The Glass Cliff & the Burden of ‘Fixing’ Broken Institutions

When Marissa Mayer stepped into the CEO role at Yahoo in 2012, she inherited a struggling company that had cycled through four CEOs in five years. When Mary Barra took the helm at General Motors in 2014, she immediately faced a massive vehicle recall and congressional hearings. When Jill Soltau became CEO of JCPenney in 2018, she was tasked with rescuing a retailer already on life support.

These high-profile appointments share a revealing pattern: women leaders disproportionately receive opportunities during times of organizational crisis. This phenomenon, known as the “glass cliff,” represents a subtle but powerful form of gender bias with significant consequences for both individual leaders and organizational outcomes.

Beyond the Glass Ceiling: Understanding the Glass Cliff

While the glass ceiling refers to invisible barriers preventing women from reaching top positions, the glass cliff describes what happens when they finally break through – only to find themselves perched precariously over organizational failure.

First identified by researchers Michelle Ryan and Alexander Haslam in 2005, the glass cliff emerged from their analysis of FTSE 100 companies. Their research revealed a disturbing trend: companies were more likely to appoint women to leadership positions following periods of poor performance. Subsequent studies across industries and countries have consistently confirmed this pattern.

The statistics tell a compelling story. A 2018 analysis of CEO transitions found that women were 27% more likely than men to be appointed to leadership roles during periods of organizational decline. Another study of S&P 500 companies revealed that organizations with higher-than-average risk were twice as likely to appoint women CEOs compared to stable counterparts.

Why Organizations Push Women Toward the Edge

Several factors contribute to the glass cliff phenomenon:

Implicit Crisis Leadership Bias 

Research suggests people associate stereotypically feminine attributes like intuition, communication, and emotional intelligence with effective crisis management. This creates a “think crisis-think female” association when organizations face turbulence.

The “Nothing to Lose” Calculation 

When organizations are already struggling, appointing a woman represents lower perceived risk. If she fails, the failure confirms existing biases; if she succeeds, it’s an unexpected win. This cynical calculus makes diversity “safer” during a crisis than stability.

Signaling Organizational Change 

Appointing a woman leader during a crisis sends a visual signal of transformation. It’s a visible way for boards to demonstrate they’re making significant changes without fundamentally addressing underlying issues.

The Savior Effect 

There’s a persistent narrative of women as organizational “saviors” who will nurture troubled companies back to health. This gendered expectation places an unfair burden on women leaders to perform emotional labor while executing difficult turnarounds.

The Setup for Failure

Glass cliff appointments aren’t merely symbolic – they create tangible disadvantages that undermine women’s leadership success:

Resource Constraints 

Crisis situations typically involve reduced budgets, declining market position, and depleted talent pools. Women leaders inherit these constraints while simultaneously facing heightened scrutiny.

Unrealistic Expectations 

Organizations often expect transformative results without allowing sufficient time or providing adequate support. The savior narrative creates expectations that would be unattainable for any leader.

Limited Authority 

Despite their titles, women in glass cliff positions frequently lack the full authority needed to implement necessary changes. They face resistance from entrenched interests while being expected to drive transformation.

The Scrutiny Premium 

Women leaders already face heightened scrutiny; this intensifies during crises. Their decisions, appearance, communication style, and results all receive disproportionate analysis compared to male counterparts.

The Career Consequences

For individual women, the glass cliff creates a career hazard with lasting implications:

• Failed turnarounds become attributed to gender rather than circumstance
• Crisis-centered experience narrows future opportunities
• Burnout rates are substantially higher in these roles
• Career trajectories show diminished progression after glass cliff appointments

Research from the Harvard Business Review found that women who take glass cliff positions are subsequently considered for fewer leadership roles compared to both men in similar situations and women in more stable appointments.

Breaking the Pattern: Organizational Solutions

Forward-thinking organizations can disrupt the glass cliff pattern through intentional intervention:

Transparent Appointment Processes 

Establish clear, consistent criteria for leadership appointments that apply during both stability and crisis. This transparency reduces the influence of implicit biases that lead to glass cliff appointments.

Equal Opportunity During Stability 

Create pathways for women to access leadership roles during periods of organizational strength and stability. This provides the opportunity to lead with adequate resources and reasonable expectations.

Realistic Success Metrics 

Develop contextually appropriate performance metrics that acknowledge the starting conditions. This prevents holding crisis-appointed leaders to standards that don’t reflect their inherited challenges.

Support Infrastructure 

Provide comprehensive support through executive coaching, adequate resources, and operational authority. This support should be proportionate to the challenges being addressed.

Succession Planning 

Implement robust succession planning that develops diverse leadership talent continuously, not just during crises. This creates a pipeline of qualified candidates for all leadership transitions.

Executive Leadership Responsibility

As an executive leader, addressing the glass cliff requires both awareness and action:

Examine Your Organization’s Pattern 

Audit your leadership appointments over time. When were women appointed to leadership roles? What were the organizational circumstances? Looking for patterns can reveal unconscious biases.

Challenge Crisis-Driven Diversity 

When diversity suddenly becomes attractive during difficulty, question the motivation. True commitment to diversity remains consistent during both challenge and prosperity.

Support Leaders Facing Precarious Situations 

If you have leaders in potential glass cliff positions, ensure they have the authority, resources, and realistic timelines needed for success.

Create Psychologically Safe Environments 

Foster cultures where women can decline precarious opportunities without career penalties. The freedom to say “no” to set up situations is essential for authentic leadership development.

The Competitive Advantage of Getting This Right

Organizations that address the glass cliff phenomenon position themselves for significant advantage:

• Access to a broader talent pool for leadership positions
• Improved decision-making through genuine leadership diversity
• Enhanced organizational resilience through consistent leadership development
• Stronger reputation as an employer of choice for top talent

Moving Forward: From Cliff to Summit

The glass cliff represents one of the more subtle but pernicious forms of gender bias in organizational leadership. By recognizing this pattern and implementing intentional countermeasures, organizations can transform leadership opportunities for women from precarious positions to platforms for genuine success.

True progress means women leaders are appointed during times of organizational strength, provided with the resources and authority needed for success, and evaluated based on their actual performance rather than gender-based expectations.

The question for today’s executive leaders isn’t whether glass cliffs exist in your organization, but what you’re doing to eliminate them. Your answer will significantly shape both your leadership legacy and your organization’s future success.

If you need help to answer this question effectively and actionably for your organization, here are two things you can do today to get started. 

1. Schedule a consultation with our team today.
2. Check out our podcast, What’s the DEIL? on Apple or YouTube
3. Follow Natalie Norfus on LinkedIn and Shanté Gordon on LinkedIn for more insights.