The capital of women's managerial careers in small and medium-sized enterprises

Abstract

Objectives The article aims to present the issue of women's managerial career capital in SME. Material and methods The subject of the research presented in the article is the capital of women's managerial careers in the context of SME. The following research questions were formulated: 1. What types of career capital are important for the development of women's managerial careers? 2. What factors influence the success of female managers in their professional careers? 3. What are the key competencies of women performing managerial functions? The research sample consisted of N=742 respondents. The article is based on literature studies, both domestic and international. A systematic review of the literature served to clarify the cognitive gap. Then, our own research was conducted using the diagnostic survey method. Results The research shows that the professional success of the surveyed women is closely related to improving qualifications, balance between all spheres of life, recognition in the professional group, self-fulfillment, and effectiveness in action. At the same time, women do not attach much importance to financial satisfaction and formal manifestations of power, which promotes good communication and translates into effective motivation of subordinates to work effectively, as well as to creativity, innovation, and sharing problems. Conclusions As a result of a critical analysis of literature and own research, the following conclusions were formulated: the surveyed women are aware that educational capital does not guarantee further success in their managerial career and should be constantly developed and improved. As in the case of other forms of career capital, it follows that the accumulation of career capital has a direct impact on the professional success of women in managerial positions.

Keywords

• career capital
• professional career
• managerial career
• women
• small and medium-sized enterprises
• sme