Life is too short to drink bad wine. Venturesome and responsible, but also stubborn. Caring for the future. Programmatic Research, including the champagne method.
We show unintended consequences of quota regulations to get women on boards. Board members may ha... more We show unintended consequences of quota regulations to get women on boards. Board members may have different characteristics, and even among women, there are variations. We assume that the characteristics of the board members have an influence on their contributions to boards, to businesses as well as to society. In this paper, we argue that different types of societal pressure to get women on boards have an influence on the social capital characteristics of the women getting multiple board memberships. The paper is drawing on institutional theory and social capital theory, and we distinguish between mimetic, normative, and coercive types of pressure. Through a cluster analysis of 58 Italian "golden skirts", we show that different types of societal pressure may lead to differences in social capital characteristics. The study has implications for the ongoing international debate about women and diversity on boards, and we propose developing a pressure theory for getting women on boards.
Corporate Board: role, duties and composition, 2010
In this article we offer an empirical test of the critical mass arguments in the discussion of wo... more In this article we offer an empirical test of the critical mass arguments in the discussion of women on corporate boards. The literature in the women on corporate board debate concludes that there must be at least three women on a board before the women really make a difference. These arguments are frequently used in the public debate about the understanding the impact of women on corporate boards, but they have never really been empirically tested on a large sample. In this paper we use a sample of 317 Norwegian firms. Our dependent variable is board strategic involvement. The findings support the critical mass arguments. This study offers useful insights to policy-makers interested in defining legislative measures mandating the presence of women directors in corporate boards by showing that "at least three women" may be particularly beneficial in terms of contribution to board strategic tasks.
Australia is behind many of its Western European contemporaries despite significant efforts made ... more Australia is behind many of its Western European contemporaries despite significant efforts made to improve the situation, including discussions about introducing a quota regulation. While some progress has taken place, this has often been followed by periods of inaction. In 2018, Australia remains behind many comparable countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and Scandinavia. The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) established a target of 30% of Women on Boards (WoB) by 2018. The AICD warns that a quota may be introduced unless there is a significant increase in the number of women occupying board positions (AICD 2017). “Quotas are not on the table for now, but clearly all options will need to be considered” (Proust 2017). The key findings of this Bulletin are:
Foreword with acknowledgments 1. Introduction. 2. Increasing the number of women on boards 2.1. G... more Foreword with acknowledgments 1. Introduction. 2. Increasing the number of women on boards 2.1. Getting women on boards -Norwegian and European experiences 2.2. The business case for women on boards 2.3. Why is Spain falling behind other European countries 3. Survey of the Spanish debate 3.1. Objectives and methods 3.2. Findings 3.3. Reflections on quotas 3.4. Reflections on training 3.5. Conclusions of the survey: Suggestion to progress in getting women on boards in Spain 4. Interviews, meetings and panels 4.1. Observations, meetings and interviews 4.2. Value creating boards and gender diversity: The Abertis Foundation meeting 4.3. Selecting board members: The FIDE Foundation meeting 5. Summarizing reflections, conclusions and suggestions 5.1. Summarizing reflections 5.2. Conclusions 5.
ABSTRACT The main objective of this paper is to explore the role of family councils vis-à-vis cor... more ABSTRACT The main objective of this paper is to explore the role of family councils vis-à-vis corporate governance mechanisms. Particularly, the paper explores whether family councils perform only their distinctive family governance role or if they also substitute for the roles performed by corporate governance control mechanisms. Based on a sample of 243 Italian family SMEs, our research findings show that the family council partially substitutes the shareholders' meeting and the board of directors in playing their respective corporate governance roles of ownership and monitoring. These findings are interpreted in the light of both agency and relational perspectives.
This paper is about diversoity. It is about clergy in secular organizations. It is about clergy w... more This paper is about diversoity. It is about clergy in secular organizations. It is about clergy who has exited from church service and now work in the secular working life.
The contributions exemlify how diversity may inspire organizations beyond intentions.
We show unintended consequences of quota regulations to get women on boards. Board members may ha... more We show unintended consequences of quota regulations to get women on boards. Board members may have different characteristics, and even among women, there are variations. We assume that the characteristics of the board members have an influence on their contributions to boards, to businesses as well as to society. In this paper, we argue that different types of societal pressure to get women on boards have an influence on the social capital characteristics of the women getting multiple board memberships. The paper is drawing on institutional theory and social capital theory, and we distinguish between mimetic, normative, and coercive types of pressure. Through a cluster analysis of 58 Italian "golden skirts", we show that different types of societal pressure may lead to differences in social capital characteristics. The study has implications for the ongoing international debate about women and diversity on boards, and we propose developing a pressure theory for getting women on boards.
