] | Mitchell, T. R., Holtom, B. C., Lee, T. W., Sablynski, C. J., & Erez, M. (2001). Why people stay: Using job embeddedness to predict voluntary turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 44(6), 1102–1121. |
[70] | Mor Barak, M. E. (2014). Managing diversity: Toward a globally inclusive workplace (3rd edition). Thousand Oaks: Sage. |
[71] | Mor Barak, M. E. (2015). Inclusion is the key to diversity management, but what is inclusion? Human Service Organisations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 39(2), 83–88. |
[72] | Mor Barak, M. E., Cherin, D. A., & Berkman, S. (1998). Organisational and personal dimensions in diversity climate – Ethnic and gender differences in employee perceptions. Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 34(1), 82–104. |
[73] | Mor Barak, M. E., & Levin, A. (2002). Outside of the corporate mainstream and excluded from the work community: A study by diversity, job satisfaction and well-being. Community, Work & Family, 5 (2), 133–157. |
[74] | Nembhard, I. M., & Edmondson, A. C. (2006). Making it safe: The effects of leader inclusiveness and professional status on psychological safety and improvement efforts in health care teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27, 941–966. |
[75] | Ng, E. S., & Sears, G. J. (2012). CEO leadership styles and the implementation of organisational diversity practices: Moderating effects of social values and age. Journal of Business Ethics, 105, 41–52. |
[76] | Ng, E. S., & Wyrick, C. R. (2011). Motivational bases for managing diversity: A model of leadership commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 21, 368–376. |
[77] | Nishii, L. H. (2013). The benefits of climate for inclusion for gender-diverse groups. Academy of Management Journal, 56 (6), 1754–1774. |
[78] | Nishii, L. H., & Mayer, D. M. (2009). Do inclusive leaders help to reduce turnover in diverse groups? The moderating role of leader-member exchange in the diversity to turnover relationship. Journal of Applied Psychology, 94 (6), 1412–1426. |
[79] | Olsen, J. E., & Martins, L. L. (2012). Understanding organisational diversity management programmes: A theoretical framework and directions for future research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33 (8), 1168–1187. |
[80] | Pelled, L. H., Ledford, G. E. Jr., & Mohrman, S. A. (1999). Demographic dissimilarity and workplace inclusion. Journal of Management Studies, 36 (7), 1013–1031. |
[81] | Pettigrew, T. F., & Tropp, L. R. (2006). A meta-analytic test of intergroup contact theory. Journal of Personality & Social Psychology, 90 (5), 751–783. |
[82] | Pless, N. M., & Maak, T. (2004). Building an inclusive diversity culture: Principles, processes and practice. Journal of Business Ethics, 54, 129–147. |
[83] | Powell, A., & Sang, K. J. C. (2015). Everyday experiences of sexism in male-dominated professions: A Bourdieusian perspective. Sociology, 49 (5), 919–936. |
[84] | Pratto, F., Sidanius, J., Stallworth, L. M., & Malle, B. F. (1994). Social dominance orientation: A personality variable predicting social and political attitudes. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67 (4), 741–763. |
[85] | Purcell, J., & Hutchinson, S. (2007). Front-line managers as agents in the HRM-performance causal chain: Theory, analysis and evidence. Human Resource Management Journal, 17 (1), 3–20. |
[86] | Roberson, Q. M. (2006). Disentangling the meanings of diversity and inclusion in organisations. Group & Organisation Management, 31 (2), 212–236. |
[87] | Ryan, A. M., & Kossek, E. E. (2008). Work-life policy implementation: Breaking down or creating barriers to inclusiveness? Human Resource Management, 47 (2), 295–310. |
[88] | Sabharwal, M. (2014). Is diversity management sufficient? Organisational inclusion to further performance. Public Personnel Management, 43 (2), 197–217. |
[89] | Schneider, B. (1987). The people make the place. Personnel Psychology, 40, 437–453. |
[90] | Shadish, W. R., Cook, T. D., & Campbell, D. T. (2003). Experimental and quasi-experimental designs for generalised causal inference. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company. |
[91] | Shen, J., Chanda, A., D’Netto, B., & Monga, M. (2009). Managing diversity through human resource management: An international perspective and conceptual framework. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 20 (2), 235–251. |
[92] | Shore, L. M., Randel, A. E., Chung, B. G., Dean, M. A., Ehrhart, K. H., & Singh, G. (2011). Inclusion and diversity in work groups: A review and model for future research. Journal of Management, 37 (4), 1262–1289. |
[93] | Sidanius, J., Pratto, F., van Laar, C., & Levin, S. (2004). Social dominance theory: Its agenda and method. Political Psychology, 25 (6), 845–880. |
[94] | Simmons, A. L., & Umphress, E. E. (2015). The selection of leaders and social dominance orientation. Journal of Management Development, 34 (10), 1211–1226. |
[95] | Smith, L. (2013). Working hard with gender: Gendered labour for women in male dominated occupations of manual trades and information technology (IT). Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, 32 (6), 592–603. |
[96] | Sobel, M. E. (1982). Asymptotic confidence intervals for indirect effects in structural equation models. Sociological Methodology, 13, 290–312. |
[97] | Statistics Norway. (2021). Statistikkbanken. Retrieved from https://www.ssb.no/aku (assessed on March 1st, 2021). |
[98] | Susskind, A. M., Kacmar, K. M., & Borchgrevink, C. P. 2003. Customer service providers’ attitudes relating to customer service and customer satisfaction in the customer-server exchange. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88 (1), 179–187. |
[99] | Tajfel, H. (1982). Social psychology of intergroup relations. Annual Review of Psychology, 33, 1–39. |
