Glass Cliff Presentation

Introduction
Hansa Investment Ltd.

Senior Manager
financial director (w/m/d)
Hansa Investment Ltd.
Berlin
Role
Manage the whole finance department Hansa Investment Ltd. -
Education In a dangerous crisis
● Bachelor in Finance
● Master´s degree preferred
Skills
Knowledge in finance
Minimum 5 years of experience.
Salary
Senior: 120,000 E
Road to glass cliff (2008), Neeske Roskam, Hristina Raynova, Victoria Reichel 1
Introduction
Candidates: Tobias & Melanie
33 years old 35 years old

CV CV
Master in Finance (Hamburg) Master in Finance (Berlin)
Semester abroad (China) Semester abroad (South korea)
10 years of professional 10 years of professional

experience experience
German - mother tongue German - mother tongue

English - C1 English - C1
Spanish - B2 French - B2
Swimming Running
Introduction
Which candidate will be more suitable for the

position?
The voting code 58300617 is valid now.
Titel, Vorname, Name
Abteilung, Fachbereich oder Institut
The road to the glass cliff

By Neeske Roskam, Hristina Raynova and
Victoria Reichel
Agenda
1. Introduction
2. Theory
3. Design & Method
4. Results
5. Discussion
6. Conclusion
Introduction
Background
Under-representation of women
within leadership positions, due to:
● Sexism at work
● Perceived incompatibilities
● Responsibilities at home
● Fear of Success
→ Recently: Break through glass ceiling
Theory
The glass cliff phenomenon

The glass cliff refers to the phenomenon whereby women are
over-represented in leadership positions during times of crisis or
duress, or during a recession when the chance of failure is more
likely.
Design & Method
Research question
Does the glass cliff phenomenon hold true in an experimental

setting and what are the reasons leading to this effect?
Goals of study:
Provide experimental evidence of phenomenon of glass cliff
Explanation of the psychological & contextual factors that might contribute to phenomenon
Design & Method
Hypotheses
H1: Compared to men, women will be judged more

favorably and more likely to be recommended for
leadership positions in a company if its performance
declines rather than increases (Glass Cliff Phenomenon).
H2: Glass cliff appointments are associated with beliefs that

they…
● suit the distinctive leadership abilities of women

● provide women with good leadership opportunities
● are particularly stressful for women
Design & Method
Structure of the studies
3 experimental Management graduates, More women than within-participants &

Studies High school students men participated between-participants
Business leaders design
Quantitative: Participants were randomly Participants selected a leader for an

questionnaire studies provided with one of several organization with performance of firm
questionnaire declining or improving
Design & Method
Study 1 Participants: management graduates
Open Positions: Company Performance:

Ranking and evaluation of Senior Manager
all 3 candidates… financial director (w/m/d)
Eco-Beauty GmbH
Berlin From Strength to Strength:
● The candidate would be a good
leader Eco-Beauty’s
Senior Manager
→ ability financial director (w/m/d) [Eco-Construction’s]
● The candidate’s past experience Eco-Construction GmbH Outstanding Stock Performance
Berlin
is relevant to the position
→ suitability
● Rank the three candidates from 1 Candidates:
to 3
Going Down:
Eco-Beauty’s
[Eco-Construction’s]
Disastrous Stock Performance
Design & Method
Study 2 Participants: high school students
Open Position: Company Performance:

Ranking and evaluation of all
Youth consultant (w/m/d)
3 candidates… Festival “Big Day Out” GmbH
Berlin
● The candidate would be a good From Strength to Strength:
youth representative The Big Day Out’s Outstanding
→ ability Youth
● The candidate’s past experience is
relevant to the position
→ suitability
● Rank the three candidates from 1 Candidates:
to 3
Going Down:
The Big Day Out’s Disastrous
Youth Attendance
Design & Method
Study 3 Participants: business leaders
Open Position: Company Performance:

