What is Glass Cliff?
Glass cliff is a phenomenon when women or unrepresented groups are more likely to be appointed to leadership roles at time of crisis and difficult times when a company is struggling. These roles come up with high risks of failure making it difficult to achieve success.
The term was coined by Michelle Ryan and Alex Haslam in 2005 after their research showed that women were more likely to be placed in precarious leadership positions than men. Their study found that women were more likely to be appointed to top positions in struggling companies compared to men, putting them in high-risk leadership roles with a greater chance of failure.
It expands on the idea of the glass ceiling, which refers to invisible barriers that prevent women and minorities from reaching top leadership positions. The glass cliff suggests that even when these barriers are broken, the positions they attain come with greater instability and risk.
The reason of glass cliff is anticipated to be because of varied reasons such as the unconscious bias and conditioned stereotype of people believes that women or minorities are an opportunity to be used while handling challenges like crisis management or boosting team morale, or organizations may believe that a fresh perspective is needed during crises.
Also, in such cases due to the high chances of failure due to already prevailing strenuous condition of the business, it becomes easy to air the stereotypes and blame the efficiency of women and minorities. The purpose can be intentional to blame it on women or minorities and prove that they are not suited for leadership roles.
To counteract this phenomenon, it is essential for companies or organizations to provide fair opportunities to all staffs with leadership potential irrespective of gender and caste during stable business conditions and ensure that leaders receive adequate resources, mentorship, and support.
