Published: May 05, 2004 in Knowledge@Wharton Despite gains made by women in the ranks of upper management, the typical American corporation still consists of a middle-aged man sitting at the top, projecting his authority down through the ranks of the hierarchy. Is there another way? Roslyn Courtney, a management and organizational consultant who co-chairs the Wharton Women’s Task Force, believes there is.

 

Courtney, who received her MBA from Wharton in 1976, sees a new style of corporate culture emerging in which management and employees work as “a family of committed colleagues motivated by a common goal.” In such an organization, a leader’s stature is measured by business results, not his or her position in the hierarchy.

 

To explore this leadership style, Courtney moderated a Women’s Task Force forum March 18 titled The New Leader: Dynamic Impact Beyond Hierarchy and Power. On the panel were four successful executives who, according to Courtney, exemplify the new leadership, Courtney said. They included Dina Dublon, executive vice president and chief financial officer at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., the diversified financial services company; Carol Ammon, founder, chair and CEO of Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., which specializes in medication for people in chronic pain; Dorrit Bern, chairman, CEO and president of Charming Shoppes, a clothing retailer for plus-sized women, and Rosemarie Greco, director of health care reform for Pennsylvania Governor Ed. Rendell, and former CEO of CoreStates Financial Corp and CEO and president of Fidelity Bank.

 

“What did you think was the most important factor in your career success?” Courtney asked the panel.

 

Greco cited her ability to deal with turnaround situations, often in areas where she had little experience. Early on, she was given control of 70 troubled bank branches, and after succeeding with that assignment became the person who was handed difficult situations.
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