Catty, bitchy, queen bee or sister? A review of competition among women in organizations from a paradoxical‐coopetition perspective

Abstract

AbstractWomen in organizations must grapple with a double‐bind stemming from conflicting expectations toward them to exhibit both competition (per workplace norms) and cooperation (per societal gender‐specific norms), and they often suffer a backlash for conforming to one expectation at the expense of the other. Similarly, different streams of literature offer contrasting accounts of women's competitive attitudes and behavior. This systematic review is the first attempt to integrate research on competition among women in organizations across research disciplines to gain a nuanced insight into the pervasiveness, causes, dynamics, and manifestations of this phenomenon. In doing so, we draw on the wide research pertaining to women's intra‐gender competitive attitudes and behavior in structured competition within organizations, and on relevant intersectionality research that looks at diverse groups of women. We synthesize the research to suggest a paradoxical framework of coopetition (competitive‐cooperation) that can guide future theoretical insights and research directions, along with practical organizational tools, to effectively deal with the tension and inequality that result from paradoxical expectations and formulate important future research directions.