Breaking the mold

This study investigated the potential effects of CEO gender and ethnicity on crisis communication efforts in Japan. Literature on how Japanese perceive male/female and Japanese/non-Japanese leaders was examined, followed by a discussion of three major mechanisms through which gender and ethnicity can influence audience perceptions: (1) ingroup bias, (2) role congruity considerations, and (3) shifting standards and expectations. A 2 (crisis response) × 2 (CEO gender) × 2 (CEO ethnicity) between-subjects experimental design was employed to assess the impact of CEO gender and ethnicity on audience perceptions of the CEO and the organization in crisis. Results showed no negative effects of deviating from the stereotypical image of a male Japanese CEO. Rather, both being female and non-Japanese positively influenced perceptions of the CEO. However, only the effect of CEO ethnicity was reflected in judgements of organizational reputation.