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Cognition and gender diversity in top management teams: what do we know and where do we go?

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  • Fabian Müller-Horn

    (De Montfort University)

  • Sebastian P. L. Fourné

    (Wilfrid Laurier University)

  • Felix Arndt

    (University of Guelph)

  • Demola Obembe

    (De Montfort University)

Abstract

This paper reviews research on cognition and gender diversity in top management teams (TMTs) with a focus on identifying linkages among those two constructs. We suggest that while TMTs in general have attracted extensive research attention, the linkages between TMT cognition and gender diversity offer a largely neglected vantage point for understanding TMT decision-making, and feature opportunities for theoretical and methodological progress. This review of studies published in FT-50 journals from 1990 to 2022 is focused on how team gender diversity affects team cognition—building on the notion that teams are more than the aggregation of their elements. By developing a stage-based research agenda, we derive intriguing research questions that help exploring the cognition–diversity link in teams at different stages of the decision-making process.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabian Müller-Horn & Sebastian P. L. Fourné & Felix Arndt & Demola Obembe, 2024. "Cognition and gender diversity in top management teams: what do we know and where do we go?," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 74(2), pages 567-596, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:manrev:v:74:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s11301-022-00310-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s11301-022-00310-8
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Top management teams; Decision-making; Cognition; Diversity; Gender;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • M1 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation

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