Glass Cliff Research Articles

A Multi-Level Examination of National and Organizational Hurdles in Female Top Manager Appointments

Taking an integrative approach, we examine the interplays of institutional origins of gender biases in top management appointment. Two biases are studied: glass ceiling bias (lower likelihood of women in leadership positions) and glass cliff bias (higher likelihood of women in precarious leadership positions). Based upon role incongruity and social identity theories, we test the hypotheses in 211 market-leading firms across 19 OECD countries from 1998 to 2014. As expected, we find that masculine national cultures and male TMT representation lower the likelihood of female appointment but poor firm performance increases it especially when male TMT representation is high. Overall, women in feminine countries can break the glass ceiling when male TMT representation and/or firm performance are low. In masculine countries, albeit reaching top leadership positions in crisis times, women face “concrete ceilings” thereafter, as their sporadic presence does not lead to further systematic breakthroughs.

The political glass cliff: When left-wing orientation leads to minority candidate choices for hard-to-win seats

IntroductionGlass cliff evidence shows that women and ethnic, racial, and immigration (ERI) groups are more likely to face precarious leadership positions than majority groups. In politics, this is illustrated by minority candidates running for harder-to-win seats than majority candidates. ObjectiveThe present research extends these correlational findings on ERI populations to an experimental setting and investigates the underlying reasons. MethodTwo scenario-based experimental studies were conducted with voting populations in France and Switzerland, who took the role of party decision-maker. In Study 1 (n=64), we manipulated candidate origin and measured the choice of political ward (hard vs. easy-to-win), while in Study 2 (n=151), we manipulated ward winnability and measured candidate choice (ERI minority vs. majority). ResultsOverall, findings suggest that ERI minority (compared to majority) political candidates were more likely to be matched with hard-to-win than easy-to-win political wards. Of interest, this finding only occurred for participants with a political left-wing orientation. Moreover, both studies investigated the reasons underlying such tendency and, in particular, focused on participants’ motivation to implement change. ConclusionThe discussion confronts hostile and benign motives for glass cliff decisions and highlights the potentially distinct consequences for minority candidates.

Effects of Party Primaries in German Regional Party Branches

Since the mid-1990s, German parties at the regional level have started to hold party primaries (infrequently) to select their leaders. In recent years, research on primaries has attracted the attention of political science scholars, but surprisingly, the German case has been left out of international comparative studies. Hence, I tested four hypotheses on possible consequences regarding membership numbers, intra-party competition, and characteristics of party leaders. My findings indicate that primaries attract more candidates than conventions, but there are no differences in the closeness of the race. Party leaders selected by rank-and-file members are less politically experienced than those selected by delegates. The probability that the most experienced candidate wins a competitive leadership race is much lower in primaries. In contrast to previous studies, I find no signs that women are disadvantaged in primaries. However, I find support for the glass cliff phenomenon: in both delegate conferences and primaries, female leaders are selected in weaker party branches.

고위직 여성의 ‘유리절벽(Glass Cliff)’ 현상: 공공 및 민간부문의 실태규명과 비교

이 연구의 주제는 우리나라 고위직 여성에 대한 ‘유리절벽(Glass Cliff)’ 개념을 시론적으로 소개하고, 공ㆍ사 조직 현실에서의 규명을 시도해 보는 것이다. 유리절벽은 “직장에서 소수자인 여성이 승진사다리가 없는 불안정한 신분으로 고위직이 되는 경우가 많고, 그 자질이나 능력평가의 직무관련성이 남성보다 낮아 상대적으로 퇴직 가능성이 높아지는 현상”을 말한다. 주요 연구결과는 다음과 같이 요약되었다. 첫째, 유리절벽 이론은 우리나라 공ㆍ사 조직의 현실에 대입이 될 수 있는가? 그렇다. 정부 고위직과 기업임원의 남녀 퇴직현황을 분석한 결과, 극소수 여성의 퇴직률은 남성보다 오히려 높았으며 퇴직사유도 성별로 차이를 보였다. 이는 유리절벽의 존재에 대한 일말의 의심을 가능케 했으며, 설문자료에서도 그 타당성과 신뢰성이 재검증되었다. 둘째, 고위직 여성의 유리절벽이 현실에서 어느 정도 존재한다면 조직유형이나 성별로 그 차이가 존재하고 있는가? 역시 그렇다. 잠정적이긴 하지만 개념은 존재했고, 조직유형과 성별에 따른 차이도 있었다. 오히려 이 연구는 고위직 남녀를 완전히 동등하게 처우하고 있다는 증거를 찾지 못했다. 셋째, 고위직 여성의 유리절벽 발생에 영향을 미치는 요인은 무엇인가? 이 연구에서 상정된 총 6가지 원인은 유리절벽에 경험적으로 유의한 영향을 미치고 있었다. 따라서 이러한 발견들은 우리 나라 고위직 여성의 삶에 대한 새로운 함의와 쟁점을 제공해 주었다.

