Disrupted infrastructures: a feminist view of women in operations management

Purpose This paper aims to explore how social infrastructures shape the leadership trajectories of women in Poland’s logistics industry. It applies a feminist lens to reveal how organisational culture, emotional labour, mentorship, training and feedback operate as infrastructures that either enable or constrain women’s leadership, despite formal gender-equality measures. Design/methodology/approach Using Feminist Standpoint Research, this study draws on in-depth interviews with women occupying or supporting leadership roles in a logistics centre in Poland. Grounded theory techniques identify key themes within women’s narratives, centring their lived experiences as legitimate sources of organisational knowledge. Findings Findings reveal that gendered power relations persist through masculine organisational cultures, expectations of emotional self-regulation and inconsistent support systems. Women’s leadership trajectories are strengthened by empathetic mentorship, women-focused training and constructive feedback, yet constrained by exclusionary cultures and the unequal recognition of emotional labour. Originality/value This study advances an “infrastructural” feminist framework for understanding gender inequality in organisations. By conceptualising infrastructures as relational systems rather than isolated policies, it contributes to feminist organisation theory and offers insights for reconfiguring support for women leaders.