The who, when, and why of the glass cliff phenomenon: A meta-analysis of appointments to precarious leadership positions.

Abstract

Women and members of other underrepresented groups who break through the glass ceiling often find themselves in precarious leadership positions, a phenomenon that has been termed the glass cliff. The glass cliff has been investigated in a range of domains using various methodologies, but evidence is mixed. In 3 meta-analyses, we examined (a) archival field studies testing whether members of underrepresented groups, compared with members of majority groups, are more likely to be appointed to leadership positions in times of crisis; (b) experimental studies testing whether members of underrepresented groups, compared with members of majority groups, are evaluated as more suitable for, as well as (c) more likely to be selected for, leadership positions in times of crisis. All 3 analyses provided some evidence in line with the glass cliff for women. Specifically, the meta-analysis of archival studies revealed a small glass cliff effect that was dependent on organizational domain. The leadership suitability meta-analysis also showed a small glass cliff effect in between-participants studies, but not in withinparticipants studies. The analysis of leadership selection revealed that women are more likely to be selected over men in times of crisis, and that this effect is larger in countries with higher gender inequality. The glass cliff also extended to members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups. We explore several moderating factors and report analyses shedding light on the underlying causes of the glass cliff. We discuss implications of our findings as well as open questions. Public Significance StatementThese meta-analyses demonstrate a small effect in line with the glass cliff; that is, women and members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups are more likely to be rated as suitable for, and appointed to, leadership positions in times of crisis. Yet, these effects are context-dependent, reinforcing the nuanced nature of the glass cliff phenomenon.

Granting Leadership to Asian Americans: the Activation of Ideal Leader and Ideal Follower Traits on Observers’ Leadership Perceptions

“…Consequently, both groups can face similar challenges. For example, both female and Asian American leaders have been found to be subject to the glass cliff phenomenon, preferred as leaders during times of crisis to manage problems but not turn things around (Gündemir et al, 2019;Morgenroth et al, 2020). Additionally, prior research demonstrates that observers tend to assume that Asian Americans will be communal and self-sacrificing to promote cooperation and harmony within the groups that they belong to, including at work, due to presumed collectivistic values characteristic of East Asian cultures (Gündemir et al, 2019).…”

Political Ideology Modifies the Effect of Glass Cliff Candidacies on Election Outcomes for Women in American State Legislative Races (2011–2016)

“…Glass cliff effects can be subtle, and even ephemeral, appearing in some contexts and not in others ( Morgenroth et al, 2020 ; Ryan & Haslam, 2007 ; Ryan et al, 2016 ). District level state legislative elections data can also be unwieldy due to state variation in the structure and timing of elections, chamber differences, and variety of reporting sources.…”

“…Originating in research on the rise of women to positions of corporate governance, the term glass cliff describes patterns in the advancement of women and minorities to positions of leadership where there is a disproportionate chance of their failure ( Ryan & Haslam, 2005 ; Ryan et al, 2016 ). A recent review and meta-analysis of glass cliff effects from 74 independent studies affirmed that these conditions arise in a large variety of domains, including politics ( Morgenroth et al, 2020 ).…”

“…The processes that generate glass cliff conditions have been primarily examined using experimental designs for the corporate context ( Ryan et al, 2016 ). In these studies, hostile motives, in which women are subject to discrimination in order to protect the gender status quo, are considered in contrast to more benign motives, where women are appointed because they are associated with change ( Kulich et al, 2015 ; Morgenroth et al, 2020 ). Although both hostile and benign motives can lead to higher risks for minorities, an understanding of when and how these different motives come into play is of particular interest in the search for tailored and therefore more effective solutions.…”

Gender Bias and the Lack of Equity in Pandemic Nursing in China: A Qualitative Study

“…On the contrary, it is these labels that make people think that caring for patients is a bounden duty commensurate with the female character. Women’s career development is often referred to as the “glass ceiling” to indicate invisible obstacles [ 47 ]. Previous studies have shown that this phenomenon is caused by the linkage of many factors [ 48 , 49 ].…”