An empirical research on the possibilities of young people to make decision supporting the glass cliff phenomenon

Due to gender roles, it is not appropriate for women to be in the business world. However, this situation has changed over time due to the increase in the education level of women, the increase in the economic needs of the family, etc.
 Women tried to take their place in the business world as low-level employees. Later, they made great efforts and gained qualifications that could reach the executive level. However, since the manager profession is perceived as a male profession, the view that women cannot be an administrator has prevailed, and as a result, it becomes difficult for women to become managers under normal conditions. on the other hands in cases of crisis, women were promoted as managers, and in this manner, it was aimed the responsibility of a possible failure was attributed to the women manager. This situation, which has worn out female managers, has been named as the glass cliff in the literature.
 In this study, it was aimed to determine the factors affecting the possibility of young people to support the glass cliff in the future. In this context, students who are studying at Şırnak University were included in the research and asked whether they should bring a male or female manager to an enterprise that has economic problems. Decisions that favor women managers are a supportive decision on the glass cliff, and the effect of gender, age and preferences regarding executive position on this decision has been examined. Logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the decision-making possibilities to support the glass cliff. As a result of the analysis, it has been determined that women and participants who want to be senior managers are more likely to make decisions in the direction of supporting the glass cliff than men and those who want to be lower-middle managers. It was determined that the age factor had no significant effect. The results of the study are thought to give an idea of the possible future reflection of the glass cliff phenomenon.
 ​Extended English summary is in the end of Full Text PDF (TURKISH) file.
 
 Özet
 Toplumsal cinsiyet rolleri nedeniyle kadınların iş dünyasında yer alması uygun görülmemiştir. Ancak bu durum kadınların eğitim düzeyinin yükselmesi, ailenin ekonomik ihtiyaçlarının artması vb. gibi nedenlerle zaman içerisinde değişmiştir.
 Kadınlar iş dünyasında alt düzey çalışan olarak kendisine yer edinmeye çalışmıştır. Daha sonra yoğun çaba sarf ederek yönetici düzeyine gelebilecek nitelikler kazanmıştır. Ancak yöneticilik, erkek mesleği olarak algılandığından kadınların yöneticilik yapamayacağı görüşü hâkim olmuş, bunun sonucunda kadınların normal koşullarda yönetici olması zorlaşmıştır. Kriz durumlarında ise kadınlar yönetici yapılmış ve böylece olası bir başarısızlığın sorumluğunun kadın yöneticiye yüklenilmesi amaçlanmıştır. Kadın yöneticileri yıpratan bu durum literatürde cam uçurum olarak adlandırılmıştır.
 Bu çalışmada ileride iş yaşamında yer alacak gençlerin cam uçurumu destekleme olasılıkları üzerinde etkili olan faktörleri belirlemek amaçlanmıştır. Bu kapsamda Şırnak Üniversitesi’nde öğrenim gören öğrenciler araştırmaya dahil edilmiş ve öğrencilere ekonomik sorunlar yaşayan bir işletmenin başına kadın mı yoksa erkek yönetici mi getirilmesi gerektiği sorulmuştur. Kadın yöneticileri tercih eden kararlar cam uçurumu destekleyici bir karar olup, bu karar üzerinde cinsiyet, yaş ve yönetici pozisyonuna ilişkin tercihlerin etkisi incelenmiştir. Cam uçurumu destekleyici karar alma olasılıklarını tespit etmek için lojistik regresyon analizi yapılmıştır. Analiz sonucunda kadınların ve üst düzey yönetici olmak isteyen katılımcıların cam uçurumu destekleyici yönde karar alma olasılıklarının, erkeklere ve alt-orta düzey yönetici olmak isteyenlere göre daha yüksek olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Yaş faktörünün ise anlamlı bir etkisi olmadığı belirlenmiştir. Çalışma sonuçlarının, cam uçurum olgusunun gelecekteki olası yansıması hakkında bir fikir vereceği düşünülmektedir.