Corporate Board: role, duties and composition, 2010
In this article we offer an empirical test of the critical mass arguments in the discussion of wo... more In this article we offer an empirical test of the critical mass arguments in the discussion of women on corporate boards. The literature in the women on corporate board debate concludes that there must be at least three women on a board before the women really make a difference. These arguments are frequently used in the public debate about the understanding the impact of women on corporate boards, but they have never really been empirically tested on a large sample. In this paper we use a sample of 317 Norwegian firms. Our dependent variable is board strategic involvement. The findings support the critical mass arguments. This study offers useful insights to policy-makers interested in defining legislative measures mandating the presence of women directors in corporate boards by showing that "at least three women" may be particularly beneficial in terms of contribution to board strategic tasks.
Australia is behind many of its Western European contemporaries despite significant efforts made ... more Australia is behind many of its Western European contemporaries despite significant efforts made to improve the situation, including discussions about introducing a quota regulation. While some progress has taken place, this has often been followed by periods of inaction. In 2018, Australia remains behind many comparable countries, including Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and Scandinavia. The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) established a target of 30% of Women on Boards (WoB) by 2018. The AICD warns that a quota may be introduced unless there is a significant increase in the number of women occupying board positions (AICD 2017). “Quotas are not on the table for now, but clearly all options will need to be considered” (Proust 2017). The key findings of this Bulletin are:
Foreword with acknowledgments 1. Introduction. 2. Increasing the number of women on boards 2.1. G... more Foreword with acknowledgments 1. Introduction. 2. Increasing the number of women on boards 2.1. Getting women on boards -Norwegian and European experiences 2.2. The business case for women on boards 2.3. Why is Spain falling behind other European countries 3. Survey of the Spanish debate 3.1. Objectives and methods 3.2. Findings 3.3. Reflections on quotas 3.4. Reflections on training 3.5. Conclusions of the survey: Suggestion to progress in getting women on boards in Spain 4. Interviews, meetings and panels 4.1. Observations, meetings and interviews 4.2. Value creating boards and gender diversity: The Abertis Foundation meeting 4.3. Selecting board members: The FIDE Foundation meeting 5. Summarizing reflections, conclusions and suggestions 5.1. Summarizing reflections 5.2. Conclusions 5.
ABSTRACT The main objective of this paper is to explore the role of family councils vis-à-vis cor... more ABSTRACT The main objective of this paper is to explore the role of family councils vis-à-vis corporate governance mechanisms. Particularly, the paper explores whether family councils perform only their distinctive family governance role or if they also substitute for the roles performed by corporate governance control mechanisms. Based on a sample of 243 Italian family SMEs, our research findings show that the family council partially substitutes the shareholders' meeting and the board of directors in playing their respective corporate governance roles of ownership and monitoring. These findings are interpreted in the light of both agency and relational perspectives.
This paper is about diversoity. It is about clergy in secular organizations. It is about clergy w... more This paper is about diversoity. It is about clergy in secular organizations. It is about clergy who has exited from church service and now work in the secular working life.
The contributions exemlify how diversity may inspire organizations beyond intentions.
Showing stakeholder perspectives on subsidiary Boards. This book presents - empirical study. Huse... more Showing stakeholder perspectives on subsidiary Boards. This book presents - empirical study. Huse and Rindova 2002 is based on the empirical material presented in this book.
Paper presented at a symposium at the AoM Meeting in 2000. Showing how different instruments are ... more Paper presented at a symposium at the AoM Meeting in 2000. Showing how different instruments are based on different arguments, and may have different consequences. This paper was written before the introduction of the gender Balance regulations on Boards.
Considerable attention has been directed towards corporate governance issues in recent years. The... more Considerable attention has been directed towards corporate governance issues in recent years. There are however various limitations in the international mainstream research on boards of directors. Few studies address research questions beyond investigating the relationship between board composition and company performance. Most research is moreover based on empirical evidence from large publicly held US corporations. This paper summarises the accumulated knowledge from 1"00 student reports on boards of directors in Scandinavia. The contributions of the reports show the need to explore the influence of various contingencies, and also to take various stakeholder perspectives into account when researching corporate governance and boards of directors. The reports also show the need to go beyond counting only numbers of directors to gain insight into board working structures and relationships betrreen directors and managers. Several adv¿tntages compared to the US mainstream research tradition can in this connection be found in Scandinavian research about boards of directors.
Ethical reflections around a "one of the lads"- research study. Presented in 1996 at the IABS Mee... more Ethical reflections around a "one of the lads"- research study. Presented in 1996 at the IABS Meeting.
DIRECTORS Abstract: What can we leam from women directors? A narrative approach was employed inan... more DIRECTORS Abstract: What can we leam from women directors? A narrative approach was employed inanalynng in-depth interviews with eight women directors with experiences from more than one hundred boards. These women gave examples from very different board experiences, but they clearly demonsüated areas which existing research about directorates has major limitations. Their experiences gave contributions in two theoretical directions: (1) an understanding of dynamics at the top, and (2) the contribution of women directors.
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Papers by Morten Huse
The contributions exemlify how diversity may inspire organizations beyond intentions.
The contributions exemlify how diversity may inspire organizations beyond intentions.