Date of Conferral

6-16-2025

Degree

Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)

School

Business Administration

Advisor

Dina Samona

Abstract

Underrepresentation of women in senior management positions within the tech industry poses a significant challenge in terms of organizational equity and effectiveness. Business leaders are concerned with this disparity, as it reflects systemic barriers to women’s advancement. Grounded in the people’s capability maturity model (P-CMM), the purpose of this qualitative pragmatic inquiry was to explore strategies that senior executives in the Washington, DC tech industry use to promote women to senior management positions. The participants were eight senior women executives purposefully selected for their leadership roles. Data was collected using semistructured interviews. Through thematic analysis, four themes were identified: personalized leadership development programs, strategic career planning and inclusion, targeted confidence and empowerment initiatives, and facilitating executive-level networking and visibility efforts. A key recommendation is for future research to employ multiple research methodologies (e.g., surveys, observations, and document analysis) to corroborate findings and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon, thereby mitigating underrepresentation of women in senior leadership positions within the tech industry. The implications for positive social change include the potential for business leaders to enhance gender equity by implementing strategies that support women’s advancement into senior leadership roles, thereby fostering a more inclusive tech industry.

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