[100] | Torre, M. (2014). The scarring effect of “women’s work”: The determinants of women’s attrition from male-dominated occupations. Social Forces, 93 (1), 1–29. |
[101] | Traavik, L. E. M., & Richardsen, A. M. (2016). Norwegian women in management. In A. Richardsen, & R. Burke (Eds.), Women in management worldwide. Taylor and Francis Publishers. |
[102] | Tsui, A. S., Egan, T. D., & O’Reilly III, C. A. (1992). Being different: Relational demography and organisational attachment. Administrative Science Quarterly, 37, 549–579. |
[103] | Wasserman, I. C., Gallegos, P. V., & Ferdman, B. M. (2008). Dancing with resistance: Leadership challenges in fostering a culture of inclusion. In K. M. Thomas (Ed.), Diversity resistance in organisations (pp. 175–200). New York: Taylor & Francis Group/Lawrence Erlbaum. |
[104] | Wiersema, M. F., & Bird, A. (1993). Organisational demography in Japanese firms: Group heterogeneity, individual dissimilarity, and top management team turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 36 (5), 996–1025. |
[105] | World Economic Forum (WEF). (2014). The global gender gap report 2014. Geneva: World Economic Forum. |
APA Style
Greta Elvestuen. (2021). Inclusive Leadership in Male-Dominated Occupations – An Investigation into Whether Line Managers’ Experiences and Traits Matter in Norway. American Journal of Management Science and Engineering, 6(2), 34-50. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11
ACS Style
Greta Elvestuen. Inclusive Leadership in Male-Dominated Occupations – An Investigation into Whether Line Managers’ Experiences and Traits Matter in Norway. Am. J. Manag. Sci. Eng. 2021, 6(2), 34-50. doi: 10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11
AMA Style
Greta Elvestuen. Inclusive Leadership in Male-Dominated Occupations – An Investigation into Whether Line Managers’ Experiences and Traits Matter in Norway. Am J Manag Sci Eng. 2021;6(2):34-50. doi: 10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11
@article{10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11, author = {Greta Elvestuen}, title = {Inclusive Leadership in Male-Dominated Occupations – An Investigation into Whether Line Managers’ Experiences and Traits Matter in Norway}, journal = {American Journal of Management Science and Engineering}, volume = {6}, number = {2}, pages = {34-50}, doi = {10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajmse.20210602.11}, abstract = {While many organisations in male-dominated occupations are investing large resources in order to increase and retain women with the aim of achieving gender balance, responsibility for diversity management on a daily basis relies on line managers. To learn more about the underlying mechanism of line managers’ engagement in managing diversity and, thus, fostering inclusion in such settings, this study proposes and tests a model of male line managers’ experiences and traits on the one hand, and subordinates’ outcomes on the other. In addition, it investigates the role of lateral relationships at a male-dominated workplace. In a field study conducted from 172 pairs of line manager-subordinate dyads at a highly technical and male-dominated research institute in Norway, it was observed that male line managers’ experiences and traits did not relate to female subordinates’ perceived support nor inclusion. Further, the results show that perceived supervisor, but not co-worker, support contributes to female employees’ inclusion, while factors beyond workplace social support and inclusion predict their embeddedness in the job. Hence, the present study indicates that perceptions of line managers’ support are highly important for effective diversity management on the line in male-dominated occupations. Theoretical and practical implications, together with suggestions for future research, are discussed.}, year = {2021} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Inclusive Leadership in Male-Dominated Occupations – An Investigation into Whether Line Managers’ Experiences and Traits Matter in Norway AU - Greta Elvestuen Y1 - 2021/03/26 PY - 2021 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11 DO - 10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11 T2 - American Journal of Management Science and Engineering JF - American Journal of Management Science and Engineering JO - American Journal of Management Science and Engineering SP - 34 EP - 50 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2575-1379 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajmse.20210602.11 AB - While many organisations in male-dominated occupations are investing large resources in order to increase and retain women with the aim of achieving gender balance, responsibility for diversity management on a daily basis relies on line managers. To learn more about the underlying mechanism of line managers’ engagement in managing diversity and, thus, fostering inclusion in such settings, this study proposes and tests a model of male line managers’ experiences and traits on the one hand, and subordinates’ outcomes on the other. In addition, it investigates the role of lateral relationships at a male-dominated workplace. In a field study conducted from 172 pairs of line manager-subordinate dyads at a highly technical and male-dominated research institute in Norway, it was observed that male line managers’ experiences and traits did not relate to female subordinates’ perceived support nor inclusion. Further, the results show that perceived supervisor, but not co-worker, support contributes to female employees’ inclusion, while factors beyond workplace social support and inclusion predict their embeddedness in the job. Hence, the present study indicates that perceptions of line managers’ support are highly important for effective diversity management on the line in male-dominated occupations. Theoretical and practical implications, together with suggestions for future research, are discussed. VL - 6 IS - 2 ER -