Standing on a glass cliff?: A case study of FIFA’s gender initiatives

ABSTRACTRationale/Purpose: The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) has taken gender equality1 initiatives by inaugurating a female leadership development programme (FLDP)2 as well as appointing women3 in leadership positions. As such, we draw from a new theoretical notion, glass cliff to explore why FIFA started FLDP and assigned women to leadership ranks. Methodology/Approach: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 women who accomplished FLDP. Findings and Implications: There was no direct evidence to support the glass cliff phenomenon in FIFA’s gender-related actions. Although the results are inconclusive, some evidence showed that FIFA’s gender initiatives emerged during their reforming processes in 2015. Our findings demonstrated that FIFA’s historic appointments of women to leadership positions after the corruption and the continuance of FLDP are concerned with the glass cliff effect, as women have never been sought as leaders in football governance. We addressed practical and theoretical implications and suggestions for future research.

Breaking the glass ceiling, but facing a glass cliff? The role of organizational decline in women's representation in leadership positions in Dutch civil service organizations

AbstractDespite efforts to increase gender diversity and equality worldwide, women are still underrepresented in leadership positions in public bureaucracies. This article speaks to the debate on how organizational context, more specifically organizational decline, may influence gender representation in such leadership positions. Based on role congruity theory and glass cliff theory this article empirically examines whether and how excessive workforce reductions are associated with changes in the representation of women in leadership positions in Dutch civil service organizations. Panel analyses on administrative data show that women's representation in leadership positions varies over time, but is not significantly affected by excessive workforce reductions. Overall, the analyses do not provide evidence for a glass cliff for women in Dutch civil service organizations. Implications for theory and future research are discussed.

Impact of Glass Ceiling on Stress, Well-Being, Self-Esteem, Effective Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction among Working Women

Even though there is a considerable increase in participation and subsistence of women employees in the workforce, the ingress of women into higher managerial positions remains restricted. Numerous studies have confirmed this fact that women in India and around the world face the problem of the glass ceiling and glass cliff. The researcher wants to throw the light on the need of equality which is only seen in policies practices but the fact is females are not taken as healthy competitor of male in professional role due to the social taboo & how these things are affecting their performance, job satisfaction, work-life balances, stress level & their confidence. The purpose of this research is to find about the how much such kind of things creates problems in the life of female & the members related with them and to understanding the effects of gender discrimination on working female & its effects on their job satisfaction. For this purpose, the data has been collected from 800 women employees who are working in different private and government organizations through a semi-structured questionnaire. Results also confirmed that women employees are under stress most of the time and this leads to low self-esteem, low well-being, low organizational commitment and also low job satisfaction among them.

Pathways to the Glass Cliff: A Risk Tax for Women and Minority Leaders?

AbstractDo women and racial/ethnic minority leaders pay a risk tax on their way to the top? Theories of the glass cliff have focused on the penalties imposed upon women and minority leaders due to bias and discrimination at the time of appointment to top leadership positions. Much less attention has focused on the strategic agency these leaders exercise in response to bias across the career. This paper advances theory and research on the glass cliff by analyzing the choices, decisions, and priorities of white women and people of color that, across the career, result in their appointment to glass cliff positions. Our analysis relies on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 33 senior leaders across a range of industries. Our findings suggest that rather than isolated instances of high-risk promotions, glass cliff appointments represent the culmination of a long-term career strategy centered on risk and risk-taking. We find evidence that these leaders pay a significant risk tax in order to achieve upward mobility in their organizations.

Inclusion is not a slam dunk: A study of differential leadership outcomes in the absence of a glass cliff

Racial bias continues to act as one of the most thought provoking and controversial topics in our society. Even as organizations implement steps and policies to minimize discriminatory practices, evidence of bias in organizational decision-making persists. While much research has been devoted to the study of racial bias in hiring and promotion decisions, this study focuses on the effect of biases on employment outcomes of minority leaders after they have been hired or promoted to leadership positions that are comparable in quality to those of their white peers (i.e. no glass cliff present). More specifically, we investigate how discrimination influences performance rewards and employment separation decisions pertaining to minority leaders. The study uses archival data from the National Basketball Association collected from the year 2003 to 2015. From this data set, we utilize measures of head coaches' objective performance, reward allocation, and their likelihood of employment separation to find limited support for the hypotheses that minority leaders are given less time in position to achieve success and that when they do achieve success, they may be less likely than white leaders to be recognized for their accomplishments. Our findings suggest that in addition to researching selection processes, understanding why racial minorities are underrepresented in leadership positions also requires insight into the employment outcomes experienced by minority leaders.

