'The Stigma of Incompetence: Coping Strategies of Female Directors' Leadership, Organisations, Behaviour and Reputation Research Seminar
The department of Leadership, Organisations, Behaviour and Reputation (LOBR) would like to invite you to a research seminar presented by Professor Nada Kakabadse, Professor of Policy, Governance and Ethics.

Event information | |
---|---|
Date | 13 March 2025 |
Time | 13:00-14:00 (Timezone: Europe/London) |
Venue | Henley Business School LG01 |
Event types: |
Professor Kakabadse's research focuses on boardroom stewardship, sustainability, diversity and corporate responsibility, emphasising the chair's role in addressing social and environmental issues, reputation and board performance. Her work spans governance, leadership and policy across 41 countries and 20,000 organizations. A prolific author with 22 books and more than 240 articles, she has collaborated with governments and global firms, earning numerous awards.
Having held visiting positions at leading institutions worldwide, Professor Kakabadse is currently a visiting professor at the University of Johannesburg (South Africa) and Ben-Gurion University (Israel). A fellow of esteemed European Academies of Science and Arts and a member of Scientific Council of the Israeli Association for Ethics in Artificial Intelligence (IAEAI), she serves on the Empress Theophano Foundation's Governing Council and is featured in Who's Who.
The topic of this presentation is 'The Stigma of Incompetence: Coping Strategies of Female Directors'. Beneficiaries of affirmative action and diversity initiatives are frequently perceived by those outside these programs as less competent, a phenomenon referred to as the stigma of incompetence. This stigma has a compounded effect on beneficiaries, as it may be internalised, undermining self-efficacy and triggering a cycle of diminished performance and negative perceptions.
In the UK, numerous gender diversity initiatives have been implemented over the past decade and a half, leading to an unprecedented increase in the number of female directors on the boards of listed companies. However, scholars have cautioned against premature celebration of this progress, urging a deeper examination of how such changes affect female directors.
This seminar will address this gap by exploring how female directors respond to the stigma of incompetence, using a social cognition framework to interpret their reactions. Professor Kakabadse's findings suggest that many female directors adopt a passive response of nonchalance to this social stressor, rationalising their participation in these initiatives by referencing the historical marginalisation of women. Conversely, those with a longer period of social adjustment tend to use humour and justification as a coping mechanism in response to the stigma. Through interviews with 37 female directors, this study further reveals that these women reject the notion that their appointments have compromised organisational performance. On the contrary, they argue that these initiatives have sparked a long-overdue conversation about merit-based board appointments, a discourse historically absent from discussions on board composition.
The seminar is for an internal audience and will be held on 13 March 2025, 1:00pm, in room LG01 of the Henley Business School building, Whiteknights campus. For those unable to attend in person there is also the option to dial in remotely via Microsoft Teams. If you are interested in joining, please contact Alex Baker on a.j.baker@henley.ac.uk
The seminar will also feature a governance group showcase, focusing on research highlights. Members of LOBR faculty may also request to book a one to one meeting with Professor Kakabadse, focusing on the topics of discussing publishing processes and how to develop research ideas or refine methodologies. Each appointment will last 30 minutes, between 2:30pm to 4:00pm. Slots are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To arrange an appointment, please contact Alex Baker on a.j.baker@henley.ac.uk
LOBR research seminars are co-ordinated by Professor Bernd Vogel and Dr Anastasiya Saraeva.
Contact us
For more information please contact Alex Baker.
Email: a.j.baker@henley.ac.ukTelephone: 0118 3788691
You might also like
REP Research Seminar - Presenting in person - Franziska Sielker, Professor of Urban and Regional Research at TU Wien Title: "House for All: Access to Affordable and Quality Housing for All People"
The International Coaching Federation presents on membership, credentialing and the new ACC exam - Don Whittle & Kate Jayes
REP Research Seminar - Presenting Online by Dr Ricardo Lopez from Syracuse University - Title: "Tax Constraints to Corporate Hedging".
This site uses cookies to improve your user experience. By using this site you agree to these cookies being set. You can read more about what cookies we use here. If you do not wish to accept cookies from this site please either disable cookies or refrain from using the site.