In my thesis, I study two management topics that are currently of pivotal importance in scholarly debate and practice alike. In fact, power is a foundational force of all individual, social and organizational life and it has long been at the center of attention in businesses and societies across the world. Research on power has thus been very active and it has resulted in many conclusions being drawn about power, with one of the most famous being "power corrupts". In my first chapter, I seek to contribute to a deeper understanding of power and leadership by establishing methodological best practices in the field of power. In particular, I aim to elucidate whether it might not be misguided to establish conclusions about behaviors associated with power in general, while power in practice has many different forms which could lead to diametrically opposed judgments, actions, and behaviors.
In the rest of my thesis, I study another issue that has recently been set as a priority in many countries and businesses worldwide: diversity. In my second thesis chapter, I focus more particularly on investigating from a macro perspective the trend of increased workforce gender diversity. My analysis reveals new insights on the causes of the gender wage gap in Switzerland, suggesting relevant practical changes both at the country and firm level. In my third thesis chapter, I build on the conclusions of my second chapter to suggest ways in which leaders can devise effective practices aimed at improving diversity inside their organizations. This chapter targets particularly age diversity, a topic within diversity that is currently gaining momentum in view of global demographic aging, but that is still understudied in the literature.
Overall my thesis contributes to advancing our knowledge of two central topics in management, making practical recommendations based on strong research methods to both scholars and practitioners.