Call for papers Workshop “Governance and Diversity”, Héger Gabteni, Nathalie Bitbol-Saba, Associates professors at PSB

This call for papers invites researchers who study governance and diversity with the ambition to bring together recent advances in academic research on this theme. We encourage submissions that examine governance through the lens of diversity and in its various dimensions: issues, practices, processes, values, discourses, policies, strategies and resistances. Due to the transversality and multidisciplinary of this theme (Charreaux et Schatt, 2005), research papers in management, economics, finance, strategy as well as human ressource management are welcome. Today, diversity is at the center of managerial concerns within organizations and a growing number of them perceive it as a major issue for their survival and development (Nishii and Özbilgin, 2007; Özbilgin and Tatli, 2008). This applies particularly to corporate governance, rightly defined as « management of management » (Perez, 2003). The increase in board diversity has frequently been identified as one of the most important governance phenomena in recent years (Finkelstein, Hambrick and Cannella, 2009; Westphal and Zajac, 2013). Recent academic literature suggests that the diversification of boards composition could improve the performance of organizations (Conger and Lower, 2001), which remains one of the pillars of robust governance (Charreaux, 1997). Justified by economic arguments, diversity would make organizations more attractive, increase productivity, be a resource for learning and adaptation to change, and develop collective performance (Ely and Thomas, 2001; Bruna and Chauvet, 2013). Recent studies have found that decision making improves with diversity and creativity is higher and firms are more innovative with diverse boards (Miller and Triana, 2009; Nielsen and Huse, 2010). Thus, the links between board diversity and performance (Frijns et al., 2016; Shehata et al., 2017) are attracting increasing interest. The feminization of boards is a topical issue, even if work on this subject is still too rare, as it is the case in France (Martin and Pignatel, 2004 ; Belghiti-Mahut and Lafont, 2010; Moulin and Point, 2012; Nekhili and Gatfaoui , 2013; St-Onge and Magnan 2013 ; Toé, 2014 ; Bender et al., 2015, 2016). In countries that have adopted “quotas” of women on boards, their feminization is gradually being observed (France: Bender et al., 2015; Norway: Toegel, 2011; Spain: Spencer Stuart, 2011). The links between feminization and performance (Shrader et al., 1997; Farrell and Hersch, 2005; Rose, 2007; Campbell and Minguez Vera, 2008; Francoeur et al., 2008; Adams and Ferreira, 2009; Ferrary, 2010; Sabatier, 2015) generate growing interest while inducing mixed results (Smith et al., 2006). The presence of women on corporate boards seems to increase board effectiveness through reducing the level of conflict and ensuring high quality of board development activities (Nielsen and Huse, 2010). However, sex discrimination and stereotypes impact significantly and negatively the proportion of women selected on boards (Galia et al.,2017). Interest is also growing in issues crossing board diversity and CSR (Bear et al., 2010; Harjoto et al., 2015 ; Rao and Tilt, 2016). The diversity of board resources and the number of women on boards affect positively firms’ corporate social responsibility ratings, which, in turn, bolsters their reputation (Bear et al., 2010).

We welcome theoretical and empirical, qualitative and quantitative papers, from varied viewpoints and contexts (context-embedded analysis and inter-countries comparisons are welcome) on the following or related topics:

 Board diversity and corporate performance / intra-group dynamics / decision making / risk management / change management / innovation  Costs and benefits of board diversity
 Diversity and selection process for board members  Board diversity and CEO compensation  Independant directors and firm performance
 Board gender diversity, laws and quotas  Demographic diversity, cross-national diversity, interculturality, ethnic minorities
 Corporate Governance, diversity and CSR  Board diversity and ethics
 Voluntary versus coerced diversity
 

Researchers are invited to submit their work, regardless of their analytical and methodological framework. All works (doctoral students, young or experienced doctors) will be considered with kindness. Initial communication proposals should not exceed 300 words (plus references).They can be written in French or English. They must include scientific specialty, contact information and institution of attachment. They must also include a title, research question, and a brief indication of data and methodology.
They should be submitted electronically (Word document) with the mention «PSB Governance and Diversity call for papers» in the title of the message and sent no later than April 12, 2018 to:
 

Héger GABTENI
h.gabteni@psbedu.paris
 

Nathalie BITBOL-SABA
n.bitbolsaba@psbedu.paris

Notification of acceptance will be given by April 30, 2018.
Full papers (maximum 12,000 words) will be submitted not later than May 20, 2018. The workshop will take place on June 20, 2018.The workshop sessions will be 45 minutes long and comprise the discussant’s presentation of the paper (20 minutes), the author’s response (10 minutes) and open discussion (15 minutes).
 

Key dates:
April 12, 2018: abstracts proposals in French or English (maximum 300 words)
April 30, 2018: answer of coordinators
May 20, 2018: submission of full papers in French or English (maximum 12,000 words)
June 20, 2018: workshop at PSB, Paris