This paper investigates how increased female representation in the top management team (TMT) is associated with sustainable supplier management and whether the relationship is moderated by the most important buyer’s supplier management tactics. We test our hypotheses in the context of buyer-supplier-sub-supplier relationships among Korean firms using the Workplace Panel Survey data conducted by the Korea Labor Institute. We find that firms with extensive female leadership are likely to imitate their important buyers’ supplier management approaches. Support provided by influential buyers leads these firms to provide support for their suppliers, whereas coercion from key buyers restrains sustainable approaches. The mimicking behavior disappears when female leaders’ legitimacy is strengthened by having more females at the manager level, the presence of labor unions, and orientation to international markets. Legitimacy concerns of female executives are found to be an important mechanism through which TMT gender diversity affects sustainable supplier management.