Glass Cliffs or Partisan Pressure? Examining Gender and Party Leader Tenures and Exits

This article adds to our understanding of the gendered impact of informal rules and norms for party leaders. Specifically, it examines the gendered nature of party leader tenures and exits. Using original data collected on party leader experiences in Canada, we test for the existence of gender differences in leader tenures and exits, and examine two potential explanations for any differences. We find that leader tenures and exits are indeed gendered but only within parties with the potential to form government, ones where the political stakes are highest. Within these major parties, women’s tenures as party leaders are significantly shorter than men’s and they are significantly more likely to be forced to resign from the position. We find clear evidence of the existence of the glass cliff phenomenon in major parties but unclear evidence of its role in women’s shorter tenures. Instead, women’s shorter tenures are explained by the harsher set of standards being applied to women party leaders.

Where do females rise to leadership positions? A cross-sector analysis

ABSTRACT Gender equality in the workplace includes equal wages, opportunities, and treatment. Although there have been improvements in all of these areas in the last several decades, one area of continuing concern is the low proportion of women in business leadership positions, particularly as CEOs or business owners. We use a unique dataset from all California business establishments across all sectors and sizes to examine the factors that influence gender inequality in business leadership positions. We find that females are less likely to lead firms that are larger and higher performing across almost all industries. In addition, evidence shows that women lead firms that are less stable, supporting the existence of a glass cliff.

The behavioral balancing act of navigating executive leadership as a female

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings This conceptual paper's environmental effect model reveals that women operating at an executive level are required in male-normed organizations to adapt their leadership behavior continually between male and female traits, both to break through the glass ceiling to secure their leadership position and to keep it without falling off a glass cliff. Gender-based self-constraint and self-monitoring is a behavioral habit that can be difficult to shift in all but the most positively supportive and openly diverse work environments. Only here can executive women be their authentic selves without fearing negative career repurcussions. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The Representation of Women’s CEO Image in Online Media

The research focused on the representation of women in the news about the absence of women in Uber’s CEO candidates from the perspective of feminist stylistics by Sara Mills. Five news texts from five different websites published during August 2017 were analyzed; they were Washington Post, Daily Mail, Inverse, Gizmodo, and Fortune. The method used was a qualitative research method with the approach of critical discourse analysis of Sara Mills. By applying three levels of analysis which was analysis at the level of the word, phrase/sentence, and discourse, this research aimed to analyze how women were represented linguistically in the online news of Uber’s CEO candidates and to discover the reason why women were represented in the way they were. The findings reveal that women remain underrepresented in news media. It is proved by the dominance of women as the object in the stories. Moreover, women are represented as ‘glass cliff position’, minority, and a way to recreate the good image in the company. The gender stereotypes, the background story of Uber, the male-dominated industries, and the prevalent condition become the reasons why women represented that way.

THE PERCEPTION OF GLASS CLIFF: A RESEARCH BETWEEN STUDENTS STUDYING IN KAFKAS UNIVERSITY

Araştırmanın amacı, “cam uçurum” kavramının Türkiye örnekleminde geçerliliğini incelemektir. Kafkas Üniversitesinde işletme yönetimi dersi almış 407 öğrenciye anket uygulanmıştır. Araştırmada boşalan bir üst düzey yöneticilik görevi için biri kadın ve biri erkek iki adaydan hangisinin hangi dönemde (olumlu finansal performans dönemi mi yoksa olumsuz finansal performans dönemi mi) daha tercih edilebilir algılandığı incelenmiştir. Cam uçurum pozisyonu için tercihte “uygunluk, liderlik yeteneği ve güven” boyutları kullanılmıştır. Bu boyutlarla ilgili soruların katılımcılarca ayrı ayrı dönemlerde (olumlu finansal performans senaryosunda ve olumsuz finansal performans senaryosunda) değerlendirilmesi istenmiştir. Araştırmada katılımcıların “şirket performansının olumsuz olduğu” bir senaryoda CEO olarak kadın yönetici adayının daha yüksek potansiyelde algılanmadığı bulgusuna ulaşılmıştır. Sonuçta, erilliğin yüksek olduğu ülkelerde geçerli olan cam uçurum kavramının, erilliğin düşük olduğu Türkiye’de geçerli olmayabileceği söylenebilir.

