Dear DEI and CMS Division Members,
We plan to propose the following caucus proposal for the AoM 2026 conference in Philadelphia! We are looking for collaborators to help shape the final proposal, and for at least five AoM members willing to provide names, affiliations and contact information in support of the proposal to demonstrate interest (these names would not appear in the conference program).
Please email talisgj@jmu.edu and eilac@ateneo.edu by December 5th if you would be interested in working on this proposal and/or whether you'd be willing for your name to be added in support of the submission. You can read the AOM2026 Call For Proposals details here.
DRAFT Title:
Beyond the binary: Including gender-diverse leaders and leadership in theory, practice, and professional organizations
DRAFT Description (max 500 words):
Gender, management, and leadership research has primarily focused on a binary and dichotomous conception of gender-man and woman, male and female (Talis, 2024). This excludes people of other genders and limits the inherent gender complexity that exists in binary categories-intersectionality, fluidity, and transness to name a few dimensions. We need to understand transgender, nonbinary, and gender diverse leaders and leadership to algin with UN Sustainable Development Goals #5 (Gender Equality), 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). A dichotomized gender paradigm is no longer contextually correct in today's globalized working environment.
Research agendas in leadership are beginning to call for greater inclusion (Tan and DeFrank-Cole, 2023). How can we expand our conceptual frameworks and paradigms to support gender inclusivity? This caucus will explore the following questions and topics:
- How can organizations further allow diversity to permeate within their levels and functionalities, and how can organizations support gender diverse leaders in their role execution?
- How can organizations guide leaders through competence rather than gender identities?
- What existing theories would build a strong foundation for gender complexity and gender inclusivity in management and leadership research? What development is needed in management theory to align and promote gender inclusivity?
- How might taking a social constructivist approach to gender (e.g., Wharton 2011) align with the socially constructed nature of management and leadership?
- What are the lived experiences of trans and nonbinary leaders and managers, and how do those inform development of this topic (e.g., Gamboa et al., 2021)?
- What are the practical issues affecting gender-diverse leaders and managers in the workplace?
- What do professional organizations such as AoM need to improve to welcome and support trans and nonbinary members and participants?
Goals and outcomes would include:
- Identifying and /or developing conceptual frameworks and theories to support gender complexity in leadership and management research
- Raising awareness of gender-diverse leaders, their experiences, and their leadership
- Furthering the development of a research agenda involving gender complexity and gender diverse leaders and leadership
- Further developing guidelines for organizations to create gender-inclusive working environments where gender diverse leaders can thrive
- Identifying practical recommendations for AoM and other professional organizations to increase gender inclusivity.
References
Gamboa, L.L., Ilac, E.D., Carangan, A.M., & Agida, J.S. (2021). Queering public leadership: The case of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender leaders in the Philippines. Leadership, 17(2), 191-211.
Talis, Galen J., "Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming (TGNC) Leaders and Leadership" (2024). Presentation at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting, https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/letfspubs/251
Tan, Sherylle J., and Lisa DeFrank-Cole. 2023. A Research Agenda for Gender and Leadership. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited.
Wharton, Amy. 2011. The Sociology of Gender. 2nd ed. Wiley-Blackwell.
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Galen Talis
James Madison University
Harrisonburg VA
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