Does task-related conflict mediate the board gender diversity-organizational performance relationship?

The board gender diversity-organizational performance relationship has been criticized for the absence of tests of the underlying mechanisms of this relationship. This study aims to empirically investigate whether task-related conflict one of the prime theorized mechanisms of board diversity indeed mediates this relationship. Consistent with the literature, we theorize how board gender diversity affects task-related conflict, and how task-related conflict in turn affects organizational performance. We test our hypotheses in the Dutch water authority sector 2009-2014, where we have access to the detailed board meeting minutes of 27 organizations. Our results find support for a partial mediating effect of task related conflict in the board gender diversity-organizational performance relationship. We conclude by discussing the implications for the board gender diversity literature. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.