| Gender diversity in executive management and board representation produces significantly improved organizational and financial performance; yet, in 2014 women comprised only 4.8% of chief executive officers of the Fortune 500 companies and 5.2% of the Fortune 1000 (Catalyst, 2014). This qualitative study explored the lived experiences of 12 female CEOs of investor-owned healthcare facilities located in the United States of America. The problem studied was how a small percentage of women executives have transcended organizational and social barriers to advance and retain CEO status. In-depth personal interviews were audio taped, transcribed, and analyzed for emerging themes. Findings were used to determine specific skill sets, attributes, training, and other factors that led to their success. The female CEOs in this study created their own pathways by balancing work life effectively, obtaining advanced degrees, and learning their organization's culture and operations, in some cases without mentorship. Career decisions were based on individual personalities, experiences, and work ethic. Findings from this study contributed to exploring new potential career pathways for women, understanding executive leadership styles that establish credibility for women as leaders, and providing a model for other women to emulate. Recommendations for future research were to explore the experiences of female CEOs in a non-profit healthcare setting, explore motivations for gender-biased behavior at the source, explore and compare the lived experiences and perceptions of male and female healthcare CEOs, and explore implementation of organizational programs for mentoring, leadership training, and work life balance. |
