Between 1989 and 2009, fewer than 100 women became CEOs of Fortune 500 companies. Aparna Joshi, a professor of management and organizations at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, and her co-authors conducted an in-depth study into these rare events to understand what factors contribute to women’s success in senior leadership roles.
Joshi noted that while barriers for women in top positions and negative industry reactions have been widely discussed, traditional research has not always provided actionable knowledge. Her research focuses on identifying effective strategies—referred to as “recipes”—for women’s post-succession success and offers guidance for organizations seeking improvement.
On the latest episode of the Business & Society podcast, Joshi discusses what helps women succeed as executives and how organizations can foster more supportive environments. “Something to watch out for in my view is if your talent pipeline is leaky, you’re less likely to see women having that long-term tenure in your organization,” Joshi said. “If insiders are indeed the go-to pool for successful female CEOs, firms really need to do more to strengthen their internal pipeline for talent.”
Business & Society is co-produced by JT Godfrey from the Ross School of Business and Jeff Karoub from the Michigan News office. The audio engineer is Jonah Brockman, with editorial production by Mads Henke.
