Seminar – Spoken like a Woman: How Gender Influences CEO Communication

Professor Gerry McNamara, Michigan State University

Given their central roles in organisations, investors and analysts are likely to assess the leadership qualities of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in public interactions. In such settings, female CEOs face a challenge since individuals typically view leadership roles as masculine and expect leaders to exhibit agentic characteristics. At the same time, due to gender stereotypes, individuals typically expect females to display communal qualities. Analysing quarterly earnings’ call transcripts, we develop and test arguments about how female CEOs manage this tension and balance the need to be seen as both agentic and communal. We also develop arguments about how investors respond to the agentic and communal attributes of CEO communication. Our findings largely support our hypothesised model.

Speaker bio

Professor McNamara is a professor of management at Michigan State University. He received his PhD from the University of Minnesota. His research focuses on examining the effects of behavioural factors, organisational practices, and strategic positioning on organisational decision-making and risk taking. His research has been published in the Academy of Management Journal, the Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, the Journal of Applied Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, the Journal of Management, and the Journal of International Business Studies. His research on mergers and acquisitions has been abstracted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Economist, Harvard Business Review Daily Stat, and Business Week. Additionally, he has been honoured as the JMI Scholar of the Year by the Western Academy of Management.  He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Strategic Management Journal and served as an Associate Editor for the Academy of Management Journal from 2010-2013.