Gender influences on organizational culture in women owned businesses

Abstract

Within an organization, there remains a core set of values and beliefs held by its people often referred to as the organizational culture. The organizational culture is tacit, deep-seated, and often remains constant in an ever-changing external environment. It is important to understand how gender influences the organizational culture within a business setting. This research study proposes to understand how women business owners influence the culture within their organizations, through management and leadership styles. An interpretive approach will be used in this study, and interviewing will be used as the primary data collection technique. By conducting interviews with women business owners, the researcher looks to understand the dynamics, and unique distinctions found in the organizational culture in four women owned businesses in the Midwest. Any conclusions drawn from the data collected from each business can be utilized to make recommendations for maintaining or changing policies and behaviors related to organizational culture to facilitate the achievement of organizational goals.