Gender diversity and organizational performance: An empirical analysis on healthcare organizations

Journal title MECOSAN
Author/s Valeria Naciti, Guido Noto, Carlo Vermiglio
Publishing Year 2022 Issue 2021/120 Language Italian
Pages 17 P. 45-61 File size 207 KB
DOI 10.3280/MESA2021-120004
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

Recent studies in the managerial field have focused on gender diversity and its impact on organizational performance. Although there are numerous studies aimed at investigating this relationship focusing mainly on the private sector, less attention has been paid to public organizations and, among these, to healthcare ones. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between gender diversity and economic-financial performance in Italian public hospitals. To this end, this article analyzes the gender and performance data, relating to the period 2012- 2018, of 63 organizations through Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regressions on panel data. The results show a significant relationship between gender balance and economic-financial performance.

Keywords: healthcare, hospitals, gender, diversity, performance, Italy.

  1. Abor P.A. (2017). Examining gender diversity on hospital boards in Ghana. International Journal of Health Governance, 22(4): 269-282.
  2. Adams R.B., Ferreira D. (2009). Women in the boardroom and their impact on governance and performance. Journal of financial economics, 94(2): 291-309.
  3. Aidemark L.G. (2001). The meaning of balanced scorecards in the health care organisation. Financial Accountability & Management, 17(1): 23-40.
  4. Arena C., Catuogno S., Saggese S., Sarto F. (2020). The adoption of e-Health in public hospitals. Unfolding the gender dimension of TMT and line managers. Public Management Review, in press.
  5. Barresi G. (2004). La misurazione della performance nelle aziende ospedaliere. Torino: Giappichelli.
  6. Barsanti S., Giovanelli S., Nuti S. (2014). Come valutare la ricerca nelle Aziende Ospedaliero-Universitarie? Metodi e proposte operative. Mecosan, 90: 9-32.
  7. Bart C., McQueen G. (2013). Why women make better directors. International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, 8(1): 93-99.
  8. Bartolacci F., Paolini A., Quaranta A.G., Soverchia M. (2017). Performance economiche e ambientali nelle aziende italiane di igiene urbana: prime evidenze empiriche. Management Control, 19: 33-51.
  9. Bem A., Prędkiewicz K., Prędkiewicz P., Ucieklak-Jeż P. (2014). Determinants of Hospital’s Financial Liquidity. Procedia Economics and Finance, 12: 27-36.
  10. Bibi A., Afsar B. (2020). Behavioural courage and its effect on innovative work behaviour of public sector employees: the role of managerial position and gender. International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management, 6(1): 124-142.
  11. Bonollo E., Zuccardi Merli M. (2016). Le Relazioni sulla performance nelle aziende della sanità pubblica: verso una maggiore trasparenza dei risultati raggiunti. Un’analisi empirica. Mecosan, 99: 43-73.
  12. Borgonovi E. (1984). Introduzione all’economia delle amministrazioni pubbliche. Milano: Giuffrè.
  13. Borgonovi E. (1998). La difficile sfida del SSN: coniugare solidarietà ed efficienza. Mecosan, 26: 2-5.
  14. Borgonovi E. (2000). Gli indicatori di efficacia e di efficienza nella sanità. Rivista trimestrale di Scienza dell’Amministrazione, 2: 169-175.
  15. Campbell K., Mínguez-Vera A. (2008). Gender diversity in the boardroom and firm financial performance. Journal of Business Ethics, 83(3): 435-451.
  16. Carbone C., Lecci F., Lega F., Prenestini A., Rotolo A., Tarricone R., Valotti G. (2013). Misurare le performance per creare valore nelle aziende sanitarie pubbliche: uno strumento multidimensionale di valutazione. In: Rapporto OASI. Milano: Egea.
  17. Carter D.A., Simkins B.J., Simpson W.G. (2003). Corporate governance, board diversity, and firm value. Financial review, 38(1): 33-53.
  18. Catuogno S., Arena C., Saggese S., Sarto F. (2017). Balanced performance measurement in research hospitals: the participative case study of a haematology department. BMC Health Services Research, 17(1): 1-11.
  19. Cepiku D., Conte A., D’Adamo A. (2010). La valutazione multi-livello delle performance dei network di interesse generale. Analisi di due casi studio in sanità. Mecosan, 19(75): 23-41.
  20. Chadwick I.C., Dawson A. (2018). Women leaders and firm performance in family businesses: An examination of financial and nonfinancial outcomes. Journal of family business strategy, 9(4): 238-249.
  21. Chamberlain G. (1982). Multivariate regression models for panel data. Journal of econometrics, 18(1): 5-46.