The Art’s Boardroom? Glass Cliff as a Phenomenon in the Art System

The glass cliff phenomenon (Ryan, Haslam, 2005; Bruckmuller, Ryan, Rink, Haslam, 2014) suggests that women are appointed to leadership positions when such positions are precarious. This study const...

The Glass Pyramid Hypothesis: Sex Differences in Preferences for Organizational Hierarchies

Worldwide there is an underrepresentation of women in top leadership roles in business and politics. Many explanations have been offered, including the glass ceiling and glass cliff hypotheses. Here we investigate an alternative explanation: The glass pyramid hypothesis, the idea that aspects of women’s versus men’s psychology may be less aligned with the hierarchical structures that are common to organizational contexts. We hypothesized that sex differences in overconfidence and risk-taking influence preferences for tall versus flat (egalitarian) hierarchical structures. In Study 1, participants (N=200) completed a survey assessing their preferences for flat versus tall hierarchical organizations. As expected, both sexes expressed a stronger preference for flat compared to tall hierarchies, yet women’s aversion to tall hierarchies was greater than that of men’s. In Study 2, participants (N=221) read job advertisements for a leader versus follower position in a tall versus flat organization and indicated their intention to apply. Compared to men, women were significantly less interested in applying for the leadership position in the tall hierarchical organization, and these differences were mediated by sex differences in overconfidence. Greater risk-taking among men relative to women, explained their stronger application intentions to leadership organizations in both flat and tall hierarchical organizations.

A Cultural Perspective of The Glass Cliff Phenomenon

The purpose of this paper is to reveal whether the phenomenon of the glass cliff, a concept related to gender discrimination, is valid in Turkey, where the level of femininity is relatively high. While the sampling method used was convenience sampling, the data collection tool was a questionnaire. The study was conducted with 240 managers in the business world and the appointment to a glass cliff position was assessed in terms of “suitability, leadership, and trust” dimensions. The findings revealed that managers did not opt for a female executive candidate as the CEO, using a scenario in which the “company performance is poor.” Accordingly, in consideration of contextual fundamentals, it can be suggested that the concept of the glass cliff, a term coined by psychologists Ryan and Haslam in the United Kingdom, where masculinity is predominant, may not be valid for Turkey, where the level of masculinity is relatively low.

Women’s ways of leading: the environmental effect

PurposeThis paper aims to present a model describing how women enact executive leadership, taking into account gendered organizational patterns that may constrain women to perform leadership in context-specific ways.Design/methodology/approachThis paper discusses gendered organizations, role congruity theory and organizational culture and work context. These strands of theory are interwoven to construct a model describing ways in which executive-level women are constrained to self-monitor based on context.FindingsThe pressure on women to conform to an organization’s executive leadership culture is enormous. Executive women in strongly male-normed executive leadership contexts must exercise strong gendered self-constraint to break through the glass ceiling. Women in strongly male-normed contexts using lessened gendered self-constraint may encounter a glass cliff. Women in gender-diverse-normed contexts may still operate using strong gendered self-constraint due to internalized gender scripts. Only in gender-diverse-normed contexts with lessened gendered-self-restraint can executive women operate from their authentic selves.Practical implicationsOrganizational leaders should examine their leadership culture to determine levels of pressure on women to act with gendered self-constraint and to work toward creating change. Women may use the model to make strategic choices regarding whether or how much to self-monitor based on their career aspirations and life goals.Originality/valueLittle has been written on male-normed and gender-diverse-normed contexts as a marker for how executive-level women perform leadership. This paper offers a model describing how different contexts constrain women to behave in specific, gendered ways.

Head Coach Changes in Women’s College Soccer: An Investigation of Women Coaches Through the Lenses of Gender Stereotypes and the Glass Cliff

Women are underrepresented in leadership positions in sport, including coaching. In the present study of women’s college soccer in the United States, the authors examine the relationship between team performance and coaching changes through the lenses of gender stereotypes, role congruity theory, and the glass cliff theory. The authors collected 11 seasons of data (2007–2017) for all teams (n = 695) in five conferences. The results of logistic regression analyses with rare events correction show no significant differences between men and women coaches in terms of being dismissed following poor team performance. Hence, the theoretical assumptions of the gender stereotypes and role congruity literature could not be supported empirically. However, the results indicate that women coaches are significantly more likely to be hired as new coaches following poor performance of a team in terms of wins and winning percentage (but not losses) over the course of a season, providing some empirical support for a glass cliff in coaching. The findings have implications for the hiring practices of decision-makers in athletic departments and their performance expectations of women coaches.