The Impact of the Quota for Women on Supervisory Boards on German Corporations, especially on Employer Representation and HRM

The German government, along with many other European governments has voted to implement a quota for women in supervisory boards (30%) of large, listed companies, sided by a so-called flexible quota for women in top management positions. These measures are supposed to keep women in the pipeline and make top positions more easily accessible to them. Some of the larger corporations have installed programs to systematically identify female top management potential and to strengthen their position power. This paper shows how the quota and its subsequent fulfillment will change both employees’ and employer’s representation. We are currently working closely with one of Germany’s biggest corporations in training the women that have been identified as potential supervisory board members. The program is still ongoing and will allow for a detailed analysis in June 2016. By using this case study, we want to highlight and discuss the implications of these current developments and their opportunities, threats and consequences for employer’s representation and training, skill development within HRM. Our analysis will be supported by theories and research on strategic Human Resource Management and Co-Determination. It is expected to provide further insights on critical factors that contributed to the women being selected, the need for training supervisory board members and to the success attributed to such a program.