Purpose This phenomenological study aims to analyze the factors perceived by women to be important to their nomination and selection for board positions in Peruvian public companies. The importance of this study lies in understanding the qualities that are important for women to possess, as perceived by those women who have reached leadership positions, achieving empowerment and economic autonomy. Design/methodology/approach The study population consisted of 33 women who became company directors in 2019, according to the data of the Lima Stock Exchange. From this group, the authors conducted 12 in-depth interviews with those women who accepted to participate in this study. The information was analyzed based on the stages suggested by Moustakas (1994). Findings This study proposes a conceptual framework with 13 factors perceived by women during their nomination and selection for board positions in Latin American public companies, focusing on the case of Peru. The factors are training and learning, professional experience, self-awareness, attitude, resilience, networking, communication skills, empathy, “hard work,” capacity to make important decisions, soft skills, support networks and allies and passion for their work. Originality/value Based on the experiences of the participants, this study identified 13 critical factors for women to achieve leadership positions as board members. From a phenomenological approach, the relevance of said factors is that they have emerged from the point of view of women who live in a patriarchal and collectivistic culture with a high gender gap index.

Formative research, in the context of the teaching-learning processes of higher educational institutions, is a pedagogical strategy in which professors and students participate, using research as a teaching strategy for students to develop discovery-based learning. Formative research includes various strategies, such as the implementation of research seedbeds. Research seedbeds are communities of extracurricular learning and voluntary participation, wherein students, through a guided and progressive exercise, develop competencies for research through training activities, extracurricular workshops and research projects. This systematic literature review focuses on research seedbeds as a pedagogical strategy within the context of the formative research of higher educational institutions. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology, this paper covers 17 articles published in Scopus and Web of Science databases. The analysis of the current state of knowledge about research seedbeds allows the identification of the critical factors for the formation and consolidation of research seedbeds. Based on the literature review, these factors have been grouped into the following dimensions: (i) factors related to the formation of research seedbeds; (ii) factors related to the organization of research seedbeds; (iii) factors related to the dynamics of the management of research seedbeds; and (iii) factors related to the stakeholders of research seedbeds (institution, professor/tutor and students). Additionally, the study suggests several directions for further research in this domain.