Evaluation of one of the Senior Manager
two candidates… financial director (w/m/d)
Jefferson’s GmbH
Berlin From Strength to Strength:
● S/He would be a good leader
● S/He is suitable for this Jefferson’s
position Outstanding Stock Performance
● This position offers
Jonathon/Julie Hawker a good
opportunity to further his/her Candidates:
career
● This would be a stressful
position to be in
Going Down:
Jefferson’s
Disastrous Stock Performance
Julie Jonathan
Results
Results
Hypothesis 1 Hypothesis 2
Confirmation of hypothesis 1 in all 3 studies: Confirmation of hypothesis 2 in study 3:
● The proportion of female applicants preferred to an ● Glass cliff appointments are associated with beliefs
equally qualified male applicant increases when the that they…
company's performance decreases rather than
increases (glass cliff) suit the distinctive leadership abilities of women
provide women with good leadership opportunities
are particularly stressful for women
Provide experimental evidence of Explanation of the psychological &

phenomenon of glass cliff contextual factors that might contribute to
phenomenon
General discussion
Controversy denied:
Glass cliff theory confirmed: → Women don’t choose risky positions
“Think crisis - think female” themselves
→ Women are not the reason for the crisis
Different possible interpretations: Women…
○ a better manager in crisis

○ a less valuable resource
○ are more likely to accept these positions
Discussion
Implications
Management Women
● Career development
● Stereotypical success ● Leadership positions
● C Suite support
● ´´Think crisis-think female´´
● Moral and legal imperatives
● Stress and dissatisfaction
Theoretical
● Change aloof ● New theory of glass ceiling
Limitation
Some processes that may underlie Some specific weaknesses of the

the phenomenon were not study:
investigated in the study:
● Sexism ● Overdetermined phenomenon
● Minority status ● Prevalence of females
● Gender stereotypes ● Unclear gender difference
● Gender discrimination ● Research domain
● Social status
Conclusion
Discussion
Interpret the results from the Survey at the beginning.
Why did you choose him/her and which factors played a

role?
Discussion
Have you heard about the glass cliff before? (personal

experience, family/friends, university etc.)
Can you think of ways to solve the issue?
Thank you for your attention!
Do you have any questions?
Conclusion
Sources
Barratt, B. (2018, November 20). We Need To Be Careful When Talking About The Glass Cliff. FORBESWOMEN.
Bruckmüller, S., Ryan, M. K., Haslam, S. A., & Rink, F. (2014). Beyond the Glass Ceiling: The Glass Cliff and Its Lessons for Organizational
Policy. Social Issues and Policy Review. https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12006
Oelbaum, Y. S. (2016). UNDERSTANDING THE GLASS CLIFF EFFECT: WHY ARE FEMALE LEADERS BEING PUSHED TOWARD THE
EDGE? [Doctoral dissertation].
Ryan, M. K., & Haslam, S. A. (2008). The road to the glass cliff: Differences in the perceived suitability of men and women for leadership
positions in succeeding and failing organizations. The Leadership Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2008.07.011
Images:
Marzullo, D. (2021). Glass Ceilings: How to Ensure Every Employee Has a Fair Chance to Advance [Photograph].
Rahman, A. (2021). What do you know about the ‘glass cliff’ phenomenon? [Photograph].
Ward, M. (2022). The 'glass cliff' is a serious problem for women in corporate America. Here's how to dismantle it. [Photograph].

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Introduction

Hansa Investment Ltd.

Candidates: Tobias & Melanie

33 years old 35 years old

10 years of professional 10 years of professional

German - mother tongue German - mother tongue

Which candidate will be more suitable for the

The voting code 58300617 is valid now.

The road to the glass cliff

3. Design & Method

→ Recently: Break through glass ceiling

The glass cliff phenomenon

Does the glass cliff phenomenon hold true in an experimental

Provide experimental evidence of phenomenon of glass cliff

H1: Compared to men, women will be judged more

H2: Glass cliff appointments are associated with beliefs that

● suit the distinctive leadership abilities of women

Structure of the studies

3 experimental Management graduates, More women than within-participants &

Quantitative: Participants were randomly Participants selected a leader for an

Study 1 Participants: management graduates

Open Positions: Company Performance:

Study 2 Participants: high school students

Open Position: Company Performance:

Study 3 Participants: business leaders

Open Position: Company Performance:

provide women with good leadership opportunities

are particularly stressful for women

Provide experimental evidence of Explanation of the psychological &

Different possible interpretations: Women…

○ a better manager in crisis

Some processes that may underlie Some specific weaknesses of the

Why did you choose him/her and which factors played a

Have you heard about the glass cliff before? (personal

Can you think of ways to solve the issue?

Do you have any questions?

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