  22. Christiansen L.E., Lin H., Pereira M.J., Topalova P., Turk R. (2016). Gender diversity in senior positions and firm performance: Evidence from Europe. 2016/50. IMF Working Papers. International Monetary Fund. DOI: 10.5089/9781513553283.001
  23. Christiansen L.E., Lin H., Pereira M.J., Topalova P., Turk R. (2016). Gender diversity in senior positions and firm performance: Evidence from Europe. International Monetary Fund.
  24. Cinquini L., Nuti S., Boccaccio A., Vainieri M. (2005). Il confronto di performance economico-finanziarie tra aziende sanitarie: l’esperienza della Regione Toscana. Mecosan, 54: 43-64.
  25. Connell R. (2006). The experience of gender change in public sector organizations. Gender, Work & Organization, 13(5): 435-452.
  26. Cordeiro J.J., Profumo G., Tutore I. (2020). Board gender diversity and corporate environmental performance: The moderating role of family and dual‐class majority ownership structures. Business Strategy and the Environment, 29(3): 1127-1144.
  27. Darko J., Aribi Z.A., Uzonwanne G.C. (2016). Corporate governance: the impact of director and board structure, ownership structure and corporate control on the performance of listed companies on the Ghana stock exchange. Corporate Governance, 16(2): 259-277. DOI: 10.1108/CG-11-2014-0133
  28. De Pietro C. (2010). La femminilizzazione dei medici in Italia. Mecosan, 74: 25-36.
  29. del Carmen Triana M., Richard O.C., Su W. (2019). Gender diversity in senior management, strategic change, and firm performance: Examining the mediating nature of strategic change in high tech firms. Research Policy, 48(7): 1681-1693.
  30. Erhardt N.L., Werbel J.D., Shrader C.B. (2003). Board of director diversity and firm financial performance. Corporate governance: An international review, 11(2): 102-111.
  31. Gilligan C., Attanucci J. (1988). Two moral orientations: Gender differences and similarities. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 223-237.
  32. Govindan K., Kılıç M., Uyar A., Karaman A.S. (2021). Drivers and value-relevance of CSR performance in the logistics sector: A cross-country firm-level investigation. International Journal of Production Economics, 231: 107835.
  33. Guldiken O., Mallon M.R., Fainshmidt S., Judge W.Q., Clark C.E. (2019). Beyond tokenism: How strategic leaders influence more meaningful gender diversity on boards of directors. Strategic Management Journal, 40(12): 2024-2046.
  34. Guthrie J., English L. (1997). Performance information and programme evaluation in the Australian public sector. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 10(3): 154-164.
  35. Hair J.F. Jr., Anderson R.E., Tatham R.L., Black W.C. (1995). Multivariate data analysis with readings. NJ: Prentice-Hall.
  36. Haldar A., Datta S., Shah S. (2020). Tokenism or realism? Gender inclusion in corporate boards. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal.
  37. Haniffa R.M., Cooke T.E. (2005). The impact of culture and governance on corporate social reporting. Journal of accounting and public policy, 24(5): 391-430.
  38. Hassan Z. (2018). Impact of Gender Diversity on Indian Firm’s Financial Performance. In: Dankwano R.N., Hassan (2018), 319-341.
  39. Hillman A.J., Withers M.C., Collins B.J. (2009). Resource dependence theory: A review. Journal of management, 35(6): 1404-1427.
  40. Jaffee S., Hyde J.S. (2000). Gender differences in moral orientation: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 126(5): 703.
  41. Kanter R.M. (1987). Men and women of the corporation revisited. Management Review, 76(3): 14.
  42. Kim D., Starks L.T. (2016). Gender diversity on corporate boards: Do women contribute unique skills?. American Economic Review, 106(5): 267-71.
  43. Lantz P.M. (2008). Gender and leadership in healthcare administration: 21st century progress and challenges. Journal of Healthcare Management, 53(5): 291-301.
  44. Lee D.S., Park S. (2020). Civil servants’ perceptions of agency heads’ leadership styles: the role of gender in public sector organizations. Public Management Review, 1-24.
  45. Mathad J.S., Reif L.K., Seo G., Walsh K.F., McNairy M.L., Lee M.H., Nerette S., Downs J.A. (2019). Female global health leadership: data-driven approaches to close the gender gap. The Lancet, 393(10171): 521-523.
  46. Meier K.J., Mastracci S.H., Wilson K. (2006). Gender and emotional labor in public organizations: An empirical examination of the link to performance. Public Administration Review, 66(6): 899-909.
  47. Meier K.J., O’Toole Jr L.J. Goerdel H.T. (2006). Management activity and program performance: Gender as management capital. Public Administration Review, 66(1): 24-36.
  48. Miller K. (2007). Policy and organizational implications of gender imbalance in the NHS. Journal of Health, Organisation and Management, 21(4-5): 432-447.
  49. Naciti V. (2019). Corporate governance and board of directors: The effect of a board composition on firm sustainability performance. Journal of Cleaner Production, 237: 117727.
