Rethinking Women in Leadership

4th International Conference of Women and Leadership

The increase of new ways of working brought multiple changes in the workplace with trends such as digitalization, extended flexibility, increased use of information and communication technology and demand for workers with new skills. Along with it, fundamental changes have surged in the way we think about current and future leadership, and the contribution – and barriers – for women in leadership. As we shift towards work arrangements with teams working remotely and at the office, in mixed and fixed schedules, and managing multiple online transactions, we should also shift the way we think about building a vision of leadership that places the human being at the core of business and organizations, and that allows women to develop to their full potential.

In 2020, the global pandemic made millions of employees’ lockdown due to mobility restrictions. Consequently, workers with dependents, ranging from the young to the elderly in their homes, had to manage, within one unique workspace, the responsibilities of a full-time job, plus the work that came from care at home. For instance, people had to manage their professional roles with demands such as: follow-up of school, help with hygiene and chores, virtual class monitoring or being a nurse for the elderly. This led to conflict, due to burn out and stress, especially for women. Some studies have reported this situation made millions of women leave the labor market, and hence represented a setback for advancement for women in leadership.

As organizations return to offices, and employees adapt to new ways of remote and hybrid work, strategies to foster women on leadership should be updated to respond to this new context. With the increase of digital transactions, the demand for workers to transition to new occupations and the reincorporation to the workforce of women who had to quit their jobs during the pandemic, it is important to understand how could this shapes the role of women in leadership.  As we are designing the future of work, we believe it is also important to rethink the way we integrate the current and future transformation of leadership that promotes gender equality.

From the Carmina Roca and Rafael Pich-Aguilera Women and Leadership Chair, we have been investigating for years strategies that facilitate the integration of women in the workplace. The 4th bi-annual International Conference of Women and Leadership aims to focus on individual and organizational ways to rethink the understanding of resources that enable women’s leadership under the context of new ways of working. We want to encourage thinking on how, as we define new ways of working, we could also shift the way we think about practices, sociocultural aspects and institutional frameworks that encourage women to develop their full potential as leaders.

If you are interested in participating, please submit a 800-word paper proposal by March 15, 2023, following the instructions below. We will notify authors of acceptance by April 1, 2023. Participants in the conference who have papers accepted should submit full papers by May 15, 2023. We especially encourage theoretical and innovative empirical papers, ethnographies, lab studies, as well as quantitative and qualitative analyses.

The 4th International Conference of Women and Leadership will be held in-person in Barcelona. Special fees are available for academics and students that attend both the Conference of Women and Leadership (July 6-7) as well as the Conference of Work and Family (July 5-6).

IESE is a dynamic community of scholars and practitioners who will welcome you to Barcelona, a traditional and welcoming Mediterranean city. It is a city with a great number of tourist attractions and a friendly atmosphere that will offer conference participants and their families plenty of opportunities to enjoy their stay here, over and above the academic program we are preparing for you.

We look forward to welcoming you to IESE in Barcelona!