“Who Leads?” When Governance Diversity Is Not Enough

Abstract

Why do underrepresented individuals sit on some boards and not others? How do underrepresented individuals recategorize themselves and others as in-group members? Festivals and events are part of interlocking networks, with creative organizations providing content for them. Despite increasing importance of creative sector diversity in fostering inclusion and effective decision-making, with implications for governance, recategorization of underrepresented individuals as in-group members remains underresearched. This oversight limits opportunities for festival and event leaders to shine in governance diversity. Using recategorization as the overarching theory, findings suggest that higher representation of women and ethnic minorities on boards is linked to factors specific to the context. The findings suggest demographically different directors recategorize themselves as in-group members, using skills/credentials and networking, to help contribute to inclusive governance. Yet curiously there is still lingering doubt regarding their competence, with implications for professional development to take the sector forward.