Journal article
Strategizing success: advancing women's leadership and careers in healthcare through a positive gain spiral
Personnel review, Vol.First online
12/05/2026
Appears in Recent Faculty of Health Publications
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Abstract
Purpose - Women’s career progression in healthcare continues to lag men’s, particularly at senior leadership levels, limiting organizational performance and weakening leadership pipelines. This study applies Conservation of Resources (COR) theory’s positive gains cycle to examine how supportive organizational environments and human resource management practices can accelerate women’s advancement from early career stages to senior leadership.
Design/methodology/approach - Using a social constructivist approach, we conducted 30 in-depth interviews with Australian healthcare leaders (20 female and 10 male) across multiple organizational levels. Thematic analysis identified the resources and interactions that enable sustained leadership progression for women.
Findings - Four interconnected resources, including supportive work environments, supportive communities, a resolute mindset and dynamic authenticity, were identified as drivers of career progression. External support, including flexible policies, inclusive promotion systems, mentorship and leadership visibility, fosters internal strengths such as resilience, self-efficacy and adaptive leadership capacity. These resources interact to create reinforcing gain spirals, enabling women to navigate challenges and sustain advancement through strategic reinvestment.
Practical implications - The “Success is Contagious” framework provides HRM strategies for strengthening leadership pipelines, such as building robust support systems, fostering professional networks and designing development pathways that encourage authentic leadership.
Originality/value - This study extends COR theory by showing how organizational resources can initiate and sustain positive resource spirals in women’s leadership progression. It offers evidence-based strategies for human resources and senior leaders to design systems that align organizational context with individual agency, ensuring long-term leadership capacity in healthcare.
Details
- Title
- Strategizing success: advancing women's leadership and careers in healthcare through a positive gain spiral
- Creators
- Farveh Farivar - Curtin UniversityAndrei Alexander Lux - Edith Cowan UniversityNasim Salehi - Bond University
- Publication Details
- Personnel review, Vol.First online
- Publisher
- Emerald Group Publishing
- Number of pages
- 1
- Identifiers
- 991013376467502368
- Copyright
- © Farveh Farivar, Andrei Alexander Lux and Nasim Salehi
- Academic Unit
- Nursing; Faculty of Health
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article