  50. Nadeem M., Suleman T., Ahmed A. (2019). Women on boards, firm risk and the profitability nexus: Does gender diversity moderate the risk and return relationship?. International Review of Economics & Finance, 64: 427-442
  51. Nielsen V.L., Madsen M.B. (2019). Gender diversity and management aspirations in public sector workplaces in Denmark. Gender in Management: An International Journal, 34(6): 465-488.
  52. Noto G., Corazza I., Kļaviņa K., Lepiksone J., Nuti S. (2019). Health system performance assessment in small countries: the case study of Latvia. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 34(4): 1408-1422.
  53. Nuti S. (2008). La valutazione della performance in sanità. Bologna: il Mulino.
  54. Nuti S., Noto G., Vola F., Vainieri M. (2018). Let’s play the patients music: a new generation of performance measurement systems in healthcare. Management Decision, 56(10): 2252-2272.
  55. Opstrup N., Villadsen A.R. (2015). The right mix? Gender diversity in top management teams and financial performance. Public Administration Review, 75(2): 291-301.
  56. Park S. (2013). Does gender matter? The effect of gender representation of public bureaucracy on governmental performance. The American Review of Public Administration, 43(2): 221-242.
  57. Pfeffer J., Salancik G.R. (2003). The external control of organizations: A resource dependence perspective. Stanford University Press.
  58. Pulejo L. (2011a). Il profilo del genere nella programmazione delle aziende pubbliche territoriali. Management Control, 2: 59-83.
  59. Pulejo L. (2011b). La gender equality nell’economia dell’azienda: strategie e strumenti di mainstreaming di genere per lo sviluppo sostenibile. La gender equality nell’economia dell’azienda. Milano: FrancoAngeli.
  60. Runyan R. C., Huddleston P., Swinney J. (2006). Entrepreneurial orientation and social capital as small firm strategies: A study of gender differences from a resource-based view. The International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 2(4): 455-477.
  61. Sabharwal M. (2014). Is diversity management sufficient? Organizational inclusion to further performance. Public Personnel Management, 43(2): 197-217.
  62. Sabharwal M., Levine H., D’Agostino M. (2018). A conceptual content analysis of 75 years of diversity research in public administration. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 38(2): 248-267.
  63. Saporito R., Sartirana M., Tozzi V. (2019). La femminilizzazione dei ruoli apicali in sanità: dimensioni del fenomeno, cause e prospettive. In: Cergas Bocconi (a cura di). Rapporto OASI. Milano: Egea.
  64. Schneid M., Isidor R., Li C., Kabst R. (2015). The influence of cultural context on the relationship between gender diversity and team performance: A meta-analysis. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(6): 733-756.
  65. Smith N., Smith V., Verner M. (2006). Do women in top management affect firm performance? A panel study of 2,500 Danish firms. International Journal of productivity and Performance management, 55(7): 569-593. DOI: 10.1108/17410400610702160.
  66. Soklaridis S., Kuper A., Whitehead C.R., Ferguson G., Taylor V.H., Zahn C. (2017). Gender bias in hospital leadership: a qualitative study on the experiences of women CEOs. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 31(2): 253-268.
  67. Song H.J., Yoon Y.N., Kang K.H. (2020). The relationship between board diversity and firm performance in the lodging industry: The moderating role of internationalization. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 86: 102461.
  68. Vainieri M., Noto G., Ferrè F., Rosella L.C. (2020). A Performance Management System in Healthcare for All Seasons?. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(15): 5590.
  69. Vanderbroeck P., Wasserfallen J.B. (2017). Managing gender diversity in healthcare: getting it right. Leadership in Health Services, 30(1): 92-100.
  70. Wooldridge J.M. (2005). Fixed-effects and related estimators for correlated random-coefficient and treatment-effect panel data models. Review of Economics and Statistics, 87(2): 385-390.
  71. Yoder J.D. (1994). Looking beyond numbers: The effects of gender status, job prestige, and occupational gender-typing on tokenism processes. Social Psychology Quarterly, 150-159.

  • Gender representation and financial performance: an empirical analysis of public hospitals Valeria Naciti, Guido Noto, Carlo Vermiglio, Gustavo Barresi, in International Journal of Public Sector Management /2022 pp.603
    DOI: 10.1108/IJPSM-01-2022-0004

Valeria Naciti, Guido Noto, Carlo Vermiglio, Diversità di genere e performance organizzativa: un’analisi empirica nel settore sanitario in "MECOSAN" 120/2021, pp 45-61, DOI: 10.3280/MESA2021-120004