Abstract:

The present paper analyses the influence of both characteristics and management methods of female CEOs on organizational practice and innovation. This qualitative and comprehensive study looks at 105 female CEOs of multinational companies in 2014. The research results suggest that the characteristics of female CEOs lead to a specific management style which in turn influences organizational practice, promoting diversity and innovation in the workplace.  The managerial implications of this research include the importance of developing certain specific personal characteristics for women leaders as well as management training. This research furthermore provides an interesting contribution to the subject of diversity in management generally, and female participation rates in leadership roles specifically. The theoretical hypotheses validated by empirical research, descriptive statistics and CEO interview analyses presented herein have enabled the development of a mathematical model which demonstrates how either the personal characteristics or professional practices of female CEOs could determine innovation